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House Set to Vote On ISIS War Crimes Resolutions; Obama Expected to Nominate SP Justice This Week; Storm-Battered South Braces for More Rain; Should Trump Try To Tone Down His Supporters?; Clinton: World Leaders Asking How To Stop Trump; Historical Context of Political Protests. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired March 14, 2016 - 07:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:31:00] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: The House is set to vote today on a resolution to label recent ISIS attacks in Iraq and Syria as genocide. That's a term the White House has resisted using, but this resolution argues ISIS is trying to exterminate Christians and Yazidis. There is also a vote planned calling on President Obama to direct American's U.N. ambassador to start a war crimes investigation of the Syrian government.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama is expected to nominate a new Supreme Court Justice as early as this week. He is said to have narrowed his short list down to three finalists -- Sri Srinivasan, who sits on the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals; Paul Watford who serves on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals; and Merrick Garland, chief judge for the Washington, D.C. Appeals Court. White House sources say the vetting process is now in its final stages.

CAMEROTA: More rain is on the way for the storm-battered south. The extreme weather claiming at least four lives, three of those deaths in Louisiana where about 5,000 homes were damaged in historic flooding. That state's set to receive federal aid after President Obama declared a major disaster.

BERMAN: Candidates from both parties expressing concern now over the growing violence and protests at Donald Trump rallies, with many Republicans already trying to stop Trump at all costs. Should he now try to tone down these events and how could this play into the five big primaries tomorrow?

Let's bring in former Republican New Jersey governor and EPA administrator, Christine Todd Whitman. She is firmly against Trump as a possible nominee and the governor has endorsed Gov. John Kasich. Thanks so much for being with us. Appreciate you taking the time.

A whole lot happened this weekend, starting Friday night with those clashes at the canceled Trump event. Then you had someone jump on the stage with Donald Trump over the weekend. You had accusations hurled back and forth over who was responsible. What's your take on it?

CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN (R), FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: Well, language shapes behavior, and I think Donald Trump's language has been leading us this way and he's tacitly encouraging it, if not overtly encouraging it. And he's playing to people's fears. Justifiable frustration that people feel that this administration has forgotten them.

That they have not recovered from the economic crisis and the mortgage meltdown, fully. There are people who are worried about keeping their homes, about their jobs, about their children's futures, and they want somebody who will just say I'm going to get it done, and they don't care about the consequences.

Unfortunately, we have seen in history that this is precisely what some of the worst dictators we've seen have done. They've appealed to people's fears. They've denigrated an entire group of people because of their ethnicity or their race. And we see Donald Trump dismiss all Mexicans coming across the border as rapists and criminals. And when you say those kinds of things -- as I said, language shapes behavior.

When people see people that see or don't look like them -- and, oh my gosh, all my problems are due to this kind of person? I can take the law into my own hands. I can do things that we wouldn't do otherwise, and it's -- for someone who claims he's the one person who can bring everybody together, I don't think he's shown it at all.

BERMAN: He's winning. He is leading right now in the delegate count on the Republican side. He's won more states than anyone else. He's ahead in the polls in a lot of the states that are voting tomorrow. What does this say about the Republican primary as it stands right now? That this man, who you clearly are not particularly fond of right now, is winning.

WHITMAN: Well, he's certainly bringing people -- a certain group of frustrated, angry people who are lashing out into the party, but that's not going to a general election. He's trailing Hillary Clinton in a general election.

That's why I think at the end of the day people are going to look behind the mask because the other side of this, as they say -- look, he's a billionaire businessman. That means he doesn't owe anything to anybody and he can get us out of this mess that we're in because special interests have controlled both sides of the aisle for too long.

[07:35:00] The problem is he's not been a terribly successful businessman. Yes, he franchises his name and it's all over the place so you see it, but he's had a number of failed businesses. He has taken businesses through bankruptcy to get his own money out, and cost people their jobs. He's had to pay penalties for hiring illegal immigrants.

He off-shores his clothing and a lot of what is produced under his name is off-shored, and this is a person who said they'll bring jobs back to America. I don't know why people would expect that his behavior in the White House would be different than what it has been on the business trail.

BERMAN: But, what does this say to you that all of these things, which are now out there and have been harped on in a lot of campaign ads over the last two weeks -- what does it say to you -- that -- plus, the violence at the events, plus other things he's said that he's been accused of being caustic in some cases? What does it say to you that all these things are happening and he's still winning?

