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Trump, RNC Chair to Discuss Loyalty Pledge; Trump Slams Bush for Speaking Spanish in the U.S.; Murder Rates Rising in Many Cities; Kentucky Clerk Refuses to Issue Licenses to Same-Sex Couples. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired September 03, 2015 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:32:20] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump's loyalty to the Republican Party will be tested today during a meeting with RNC chairman Reince Priebus. The Republican National Committee wants Trump and the other GOP candidates to sign a loyalty pledge, promising to support the 2016 nominee and not run as a third-party candidate.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is taking another shot at rival Jeb Bush, saying in an interview that Bush sets a bad example by sometimes speaking Spanish.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: A former State Department staffer who worked on Hillary Clinton's private email server when she was secretary of state is expected to plead the five. Bryan Pagliano was served with a subpoena by the House panel investigation the 2012 Benghazi. That same panel this morning will have Clinton's ex-chief of staff Cheryl Mills in a closed door meeting. She is expected to be asked about internal communications between Clinton and her top staffers.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: A legacy-defining win for President Obama as he secures a veto-proof majority on the Iran nuclear deal. The all important 34th vote coming from Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland. But the effort to block the deal is not over. Republicans are now looking at their legislative options, including the possibility of re-imposing sanctions that the deal is supposed to lift.

CAMEROTA: And now to the favorite story of the day. A sheep named Chris.

PEREIRA: Of course, his name is Chris.

CAMEROTA: Why is a sheep named Chris?

PEREIRA: It seems right.

CAMEROTA: This was found in Australia. He needed to be shorn, as you can see, he needed it really badly.

BERMAN: Here we go.

CAMEROTA: His thick, heavy coat was actually threatening to kill him.

PEREIRA: Really?

CAMEROTA: Yes.

So a champion sheerer setting a wooly world record by removing about 90 pounds of fleece. Just look at the before and after shot. I don't know either.

BERMAN: He looks like he has a bad case of razor burn.

CAMEROTA: And he's in a straitjacket afterwards.

PEREIRA: No, they are keeping him warm.

CAMEROTA: The process was very difficult. He took off 90 pounds.

PEREIRA: Our producer wanted to start a reality show called "shape up or sheep out."

BERMAN: What's wrong with big hair? That's what --

CAMEROTA: How can not be happening already?

PEREIRA: I know. It probably is. We came up with it.

BERMAN: I am pro-big hair.

PEREIRA: Clearly.

All right. Let's talk weather extreme, heat hitting the East Coast. In fact, temperatures are expected to top the 90s. I don't want to ask if there's relief in sight because we know winter is on its way.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's true.

PEREIRA: It's true. It's a few months away, but I had to say it. Suck it up, East Coast, we can do it.

MYERS: Just one more day. I promise you -- New York City, D.C., Philadelphia, one more day of this, so it's good. Just for the record, I'm in favor of any hair, because it falls so out quickly.

Cooler across the Northeast for tomorrow. We will be back in the 80s. Today, still hot.

[06:35:00] Tomorrow still hot in the plains, too. Chicago, you're still going to make a run at 95 or 100 for the heat index.

But look at this for New York, 92 today. Feels like 96. Then by Saturday, 82. So, we drop 10 degrees by the cold front. A very nice weekend as well.

This is obviously Labor Day weekend and everybody is out playing. Pittsburgh will be 86 on Saturday, warming up a little bit in your back up to New York City. I'm very pleasant a couple of days here. Honestly, five solid days in a row as the cold front goes by, John, for the Northeast. Little showers across the west.

BERMAN: Thank you very much, Chad. Just for the record, we like your hair or whatever is going on up there. Thank you for being with us.

(LAUGHTER)

PEREIRA: Oh, making it personal.

BERMAN: Violence and deadly attacks against police officer is a serious matter, happening in Illinois, Texas and elsewhere, raising concern that America's law enforcement officials could be becoming targets even more so. We'll discuss, next.

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[06:40:17] PEREIRA: A manhunt continues at this hour for three suspects wanted in the shooting death of an Illinois police officer. His murder and other recent attacks against police have many questioning if law enforcement are being targeted as retaliation for high-profile police-involved shooting deaths.

We want to discuss it with Charles Blow. He's CNN political commentator and op-ed columnist for "The New York Times". Next to him is Carlos Watson, editor in chief of OZY.com.

I love talking to the two of you. A dream come true again.

