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At Least 125 People Were Killed When A Car Bomb Went Off In A Busy Shopping Area In Central Baghdad; Democrats Will Get A Vote On New Gun Legislation; Clinton Met With the FBI for 3.5 Hours Saturday; Rallying Call of Some Republicans Opposed to Donald Trump; The Atlanta Braves and the Miami Marlins Will Square Off at Ft. Bragg. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired July 03, 2016 - 15:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:01:48] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right. Hello again. And thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin with a devastating attack in Baghdad. At least 125 people were killed when a car bomb went off in a busy shopping area in central Baghdad. The area was crowded with people breaking their fast on one of the last days of the holy month of Ramadan. The Iraqi prime minister has declared three days of public mourning beginning today. ISIS says it is responsible for the bombing. This is the third major terror attack claimed by ISIS in the past week. First last week's shootings and bombings at the Istanbul airport killing 44 people. Then two days later civilians were taken hostage at a cafe in Bangladesh, 20 were killed.

We have got full coverage for you. Senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is joining us on what's happening in Iraq. Nima Elbagir is in Istanbul, Turkey. Also with me is CNN global affairs analyst Kimberly Dozier, joining us from Washington.

So Ben, you first. Where these attacks took place in Baghdad known as majority Shia neighborhood. Could be why it was singled out in these attacks?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fred, ISIS put out a statement saying that they were specifically targeting Shia Muslims in this attack. And, of course, this was a neighborhood that's very busy, very popular. There were hundreds of people out on the street enjoying the relative cool of the evening in Baghdad. They were out going to restaurants, to cafes, shopping in the lead up to the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Now, it's not known exactly the form the bomb took, but it's believed it could have been a truck bomb which would explain this huge death toll, the biggest since 2007, and there wasn't just the damage caused by the blast itself, but it caused fires in all of the surrounding buildings, and we understand that until this time right now and it's just 24 hours after this blast, they're still pulling bodies out of the rubble, Fred. WHITFIELD: And then, that Iraqi forces just took the -- retook the

city of Fallujah from ISIS. Might this also be kind of a response to that?

WEDEMAN: I think it's very directly connected. What we have seen over just a little more than a year is that Iraqi forces have been pushing ISIS back, have been inflicting with the help of the U.S.-led coalition serious territorial losses and casualties on ISIS. And I just got back from Baghdad, and I can tell you that the mood was increasingly upbeat. People were really feeling that finally ISIS was on the run.

And this kind of blast in the heart of Baghdad with its massive civilian death toll according to the police 25 children at least killed in this blast and 20 women. This is the sort of attempt by is which is losing so much right now to strike back in a way that hits ordinary Iraqis and ignites the kind of anger we saw against the Iraqi prime minister who went to the scene of the blast but was forced to run away along with his entourage as he and his cars were pelted with rocks, bottles, insults, and anger from the population -- Fred.

[15:05:14] WHITFIELD: And, Nima, let's talk about what took place in Istanbul, Turkey, last Tuesday. Now, 13 of the 27 suspects rounded up in connection with the airport bombing are actually in court, and you underscored that the suspects are all Turks. So does this send a message to Turkey that there are other potential homegrown, you know, potential terrorists lurking in to be how do you find more there in Turkey?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we should just first say that Turkish media report that those 13, three of whom are foreigners, will now be going to trial. So that's going to be a bit of a relief for the Turkish authorities, that some of those investigative threats are coming to fruition.

But you are absolutely right. This is illustrative of that shift in tactics. The reality is that Paris is hugely well secured now during the European football championships. Even Brussels has woken up to a certain extent.