WHITMAN: Well, as I said, he's winning with a percentage of the Republican base, as it were, because people are understandably frustrated. Congress has been ineffectual. It hasn't been working. The American people don't feel the Congress has been working for them for years. They don't feel this president has kept them safer. Even though we haven't had an attack, they still don't believe that we're safe. They don't see him as a strong leader.

They want a strong leader. They want someone who tells them it's going to be all right. I can make it all right for you even though no one person can do that. I mean, he can't fire Congress. He's got to be able to work with it when he gets into office, and yet he's already threatened Speaker Ryan, saying I'm sure we'll work well together, but if we don't it's going to be bad for him.

BERMAN: Yes.

WHITMAN: That's just not the American people. So, again, you're talking about a small segment. Don't forget that the people who vote in primaries are very different than the general election makeup because if you look at it, Independents have been growing faster than either party. And certainly for Florida, it's a closed election.

BERMAN: No, but as the biggest segment right now of the Republican primary voters, what role does the Republican Party or what responsibility does the Republican Party hold, do you think, over the last five or 10 years in fostering the development of Donald Trump?

Maggie Haberman and Alex Burns had this fascinating article in The New York Times over the weekend talking about how the Republican Party was happy to take Donald Trump's money. Mitt Romney was happy to have his endorsement. Chris Christie, one of your successors, when he was in charge of the Republican Governors Association, was happy to expect a $250,000 donation from Donald Trump. So, does the Republican Party and the apparatus bear some responsibility here?

WHITMAN: Well, I think they do, and I think the Democrat side is bearing responsibilities for the moving to the left. They haven't gone as far to the left as the Republicans have gone to the right, but they're going that way. Bernie Sanders is way out there and he's moving Hillary over. What it speaks tois the influence of money and how that is undermining our system.

I'm not a lawyer so I never read the brief on Citizens United, but I still don't understand how you can equate a business or a labor union to an individual under the constitution with those same protections. So, I think what you're talking about is the basic overall -- what the public perceives and in very many cases is actually right, is the overall corruption within the political system that is controlled by a few who have the ear of those who are in power. Now, there's some very, very good people in public office on both sides of the aisle who really care about doing the right thing, but they get overshadowed by the loud voices from the rest of the group.

BERMAN: We appreciate you being with us and we do appreciate your service and your willingness to serve over the years. Governor Whitman, thanks so much.

WHITMAN: Thank you.

BERMAN: Alisyn --

CAMEROTA: OK, John. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders making a final pitch to voters at CNN's town hall last night in Ohio. Five states vote in tomorrow's primaries, so next, we speak with Florida's former governor and senator Bob Graham about the race in Florida and beyond.

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[07:42:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am already receiving messages from leaders. I'm having foreign leaders ask if they can endorse me to stop Donald Trump. And I think whoever goes up against Donald Trump better be ready, and I feel I am the best prepared and ready candidate to take him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: That was Hillary Clinton making her case during last night's CNN town hall for why she'd be the best candidate to go against Donald Trump. Let's test that with our next guest, Bob Graham. He's the former long-time senator and governor of the state of Florida. He's on the Hillary for Florida leadership council. Good morning, governor.

BOB GRAHAM (D), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: So, Donald Trump has already threatened that he will go with both barrels against Hillary Clinton if they both become the nominees of their parties. He has said that he's going to dredge up all sorts of old history about her husband's sexual past and other unsavory topics, so how is Sec. Clinton preparing for that?

GRAHAM: I don't know, specifically, what her plans are but I hope that it's not trying to match Donald Trump in the gutter. I think what the American people are saying today is that they are concerned about what is happening to their country and their own personal lives.

They want a leader who can provide them with some direction and give them some confidence that they have the ability to deliver on that direction. And I think those are characteristics that no candidate running has more than does Hillary Clinton. And I hope and expect that's going to be the nature of her campaign.

CAMEROTA: Last night, Hillary Clinton talked a lot about Donald Trump, more so than even she did about Bernie Sanders. Is that a mistake? Given what happened last Super Tuesday, is it premature for her to act as though she's in a battle with Donald Trump?

GRAHAM: I think no, because this is an issue bigger than just as important as a presidential primary campaign is. I've just been talking with a lady who came here a dozen years ago from Venezuela and she talked about how Chavez used hate talk to divide what had been a fairly unified country by pitting one group against the other.

[07:45:00] I think we're seeing that in this election to the extent that Mrs. Clinton is trying to provide an anecdote to that hate-based politics. She's doing the nation a real service.