Sadly, we have to talk about what we're seeing going on right now. You both -- we haven't had you here since the sheriff in Texas, Harris County, made the comments linking the death of one of his deputies there, linking the Black Lives Matter movement to his death. Obviously, speaking in a heat of moment, he hasn't backed down. In fact, he's double down.

First of all, let's start with you. Quickly, what are your thoughts on him saying that?

CHARLES BLOW, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's incredibly dangerous and reckless, because there is, to my knowledge, no proof whatsoever that this particular shooter was animated by that. This tragedy, that sheriff deputy should not be dead. However, the shooter -- the shooting happens before the clip we keep playing, the day before, he could not possibly have heard that. That possibly could not have influenced him. So what is the evidence of a link?

And even when Anderson Cooper kind of pushed him on that, he says, well, it was just his suspicion that's what happened.

PEREIRA: Not really room for suspicion in an investigation. And they often encourage us, the media, to sort of let the investigation play its part, Carlos.

CARLOS WATSON, CEO, CO-FOUNDER OZY.COM: But, you know, it points out how risky the situation this is and the sheriffs are in. The sheriff was promoted earlier this year. Undoubtedly, a lot of sadness, given, seeing one of the deputies gone down on that way.

BLOW: In the country, I mean, I think all of us have said about.

PEREIRA: Yes.

WATSON: Very much so, very much so.

The other piece of it is the whole conversation about race that has always been difficult despite the fact that we have our first black president. And I think that President Obama is increasingly going to get called into this conversation. It was a really interesting piece in "The Wall Street Journal" comparing this president to 1968 when in some ways President Obama could be asked to go further back to LBJ saying we shall overcome, and in many ways try to move the nation forward on this conversation. And I think President Obama may be asked too that because so many people struggle to do it well.

PEREIRA: Yes, it is a difficult conversation because we struggle to talk about it here. I want to talk to several of our writers, including you, have written op-eds about this matter of police and community. Don Turner wrote in "the "Chicago tribune"," I understand why some people want to complain with the deaths of the civilians at the hands of the police officers and the hands of the bad civilians, but they fundamentally are not the same.

She goes on to say that we expect the bad guys to do bad things, but that is not our expectation when it comes to police officers. She says, when an officer acts with impunity it's a far bigger crime. Do you agree with that?

BLOW: Absolutely. You expect the criminals to commit crimes. You do not expect police officers to commit crimes.

And when they do, it eats away at the foundation of democracy, because democracy is built on our belief and faith in the system. And if we -- we give police officers incredible amounts of power and authority because we want them to keep society civil and to keep us safe. And if that feels like it is being turned on the citizens who have given the power, then it eats away at our ability to believe in the system itself.

PEREIRA: Let's look at some of the statistics there have been about police deaths. So far this year, if I understand it correctly, 26 police officer deaths already this year, 30 last year. One is too many, let's just say that right out. We all believe that and know that.

There are some, Carlos, that are saying this is reaching epidemic proportions. You have the attorney general, Loretta Lynch, saying no one is safe.

How much does the fever pitch and the rhetoric that is around this, do you think, aligns with the reality?

WATSON: You know, again, you said one is too many. And when you look at the numbers you just pointed out, there's been a slight decrease year over year. Even a larger decrease over the last forty years, but one is too many.

(CROSSTALK)

WATSON: But I think what attorney general lynch said is powerful on multiple levels. She's not just looking at police officers or citizens who have been killed by police, but she obviously pointed out the situation in Charleston, just pointed out the situation with journalists in Virginia recently.

PEREIRA: The theater massacre.

[06:45:00] WATSON: All of these in a context and in a context of violence and a context of danger. And you heard her say it's not really clear why it's happening in many of the big cities from New York to Chicago to Baltimore. In some ways that's even more worrisome.

PEREIRA: But that's a bigger question because it involves race, it involves gun violence, it involves poverty. I mean, there are so many arms to this horrible octopus.

BLOW: But I do caution against making the equivalency, because I just really believe that it is not equivalent, as Don was pointing.

You know, this idea that in the attorney in Texas after Goforth was killed said every city has a few bad apples.

No, this is not a bad apple. A bad apple, you called in sick and are on vacation. A bad apple is you took home office supplies from work.

When you shoot me and I'm dead and I can no longer be alive again, that is no longer about bad apples. Because it has now eaten away at my ability, the whole community's ability --

WATSON: Especially when you put your trust in public service.