Istanbul is where if they want to continue hitting soft western targets with its multibillion dollar tourism industry. This is where they are now focusing a lot of their attention. And part of that focus is that they are in an active state of homegrown recruitment. So even though Turkish authorities told us that those three attackers at Istanbul Ataturk airport were foreigners, they needed a broad-based homegrown support network. And much of the previous attacks, two of the previous attacks, were carried out by Turkish citizens. It's becoming extraordinarily difficult for Turkish authorities to deal with this two-prong approach. And it feeds into ISIS' attempt to cause a much bigger shadow than they realistically should be casting because the reality is their territorial footprint has been staying in Iraq and in Syria and its being degraded. So we are going to see this strategic shift increasingly, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And Kim, we are talking about three attacks now. ISIS claiming responsibility for each of them inside a week. ISIS is sending a very strong message of its relevance, of its reach, of its growth, and really stoking more fears globally, isn't it?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Stocking more fear and also drawing more followers. The attack in Bangladesh is case in point. The five attackers have been identified as members of a local Islamic militant group. And Bangladeshi authorities keep saying, oh, no, they weren't really ISIS even though ISIS' official news agency has put out pictures of what look like the same five guys that Bangladeshi police released in photos of them after they have been killed. But they were posing with ISIS flags.

What ISIS is doing is spreading its franchise by gobbling up other groups. Al-Qaeda used to be very selective, not allowing people to pledge allegiance unless they followed certain rules. ISIS is much more -- well, far reaching or willing to take in local groups simply --

WHITFIELD: Showing kind of a consolidation, a willingness to consolidate.

DOZIER: A willingness to consolidate and also not insisting that they follow certain rules. They can express the ISIS brand in their own way, and that's a much faster way to expand area and reach.

WHITFIELD: Is that the feeling you think in Iraq, Ben, that there has been a greater or some kind of demonstration of consolidation? ISIS' willingness to, as Kimberly put it, gobble up, you know, absorb other extremist groups or followers?

WEDEMAN: Well, I think in the case of Bangladesh's still fertile territory for ISIS. But I think if you look in Iraq, they are very familiar with ISIS. Now, ISIS has tried to recruit among the Sunni Arab population and to a lesser extent the Kurdish population, but the vast majority in Baghdad, for instance, are Shia, and they have no love whatsoever. They aren't going to - ISIS will not find any willing recruits among them. And I think even among the Sunni population there were people who were disillusion by the misrule of the government of Nuri al-Maliki but increasingly they realize there is no future with this group. That the territory it even controls now is under constant bombardment by coalition aircraft, by Iraqi aircraft, that life simply isn't viable under ISIS anymore. So I think that, no, in Iraq they're not contrast.

[15:10:00] WHITFIELD: And then real quickly, Nima, is caliphate still the objective here?

ELBAGIR: No. I think we're passed that point. I think the reality is that they have seen the caliphate comes at a huge cost and they don't really have the resources on the ground. And those pipelines, specifically through Turkey, aren't as accessible anymore for them to get their men through, but also they realize that it's never going to have the same resonance as of Paris or Brussels or even an Istanbul. So for them, now, the resourcing, and we have seen now with this. This was directly controlled from Raqqah, this attack. They appreciate that their resources, their concentration, their focus will pay off bigger dividends if they hit somewhere where the west is watching and where the west is vulnerable.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nima Elbagir, Ben Wedeman, Kim Dozier, thanks to all of you. Appreciate it.

All right. So the restaurant attack in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, was known for drawing in multinational customers. The restaurant that is. Among the victims in the cafe were three students from universities right here in the United States.

CNN's Sara Ganim has been learning more about those students and she is joining us right now - Sara.

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Fred.

Yes. You know, students from two different universities right here in the United States in mourning today as they remember their friends. One at the campus of Berkeley in California and the other at Emory University in Georgia where they didn't just lose one friend and fellow student, they lost two. Now, the college oxford college at Emory University, especially tight-night from people who I talked to at the school they say this is an incredible hard day today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GANIM (voice-over): It is was by ill-faith coincidence that two Bangladeshi international students from Georgia's Emory University, both in Dhaka for the summer, were by chance both ding at a cafe when terrorist stormed in, took hostages, killing 20.

Abinta Kabir and Faraaz Hossein both knew each other through the Bangladeshi student group at Emory. Both were visiting family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That they are very good student. They had a bright future. That's why they came here to do finish their higher study.

GANIM: Kabir was a business major who lived for a while in Miami. Her friends say she was gracious, a talented athlete and student. She was among those found stabbed to death after the hours-long standoff.

LENITA O'ROUKE, VICTIM'S FORMER TEACHER IN MIAMI: We go back. We can't go back.