CAMEROTA: Governor, there was a moment in last night's town hall where Hillary Clinton talked about the future of coal miners and some people felt that she might have been a little too honest. So, let's play that moment and get your response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: I'm the only candidate which has a policy about how to bring economic opportunity, using clean renewable energy as the key, into coal country because we're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business. Right, Tim? And we're going to make it clear that we don't want to forget those people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: So, you know, Governor, there's this expression -- an old political expression that you know a gaff is defined as when a politician accidentally tells the truth. And so, was it right for her to say we're going to put a lot of coal miners out of business?

GRAHAM: The fact is we're in a period of transition, not just in the energy sector, but almost across our economy. And for a political leader to recognize that reality, talk about it, and have some ideas as opposed to just dumping people at middle age off the wagon to give them a means of making the transition, having some kind of life of middle-class status in their older age, I think, is a very key issue. And I'm pleased that Mrs. Clinton is talking about that, even if it does ruffle some feathers.

CAMEROTA: I mean, you know, it's just that her opponents -- certainly the Republicans -- could seize upon that and play that over and over in their attack ads. You know, we're going to put a lot of coal miners out of business. In fact, Rand Paul had already tweeted out something to the effect of unbelievable. I can't believe that she's actually admitting this. Just when I thought that it couldn't get any worse. She couldn't get any more unqualified. He actually seized on that moment. So, how do you think that that will play tomorrow, governor?

GRAHAM: I'm not sure how it will play tomorrow. I'm pretty confident that the leader who tells people the truth and the reality of the transitions through which this country is going, and the role of government in trying to make that transition as less hurtful as possible and give people hope that there is a role for them on the other side of what has been the status quo for many years. That, to me, is what leadership is all about.

CAMEROTA: OK, Governor Bob Graham, thanks so much. We appreciate you being here with your perspective. We'll talk again soon -- John.

BERMAN: All right, the uproar over the violence at Donald Trump rallies. It's not the first time we've seen this sort of behavior. So, how does the current unrest compare with history? We'll explore, next.

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[07:51:00] BERMAN: All right, the protests in the Donald Trump rallies right now -- really the violence, not just the protests. So much to talk in the political atmosphere right now, but where does this anger rank in history?

Joining us now, CNN presidential historian Douglas Brinkley. He's the author of a new book, "Rightful Heritage, Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America". Doug, thanks so much for being with us.

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Thanks for having me.

BERMAN: Look, we've seen some pretty awful pictures over the last three days, particularly what happened Friday night with people fighting at this event. And the minute that that happened Friday night we had a lot of people say hey, you know what? This reminds me of George Wallace. This reminds me of a man who was a Democrat -- governor of Alabama -- who ran for president a few times, and in some cases, flat out incited violence. He called on his supporters to beat people up.

BRINKLEY: Not only did he call to beat people up but he got shot, himself, in Maryland.

BERMAN: That's a whole other thing, though, we can get to also.

BRINKLEY: Yes, it does ring the Wallace bell, I think. I read Donald Trump is stealing pages from the Wallace playbook of playing racial politics -- kind of incendiary political posturing, but he mixes it with Richard Nixon. So he is both the Wallace populist and then the Nixon enemies' list guy. A revenge driven -- I'll send a tweet and destroy you. So, it's very Nixonian and Wallace combined into one person.

CAMEROTA: And how about the protests that we've begun seeing on this scale. Have you seen that historically?

BRINKLEY: In our lifetime, it's 1968, you would see. I mean, just look at footage from the Democratic Convention in '68 and watching Dan Rather getting hit, and the police barricades, and Mayor Daley spraying tear gas. Imagine Cleveland this year if this kind of hatred keeps simmering -- the protests you're going to have at the Republican Convention if Trump's the nominee. It almost guarantees some sorts of violence or mass arrests.

BERMAN: And you mentioned George Wallace being shot at an event in Maryland. Donald Trump -- the man ran up on stage with him this weekend. The secret service protected Donald Trump. The Trump campaign keenly aware of the history there.

They put out a tweet this morning and they posted some video of Ronald Reagan from when he was president in 1992, and then there was a protestor who jumped up on stage with Ronald Reagan. And the Trump team -- in a tweet they said, "Reagan & his team didn't seem to have it easy either. LET'S WIN."

So, obviously, Trump essentially saying he's a target just like Ronald Reagan, but you're playing with fire here. I mean, there have been presidential candidates, obviously, who've been at great risk.

BRINKLEY: Well, definitely playing with fire. I mean, the whole 60's is marred by the assassination of John F. Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy. The killing of RKF in Los Angeles in '68 turned the politics of that year upside down. Eventually, Humphrey becomes the nominee, but Wallace then created the American Party -- his third party. And in that case you had a Democratic Party split.