BLOW: Absolutely, these are not equally yoked, these are not equally yoked.

PEREIRA: Charles Blow, Carlos Watson, always great to have you here. Thanks for bringing your great minds to us.

John?

BERMAN: All right. Thanks, Michaela.

Emotions boiling over in Kentucky. Some county clerks standing in the way of same sex couples who want to get married. How will this get resolved?

We're going to speak to the Republican nominee for governor of Kentucky. That's next.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[06:50:35] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're not issuing marriage license today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually, the United States Supreme Court has authority over you.

(CHANTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: An emotional scene inside the Rowan County clerk's office in Kentucky. The county clerk there, Kim Davis, due in federal court today for repeatedly refusing to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. She says it's against her religious beliefs, even though the Supreme Court says, it is now the law of the land.

Joining us now, Matt Bevin, the Republican nominee for governor of Kentucky. Mr. Bevin, thank you so much for joining us this morning.

We have a statement from the U.S. attorney in the eastern district of Kentucky, Kerry Harvey, who says, "We have brave concerns about the reported failure to comply with the court's order", and this is the key line, "Government officials are free to disagree with the law but not disobey it."

Your reaction?

MATT BEVIN (R), GUBERNATORIAL NOMINEE, KENTUCKY: You know, I think that's certainly a fair statement. And I would agree, we are a nation of laws, no question about it. This is a question about reconciling contention that exists within the law itself.

In my proposal, it's simply been there's no reason to subjugate the rights of one group in order to accommodate the rights of another, that the two can coincide mutually. And this is the proposal that I have put forward. It's what good governance does.

BERMAN: The rights of one group pitted against the rights of another. The Supreme Court says same sex couples have the right to marry. Whose rights are you protecting?

BEVIN: Well, there's also the first amendment, and is existing long before there's any interpretation of the 14th Amendment to accommodate the rights of same sex couples. And this is the right of all -- we talk equal protection under the law, that's very important. And I agree this is something that should sought.

It's interesting on the intro in there was a comment she's refusing to issue same sex marriage licenses. And while that is true enough, she's actually refusing to issue any marriage licenses right now because of this impasse.

When she was sworn in, my concern with this issue is only this -- this isn't about who can get married and who cannot. Truth be told, why did the government even have to condone the binding of any two consenting adults? Why is the government even involved in this? That's a whole other topic.

As it stands now, that's the process and that's the process here in Kentucky. So how do we reconcile the fact that the Kentucky Constitution declares marriage to be something different than the U.S. Constitution has now declared? There is an impasse, but it could easily be reconciled, if, in fact, we made this a downloadable form.

Hawaii has been marrying same sex couples probably longer than anyone. And if we were to make this a downloadable form, make it one that could be downloaded and/or picked up in hard copy, filled out, notarized, solemnized by the appropriate official and brought to the county clerk's office and filed like a lien or mortgage, then you remove the contention.

BERMAN: But, what if there's someone in the county clerk's office who claims as Kim Davis is claiming that her religious beliefs don't let her file it? I mean, where is the line?

BEVIN: That's not the issue.

BERMAN: Why not?

BEVIN: There's no issue with that. There's not a county clerk in this state that would have any issue doing what I just described. In fact, they have asked for this.

What I'm calling on is our state's governor and our attorney general to stand in the gap and to govern. I'm running against a man who is the state's attorney general, the overseer of all laws in this state. A man who himself on this very issue stood before the cameras and cried about his inability to do the job he had sworn in oath to do. He had failed to do that.

BERMAN: Sir, isn't this fundamentally about three county clerks in Kentucky saying I'm not going to listen to the Supreme Court of the United States right now?

BEVIN: No, it's fundamentally about the fact they want their First Amendment rights also treated as equally as the rights of others.

(CROSSTALK)

BEVIN: I think that's a fair saying. Nobody should have their rights subjugated.

BERMAN: But no one is saying they have to get married. No one saying Kim Davis has to marry a woman. All they are saying is she has to issue the marriage license to same sex couples who want to get married, her job as country clerk is to issue marriage licenses, is it not?

BEVIN: Let me ask you a question, in recent years we have come to the conclusion that whatever comes from the Supreme Court is and is -- and no question the highest legal authority of land.

[06:55:02] But we have separation of powers in this country for a reason and always have.

And interestingly, if you go back, there had been any number of issuances from this very same body, this very same Supreme Court that have been contentious as well. One of which was Dred Scott in 1957.