GANIM: One of her former teachers, Lenita O'Rouke, prefers to remember her smile.

O'ROUKE: So hard to believe that she was there and she was suffering for 10 or 11 hours. I don't even want to think about it. Rather to remember her with that smile that she had. And I just don't understand why the world has to be that way. Why do innocents have to pay for the hatred of others?

GANIM: Hossain followed his older brother to Emory and plan to join his family business after his study.

RIFAT MURSALIN, FRIEND OF FARAAZ AND HIS OLDER BROTHER: So my first interaction with Faraaz was when he reached out to me and offered to help me on a project that I was working on. And that served as a testament of a kind of person. He was, you know, always very loving, caring, helpful, and extremely outgoing. And you know, he didn't have to offer me help. He did it out of the sheer goodness of his heart.

GANIM: Rifat Mursalin, a friend of Faraaz, says the Emory Community is devastated over the loss of two students with so much potential.

MURSALIN: We are all in shock and just in disbelief that, you know, these young beautiful lives were cut so short because of these monsters.

GANIM: A third student, 19-year-old Berkley University sophomore Tarishi Jain was also killed in the attack. Jain was in the Dhaka visiting her father and interning for the summer.

AKASH BHALOTHIA, FRIEND AND FELLOW STUDENT: Every time I met her it was pretty evidently. She is very ambitious, very strong.

GANIM: Fellow students say Jain was an economics major passionate about a student-run Berkeley business called (INAUDIBLE) which donates apparel to fight global poverty.

BHALOTHIA: She was just going for dinner and it could happen to any of us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GANIM: I talked to one woman who is a student at Emory University, a friend of both Faraaz and Nabin, who said it was particularly hard because Faraaz had actually talked about wanting to go back to Dhaka to make the community better after he finished his studies - Fred.

WHITFIELD: Terribly sad.

All right. Thank you so much, Sara Ganim.

All right. Straight ahead, U.S. senator Cory Booker weighing in on the controversial meeting this week between Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D), NEW JERSEY: I think she's handling this right. She did nothing wrong. No violation, and she already said publicly she's going to abide by the determination of the FBI and the prosecutors that are working on this case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: More from this exclusive interview next.

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[15:17:34] WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. One possible vice presidential pick is ready to close the book on the

government's investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server while she was U.S. secretary of state. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker spoke with CNN's Brianna Keilar. He is defending attorney general Loretta Lynch on recent accusations that she has a conflict of interest in deciding the case following her meeting with former president bill Clinton at an Arizona airport.

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BOOKER: She is a long-standing professional. She came up through the ranks at the justice department. I think she is handling this right. She did nothing wrong, no violation, and she already said publicly she's going to abide by the determination of the FBI and the prosecutors who working on this case.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Let's look at this notion that she will simply be accepting the recommendations or abiding by them, as you say, of the FBI and the career prosecutors. Here is what she said.

LORETTA LYNCH, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I expect to accept their recommendations and I will be accepting their recommendations.

KEILAR: So which is it here? That she fully expects to or that she will accept the recommendations.

BOOKER: Well, I think that she is going to accept the recommendations. And again, let's understand what this is all about. This is all about a conversation that the two of them had that had nothing to do with this case. It had to do with golf and grandchildren. So this is nothing that in any way undermines this case. And people who are alleging that and I know a lot of that is coming from the Trump campaign, are trying to whip up conspiracy theories here. This is a professional prosecutor. She know what s what she is doing. She said it has the appearance of impropriety but nothing happened. And as a result of that she's going to accept the determination of the prosecutors working on this case.

KEILAR: Muddying the waters a little bit on whether she will simply accept these recommendations. After she suggested she will be taking a step back from the investigation and just accepting this, the justice department spokeswoman clarified her remarks. She told Yahoo! News that quote "the attorney general will be the ultimate decider."

So how can you maintain that you were just accepting the recommendations? And also there is this suggestion that she is the ultimate decider? That's seem to be two very different things.