[07:55:00] Now, we're seeing a Republican Party split into, much like in 1912 when Theodore Roosevelt created the Bull Moose Party and broke away from the attacked Republicans, which were the establishment.

CAMEROTA: But, historically speaking, is this a moment where Donald Trump could change the rhetoric? Could his leadership -- if he toned the rhetoric and stopped saying punch that guy in thenose, take that guy out on a stretcher -- or do these demonstrations take on a life of their own? Can he influence the tenor at these rallies?

BRINKLEY: Well, look, when Franklin Roosevelt became president, what was his inaugural? We have nothing to fear but fear itself. Trying to stop the fear in America. What's Donald Trump doing? Be afraid, be afraid, they're coming to take our guns, you know. Islamic terrorists are in your back yard. He's a fear monger, and you're asking a fear monger to stop doing what he's doing while he's successful at doing it -- unlikely.

BERMAN: Why would he do it? Why would he stop doing it if it's working?

BRINKLEY: Yes.

BERMAN: And it is working.

BRINKLEY: But the problem is it destroys any sense of civility in our country and it makes the United States a laughing stock around the world right now. They can't believe that we're really taking a guy that's willing to use this inflammatory rhetoric of the hard right -- almost a neofascism -- that we're willing to take it seriously. CAMEROTA: I mean, and of course, people are getting hurt. That's the other downside. It's not just rhetoric. People are, actually, getting hurt at his rallies.

BERMAN: You have a book coming out -- or now out -- on Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and we were just talking -- people forget that FDR was shot at during the transition period from when he was first elected to when he was inaugurated.

BRINKLEY: That's right. I write in my book about when FDR goes down to Miami or goes on holiday just to get a little rest before the inauguration. He went to a rally and was waving at everybody and a crazy, anarchist, would-be assassin started firing multiple bullets into the crowd, and one killed the mayor of Chicago. But, FDR got out of that unscraped, unhurt, but he did drive immediately to the hospital with the mayor's head in his lap, holding the mayor's hand. And the mayor died as soon as he got to the hospital.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh -- so graphic and, obviously, that's all in your new book. Historically speaking, what do you make of this current race? Do you think that we have -- I know you've likened this to 1968 -- have we often been here before?

BRINKLEY: Well, we're a country with a lot of violence in politics. And if you look at the 19th century it's just replete. There were duels all the time. Hamilton's in right now. You had the great duel with Aaron Burr, but that's just the famous duel. They were duel --

BERMAN: He actually killed dudes.

BRINKLEY: -- could kill people. And there are duels all the time, and caning was big in Congress. When they would start arguing, you'd just start whacking people with canes. So there is this violence involved with our politics. However, this is the 21st century and we would like to think that we've matured. But I'm afraid the opposite's happened because of the media -- the Internet now. We're getting images so if somebody gets roughed up today -- it used to be maybe in the back of a newspaper, there was a fist fight at this rally. Now, it's put in front of us 24/7 and we're all talking about it. And I think it helps raise the anxiety levels -- the Internet's ability now to spread the fear.

BERMAN: Thanks for the leadership. Douglas Brinkley, thanks for being us. Really appreciate it.

BRINKLEY: Thank you.

BERMAN: We have a whole lot going on this morning. A lot of news, including last night's Democratic town hall right here on CNN. Let's get to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Get him out of here.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There is no place for a national leader to prey on the fears of people.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You have a presidential candidate telling his supporters punch that guy in the face.

TRUMP: Knock the crap out of him, would you?

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump, on a regular basis, incites his crowds.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Nobody is talking about building a wall around the United States. I beg your pardon. There is one guy who is talking about building a wall.

CLINTON: The Republicans have been after me for 25 years.

SANDER: The only way we really transform this country is when people stand up and fight back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was just an airstrike here in the town of Arrehad (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Arriving on the scene our team found chaos and carnage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Monday, March 14th, 8:00 in the east. Chris and Michaela are off this morning. John Berman joins us and we have a lot to talk about.

So much happened over the weekend, so let's get to that because there's been violence at Donald Trump's rallies taking center stage ahead of Tuesday's crucial primaries. Trump under fire from Republicans and Democratic rivals after several incidents this weekend. A defiant Trump rejecting any responsibility for them.

BERMAN: Democratic hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders -- they just lit into Donald Trump during a CNN town hall in Ohio. All this as voters head to the polls tomorrow in five states, including huge winner-take-all contests for the Republicans in Florida and Ohio. That really could reshape this race. It could end it.