BERMAN: Are you saying --

BEVIN: In reaction to that -- no, no, listen to me, in reaction to that statement by the Supreme Court that blacks in this case were the properties of whites or could be, there were some states that simply said that's unacceptable. And they were known at that time as abolitionist states. They were states that simply said, in our state, we are not going to --

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: But sir, is human bondage the same thing in your mind as approving or disapproving or letting other people get married?

BEVIN: No, not even a little. This is about what is legally the case. And we're talking about illegal interaction.

Have you heard one negative thing from Kim Davis or anyone of these other clerks about same sex couples? Have any of these clerks ever failed to issue a driver's license or to file any other couples brought this up? They have not. They have not.

BERMAN: What if you have an atheist county clerk, an atheist county clerk who for whatever reason not based on religion but didn't think gays should be married. Would the atheist clerk have the same right not to issue the marriage license in your mind?

BEVIN: Again, you can spin off any number of hypotheses. That is not the issue we're talking about.

I'm running for governor of the state of Kentucky. As a governor, I will be forced to come up with solutions for impasses such as this. I have proposed a very doable and workable solution, one that is in place in other states right now, one that could resolve this, allow all people to have equal protection under the law, allowing same sex couples and heterosexual couples to be married in Rowan County, among other places, and also allow the county clerks not to be the ones who are solemnizing this, officiating this, in some measure by putting their name on the document.

This is easily resolved. If this is truly about people having their rights to marry, that could easily be resolved. That's what I'm calling for.

BERMAN: Last question, if it were up to you and not the Supreme Court, would gay couples be getting married in Kentucky?

BEVIN: It isn't up to me singularly. It was something that was put to the vote of the people of Kentucky. And as governor, it will not be my decision that weighs in. It will be the will of the people, in this case, the will of the people of Kentucky. And ten years ago, the will of the people in Kentucky was very different than now which has now been passed down.

But the point is this -- it can be resolved, it should be resolved. We owe it to every Kentuckian, those on both sides of the issue, to remove what has become a very vitriolic and nasty situation for no good reason.

BERMAN: Mr. Bevin, we really appreciate you coming in and talking about this issue. Good luck, sir.

BEVIN: You're welcome. Thank you.

BERMAN: So, what is your take on all this? Tweet us using #NewDayCNN. Post your comment on Facebook.com/NewDay.

There is a lot of news and we have a whole lot of big interviews coming up, let's get right to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: The GOP frontrunner and all the Republican candidates are being asked to sign a loyalty pledge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will he or won't he rule out a third party bid?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump slamming Jeb Bush for speaking Spanish on the campaign trail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump's negative among Hispanics is 82 percent. Now, I think he's shooting for a perfect 100.

PEREIRA: The search for three suspects is expanding this morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're turning over every leaf and blade of grass.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a time of concern for all law enforcement.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In every instance, it's been an act of cowardice.

LORETTA LYNCH, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: This violence has to end.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is Carly Fiorina heading to the big debate stage?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The former CEO at 10 percent.

CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need a nominee who is going to throw every punch.

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota, and Michaela Pereira.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: Good morning. Welcome back to your NEW DAY.

The Republican Party bringing out the big guns to keep Donald Trump in the fold. The GOP frontrunner is meeting today with RNC chairman Reince Priebus who wants Trump and other GOP candidates to sign a loyalty pledge that says they'll support the party nominee no matter who it is and won't launch a third party run.

CAMEROTA: Meanwhile, the latest Trump attack on rival Jeb Bush hitting close to home. The Donald suggesting Jeb is setting a bad example by speaking Spanish inside the United States.

CNN's Sara Murray is live in Washington with all the latest.

Good morning, Sara.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Good morning, Alisyn.

Forgive the pun, but this has really been his Trump card, the threat he might run as an independent candidate. We may finally settle the issue once and for all when Donald Trump meets with Reince Priebus. We may get an answer whether he pledges his loyalty to the GOP.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Unbelievable.

MURRAY (voice-over): By day's end, Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus could have an answer from Donald Trump. Will he or won't he rule out a third-party bid?

TRUMP: Did you vote for Trump? Did you vote for Trump?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did.

MURRAY: In Nashville recently, Trump, a former Democrat, explaining why he referred to running as a Republican.

TRUMP: That would be the best path for victory. And we're going to make a decision soon and I think a lot of people are going to be very happy.