BOOKER: I think we're really parsing things, that there a distinction but not much of a difference. The reality is this is a professional lifelong prosecutor who had a conversation with a guy who, frankly, one of the things we love about Bill Clinton, he is probably one of the friendliest people on the planet earth. They talked about golf and grandchildren. In no way undermined the investigation. One conversation from a professional prosecutor is going to have no implication on this at all. I'm happy she's staying in the saddle. I'm happy that he is not recusing herself. But she is making sure that she is going to focus on the recommendations of the professionals that are involved here.

KEILAR: Why is there a revision though coming from her department that she is the ultimate decider instead of backing up her assertion that she's going to accept these recommendations?

BOOKER: Again, at a time where we've had global terror, at a time we have real issues in communities like the one I'm going to be going home to today, this is the kind of things I think more frustrates voters than it does interest them. This is a distinction with barely a difference. The reality is this is a prosecutor who America can trust, who came up through the ranks, and is going to do a good job with this case.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Sources tell CNN an announcement of no charges is expected within the next two weeks as long as no evidence of wrongdoing emerges from that FBI interview yesterday. And we will speak with a former FBI assistant director about all of this later on in the hour.

All right. Democrats want a gun vote, and this week the House is giving them one in the shape of a terrorism prevention package. So will it be enough? We'll explain next.

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[15:24:04] WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The Democrats will get a vote on new gun legislation this week but it comes buried in a package that also touches on terrorism and mental health. And among the key provisions in the bill are the justice department's ability to take three days to prove whether a person should be allowed to own a gun, requiring homeland security to step up its efforts against radical terrorism and revoking U.S. passports from members of terrorist organizations. Democrats, nearly 170 of whom staged a historic sit-in on the floor of the house last month, have already said that they will oppose this bill.

I wanted to bring in Republican strategist Brian Morgenstern and political analyst Ellis Henican.

All right, good to see both of you.

So Ellis, what gives? Why do Democrats say this is not what they had in mind?

ELLIS HENICAN, POLITICAL COLUMNIST: Well, it sounds so great, doesn't it? After the sit-in the Dems are going to get a vote on this keeping the no-fly zone people from buying guns. But then you get into the legislation, the actual language of it, Fred. It turns out it was drafted with the help of the NRA who has - he is fully supporting. And I got to tell you. That immediately makes me suspicious. And when you dig into it, you discover there are so many technicalities in this thing it's completely impractical for the justice department within three days to make a probable cause showing in court. That isn't never going to happen. And that going to keep any guns away from people.

[15:25:28] WHITFIELD: So Brian, what the issue here? Why would the Republicans who are backing this bill not like what the Democrats had pushed forward just over a week ago and instead, you know, believe this is the answer?

BRIAN MORGENSTERN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: They have been going back and forth voting each other's proposals down.

But Ellis, the Democrats' position is preposterous. To say that it is impossible to make a probable cause showing in 72 hours and articulate specific facts that show why someone's rights should be curtailed happens every day all across America. They are saying that these routine events are impossible, which is obviously not true. They are putting on a big show. They are raising a bunch of money saying the NRA is controlling Congress and blah, blah, blah, but it's farce, because the Republicans are scheduling a vote for what the Democrats wanted, which is keeping guns out of the hands of terrorists, which by the way, all Americans should want, but they will vote it down just because it's a Republican proposal, just because the NRA, shocker, was consulted on a gun issue, as if that's a bad thing and they will oppose it just because of politics.

WHITFIELD: Ellis?

HENICAN: Well, I got to tell you, there are very few ironclad rules in Washington but one that has served me very well over the years, when the NRA wants it, we should all reasonable Americans should all be against it. In fact, Brian, as you know, these cases very highly sensitive, terror issues, revealing of secret data, there are all kind of reasons that the justice department is reluctant to run into court and get these kinds of probable cause findings in a case like this.

You know what? There's no reason to do this stuff. The only reason is to put up road blocks to actual sane gun safety legislation. You know what that's about. These people don't want control.

MORGENSTERN: Ellis, sealed the records. Sealed court records happen every day. Again, acting like this routine thing is absolutely impossible is ridiculous. This is something that happens all the time.

HENICAN: Why do it?

MORGENSTERN: And your opposition to it just because the NRA has some involvement is telling. That's the way Washington is broken. It's because the messenger matters more than the message and as we line up our wagons on one side and we just say no to anything that comes from the other. That's what's happening right now.

WHITFIELD: So I wonder the countering bills, do the countering bills at least make the statement that both sides want to do something but what's it going to take for both sides to agree on something? Cherry pick from one proposal and then cherry pick from another, Ellis? I mean, might that ultimately be how these two sides come together?

HENICAN: Well, you can hope but there is some reason to be skeptical here, Fred. I mean, the Republicans didn't do this willingly. They did it after this historic sit-in overnight in the House of Representatives. They really did have to be dragged kicking and screaming, and then, oh, the one proposal they're willing to put forward is the one the NRA loves that creates all these crazy road blocks. We ought to be skeptical of that.

WHITFIELD: So --

MORGENSTERN: Crazy road blocks. A probable cause hearing, something that happens every time somebody is arrested. An officer swears out an affidavit showing why that person's rights should be curtailed. Again, it's routine. Sealed records it is when it's sensitive information. Happens every day. These are routine things. Due process rights are important. This is not just the second amendment, it's the fourth, the Fifth Amendment as well. It is making sure when our rights are curtailed, the government has to show why they are doing that. That's it. This is a normal proposal and the Dems for some reason, make no sense, are lining up against it.

WHITFIELD: So there is this, you know, a recent CNN poll of American voters saying 55 percent favor stricter gun control laws, 92 percent favor background checks for people attempting to buy guns. This says the sentiment is from these Americans polled that they want something further. They want something to change. And if that is kind of the template, at what point, you know, Ellis, will Republicans or Democrats try to shape something that is an answer to polling like that?

HENICAN: You know, history teaches has said it isn't going to happen. I mean, the Republican Party believes that it ought to play to its most zealous people way over on the extreme, and nothing will happen. I mean, that's the history of the last ten years, and it seems like it's going to continue again this week. And, you know, don't blame the Dems who are with the 90 percent of Americans. Blame the ones who keep finding excuses not to do it.

WHITFIELD: Brian, last word.

MORGENSTERN: Yes. (INAUDIBLE) want to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists. Guess what? So the Republicans. That's why they're proposing a bill that does that and also preserve the bill of rights. You can do both at the same time. Just like walking and chewing gum. The Dems should get behind a reasonable proposal instead of throwing a fit in our historic sit-in with a bog farce. And if they really care, they would be supporting this bill, instead of fund-raising and calling the NRA and Republicans names.

[15:30:25] WHITFIELD: All right, Brian Morgenstern and Ellis Henican, we are going to leave it right there. Your own fireworks on display this holiday weekend.

HENICAN: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Good to see you all too. Thank you so much.

All right. Meantime, we are monitoring a situation that's developing right now in New York City. The bomb squad is actually on a scene there in central park after an explosion injured one teenager who is now in surgery after part of his leg was severed in the blast. And police are still trying to figure out what caused the explosion. Might it have been fireworks to blame this holiday weekend?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And saw his friend standing there panicking, ran up the hill and found the young man laying on the rocks. His foot is all but detached. His friends claimed he was walking down the ground and stepped on something. There was divot on the ground. There was actually, it looks like a divot where there was an explosion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. So the area around this incident still closed but the rest of the park remains open to the public. We will stay on that story.

And we will have much more straight ahead.

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[15:34:35] WHITFIELD: All right. Hello again. And welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

All right. In as little as two weeks, sources tell CNN the investigation plaguing the Hillary Clinton campaign could be over. Clinton met with the FBI for three-and-a-half hours Saturday and sources tell CNN the expectation is that there will be an announcement of no charges in her use of a private email server as long as no evidence of wrongdoing emerges from that interview.

Joining me right now, CNN investigations correspondent Chris Frates.

So Chris, is Clinton revealing anything that she said in that meeting?

[15:35:08] CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, she is not talking much about that interview except saying it was business-like and that she is not going to really talk too much about process. But she did talk about this meeting between Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch that caused a firestorm earlier this week. You remember both Bill Clinton's plane and Loretta Lynch's plane were on the tarmac at Phoenix international at the same time. Bill Clinton hopped over to make a social call to Loretta Lynch and that got Republicans all round up saying that it just was not appropriate to have the husband of Hillary Clinton who is under investigation by Loretta Lynch's justice department talking privately.

This was Hillary Clinton had to say about that meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think, you know, hindsight is 20/20. Both the attorney general and my husband have said that they wouldn't do it again even though it was from all accounts that I have heard and seen an exchange of pleasantries. But obviously no one wants to see any untoward, you know, conclusions drawn, and they said, you know, they would not do it again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How would you describe your interview with the FBI today?

CLINTON: Well, it was both. It was something I had offered to do since last August. I have been eager to do it. And I was pleased to have the opportunity to assist the department in bringing its review to a conclusion.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were you given that indication today that no charges would be filed, and are you confident no charges will be filed?

CLINTON: Chuck, I am not going to comment on the process. I have no knowledge of any time line. This is entirely up to the department.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRATES: So that was Hillary Clinton talking to MSNBC's Chuck Todd yesterday. And today you saw a lot of Democrats, a lot of Hillary Clinton surrogates, out there in force reinforcing those talking points, saying that Hillary Clinton has said she'd be willing to talk to the FBI voluntarily since last summer when this FBI investigation started, and they really tried to start to turn this into an attack on Donald Trump saying that the public knows a lot about Hillary Clinton. She has three decades of tax returns out there. She has put her health care records out. Donald Trump hasn't given the American public a look at those things.

Now, of course, Republicans are going to continue hitting Hillary Clinton on this no matter what the final investigation concludes, and we're told by sources that if there are no game-changers in this testimony yesterday, all accounts are the expectation is that she will not face any charges. However, Republicans are going to continue to hit her on this because of Loretta Lynch saying that she was political, that she is not impartial, and that you can't trust her because that's a big vulnerability for Hillary Clinton among voters and Republicans really want to drive that home, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Chris Frates, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

All right. Let's talk more about this with CNN senior law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes. He is also the former assistant director of the FBI.

So Tom, let's talk a little bit more about this interview and what weighs on this interview. So if this interview of Hillary Clinton represents kind of the final stages of this investigation, what kind of information would investigators be trying to get out of her that they don't already know or that they want to match up with other evidence or interviews or materials that they have?

TOM FUENTES, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: I think, Fred, it's not going to be what they don't already know. You know, they've reviewed tens of thousands of documents, interviewed hundreds of people, associates, former associates, the people that set up the private server in her home. So an interview like this, they already have the documentation they need to either prosecute or make a judgment that they are not going to recommend prosecution. And the idea that they need this interview with her to obtain evidence to then go ahead and prosecute is pretty ridiculous. And what I have been hearing is that the leaks that are supposedly being attributed that say she's not likely to be charged are not being made by anybody that knows what they're talking about.

And I talked to people who at least know that there's nothing leaking out of the FBI about any that's been made, and they have -- the people that are saying that have about a 50/50 chance of being right. There may be no charges. But that decision has not been made, and the leaks have not come out of the FBI as to what they've had up until now.

WHITFIELD: So you're skeptical of sources who have told CNN and other news organizations that there would be no charges unless something was revealed --

FUENTES: Yes.

WHITFIELD: There's some kind of conflict with her interview in that 3 1/2 hour interview.

FUENTES: Completely skeptical, yes.

WHITFIELD: OK. So what are the stages that you believe happened during that interview? What kinds of discoveries or what kinds of questions might likely be asked.

[15:40:06] FUENTES: Well, they would probably go into, you know, go through many of the documents about her knowledge of them and what she wants to say about that, back to the information about why she decided to set up the server in her home. Who gave her the permission because we have heard conflicting information, especially from the state department inspector general report that said that she never asked anybody for permission even though she says she has.

So they would be going back over those kind of facts and get statements from her as to did she or didn't she a whether she can offer any proof on her side to show that she did what she says she did.

WHITFIELD: And then how unusual do you believe or is it customary that the findings of the report would come possibly within two weeks after that last stage interview?

FUENTES: I think it's possible. I think at this point if they have already, as I mentioned, if they already have, you know, pretty much 99.99 percent of what they need to make this decision and this was just one last chance to get her story, you know, then they could put that together with what they already know pretty quickly, I think.

So I would not question the time table as not being probable or possible. But I guess question the leaks that are coming out that from what I've heard there are no leaks coming out. And agents that even know and have friends that are agents working on this case don't know what's going on. This has been a tightly held. And also within the FBI any threat of a leak investigation against employees of the FBI is a career-ender. It's serious, and they could be prosecuted, and they know that. And so that's why you don't often have leaks come out during the FBI part of it, but when they start disseminating it, especially when the report goes across the street to the department of juice, then you're going to start hearing about that.

And that's what happened in the David Petraeus case. You know, those reports went out and the senior prosecutors at DOJ recommended felony charges against Petraeus and Eric Holder himself reduced it to misdemeanors. So I think in this situation, you know, at some point the facts will come out of who recommended what and at what time. And, you know, we will see what happens then.

WHITFIELD: All right. Tom Fuentes, thank you so much. Good to see you.

FUENTES: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: All right. The rallying call to free Republican delegates is still being pushed by the anti-Trump movement. We will talk to a former Reagan adviser on whether it could work next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:43] WHITFIELD: Free the delegates. That's the rallying call of some Republicans who are opposed to Donald Trump but are pledged to support him at the Republican National Convention. They are trying to find a way around that pledge. One of them has filed a lawsuit challenging a law in Virginia that forces delegates to vote for the winner of the state's primary.

I'm joined now by Art Laffer. He is an economist and a former member of President Ronald Reagan's economic policy advisory board.

All right, good to see you, Art.

ART LAFFER, RONALD REAGAN'S ECONOMIC POLICY ADVISORY BOARD: Good to see you, Fred. How are you doing?

WHITFIELD: I'm doing pretty good and happy Fourth of July weekend.

LAFFER: Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: What are the chances that this movement could possibly succeed?

LAFFER: Slim to none. I mean, they really are small. What you see is all this brouhaha in politics of trying to dump Trump or trying indict Hillary or whatever it may be, but in due course it will be Trump versus Hillary. And you will see which way we go. I mean, the election is the correct one to have and two different visions of what America should be, one lower tax rates, more growth, and the other one more redistribution and perhaps higher tax rates. And, you know, the people have the right to choose. And I think that's what elections are all about rather than dumping Trump at the convention or indicting Hillary.

WHITFIELD: And earlier this week Donald Trump addressed trade in this country, and he slammed the transpacific partnership deal with China. This is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All I'm saying is this, that if China doesn't make this horrendous deal that we have with them, which is sort of a non-deal, it's only a one-way, one-sided deal, I want to renegotiate a deal. I want to terminate the deal and do a good deal. And that's what I want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So if you were advising Donald Trump today, what would you tell him to do when it comes to renegotiating with China?

LAFFER: Well, I think renegotiating with China makes lots of sense. I mean, there clearly has been currency manipulation in China and in Japan, but you should never retaliate by putting on trade barriers of our own. You know, trade is not about jobs. It's not about Ross Perot and that (INAUDIBLE) in Mexico. It's about the quality of your income.

We make some things better than foreigners and foreigners make some things better than we do. We and they would be foolish in the extreme, Fredricka, if we didn't sell them those things we make better than they do in exchange for things they make better than we do. It's win/win. It is comparative advantage. It is the gains from trade (INAUDIBLE). And that's what trade is about. And prohibitions or restrictions on trade are wrong, wrong, wrong. Hillary has proposed them and so has Donald Trump. And I see a movement in Donald Trump away from that towards better deals, which is fine. But protectionism is not fine.

WHITFIELD: And this was Donald Trump on the idea of globalization arguing that it's not helping this country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Our politicians have aggressively pursued a policy of globalization, moving our jobs, our wealth, and our factories to Mexico and overseas. Made the financial elite who donate to politics very, very wealthy. I used to be one of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So is globalization harming the economy? LAFFER: No, it's U.S. policies inside globalization. The world is a

globe. It's been that way for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years. When you have the highest single tax rate in the OECD, don't be surprised if people don't want to locate their production facilities in your country. It's common sense. It isn't rocket surgery.

If you have two locations, a and b, you raise taxes in b and you lower them in a, producers and manufacturers are going to move from b to a. It's as simple as that. With our tax rate, we have driven jobs out of this country. And what Donald Trump has promised is we'll have a 15 percent corporate tax which will bring all those -- maybe not all of them but a lot of those jobs back to the U.S. and will bring prosperity to Ohio and Pennsylvania and other steel areas as well.

WHITFIELD: All right. Art Laffer, always good to see you. Thank you so much.

LAFFER: You're wonderful. Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: All right. Happy Fourth.

All right. Coming up, history being made in just a few hours at Ft. Bragg with a patriotic baseball game. CNN got a feel for the base from high above.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm definitely going to scream like a little girl. You don't have to worry about that. Has anybody passed out before?

[15:50:03] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not a ravens fan, are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to get a parachute, alright?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:53:05] WHITFIELD: All right. History will be made tonight when the first professional contest of any sport will be played on an active military base. The Atlanta Braves and the Miami Marlins will square off at Ft. Bragg. And they will be playing in a brand-new ballpark that was built just for this game. Construction was completed in less than four months on the site of an overgrown golf course. Just over 12,000 servicemen and women have what's become the hottest ticket in baseball. And the newest member of our CNN sports family, NFL superstar. I like to call you twinkle toes from, you know, "Dancing with the stars" winner fame. Former Pittsburgh Steeler. Hines Ward with us now.

And so, you're also doing a little baseball too and you are flying. You just do it all. Tell us about this new ballpark too. HINES WARD, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: Oh, man. Yes, you're right, I'm

so excited to be here tonight. It's a great way to really honor the military by this game tonight. Yesterday I got opportunity to spoke -- I spoke to the man who was responsible for this whole ordeal, Colonel Brett Funk talked about showcasing Ft. Bragg to a national audience. And he is going to pull out all the tricks. You're going to see the flyover. He has guys parachuting in. The game ball. You're going to have fireworks. And the players are fired up. Because as a player you want to be part of a game like this. It's in primetime. So this is definitely one game you don't want to miss.

WHITFIELD: Oh my God, this is so exciting. And then I hear you had quite the initiation there at Ft. Bragg. I have been on that base before but I didn't get the treatment that you got.

WARD: Well, I definitely took one for the team. I got a chance to hang out with the black and gold, the U.S. army parachute team better known as the golden knights.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARD: At least I got the right colors. I'm good to go. Everybody calls me ace.

I like ace, sounds like a guy that would keep my alive. I'm definitely going to scream like a little girl, you don't have to worry about that. Has anybody passed out before?

[15:55:07] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

WARD: You're not a Ravens fan, are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to get a parachute.

WARD: Yes, make sure yours is on tight too.

My heart is pounding! Don't drop me, ace.

Yes, safe! That was worse than playing the Baltimore Ravens. That was the scariest thing I've ever done. I'm officially part of the team now, CNN. I took one for the team.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Very fun. You did take one for the team. But you looked like you were having a lot of fun. As I said I have been in Ft. Bragg base a lot of times, I have been paratroopers come down. But I have been on the ground, and that freaked me out enough. But giving you an idea of what the view looked like coming down. Did you upchuck?

WARD: No question about it. When I jumped out of the plane I thought I saw Jesus. But I was scared and messed my nerves up the rest of the day, but I was in good hands. These guys, they're the best in the business. So I'm so blessed with opportunity. But as for the game, being on the field, being amongst -- you can see the red, white and blue. You can't help but feel the patriotism, being out here. So I'm excited being a part of it. It's going to be exciting for major league baseball. I'm glad to be here.

WHITFIELD: Yes. A perfect weekend. I mean, Independence Day weekend. You can't get any better than that.

Hines Ward, we're so glad you're on the team, too. Thank you so much.

WARD: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We'll see a lot of you here on the weekend in the NEWSROOM. Appreciate it.

All right. Coming up next, potential Democratic vice presidential picks are being put to the test descending their positions and the presidential candidate especially Hillary Clinton. Stay with us.

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