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Clinton on the Brink of Democratic Nomination' Clinton Scores Decisive Win in New York; GOP Prepares for Contested Convention; U.S. Navy Grants Rare Access to USS Anzio. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired April 20, 2016 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:33:00 ]BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about the Dems this morning. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton stopping Bernie Sanders' winning streak with a decisive win in New York. Secretary Clinton now on the brink of a Democratic nomination.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The race for the Democratic nomination is in the homestretch and victory is in sight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: How does the Vermont senator have a path to victory?
Joining me now, political strategist and author of "The Essential Bernie Sanders", Jonathan Tasini. He is a Bernie Sanders supporter. And with us this morning, CNN political contributor -- easy for me to say -- and Hillary Clinton supporter, Hilary Rosen. Good morning to both of you.
HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.
BALDWIN: Mr. Tasini, let's begin with you. Listen, this was a big win for your man's opponent and she also said this was very personal. He lost double digits. He's back in Vermont today meeting with advisers -- asserts he's staying in the race. He needs 83 percent of remaining delegates. Now, Brian Fallon, with the Hillary campaign, was just saying they're not going to ever say Sen. Sanders, we need you to get out. But, mathematically, what's the path forward?
JONATHAN TASINI, AUTHOR, "THE ESSENTIAL BERNIE SANDERS": Well, it was the same path forward that it was before yesterday's vote. It was a difficult path but I want to point out, the one thing -- I think the media's not done its job properly is to show the ebb and flow of this campaign. March 15th was, before yesterday, Hillary Clinton's high water mark.
Bernie then cut that lead by a third, including the last two weeks before, by 24 pledged delegates, which he keeps collecting at the second stages of caucus votes in Colorado, Missouri, and Nevada. So those things change and it's a dynamic process. Yes, Hillary Clinton won. It was a good victory for her yesterday, but there are a lot of elections to go. There are a lot of votes to go.
Politics is a strange thing. Lots of different things can happen. The most important thing I would say is that the activists, the people who I talked to yesterday who are on my Facebook and Twitter feed, are all energized to keep pushing Bernie's message forward about the political revolution. We are not going to stop. This is going to the convention and we're going to make the argument for Bernie. I do think he will be the nominee.
[07:35:00] BALDWIN: OK, so I don't know how the math adds up but I know that Bernie and also Jeff Weaver, his campaign manager, say they're going to the convention. They would agree with you. Hilary Rosen, how would you respond to what you just heard here from the Hillary Clinton perspective?
ROSEN: Well look, I don't think any candidate wants to be told that even if there's a one in a million chance that there's no chance, so I'll let Jonathan --
BALDWIN: Is that what you're telling him here?
ROSEN: -- his team go on and tell us how they're going to win 85 percent of the next set of delegates. I just don't think it's going to happen. But, here's what I think can happen and needs to happen, which is that regardless of whether or not Bernie Sanders take his movement to the convention or not, and all power to him if he does, there's two things that matter a lot.
One is he needs to stop making this about a character assassination on Hillary Clinton. She did not do that to Barack Obama. She did not insinuate the false integrity charges that Bernie Sanders --
BALDWIN: Jonathan's shaking his head. He's listening to you. Jump in, Jonathan.
TASINI: So, what I wanted Hillary to say is --
ROSEN: You know, wait, wait, wait. No, let me finish. Let me finish.
TASINI: I am going to let you finish, Hilary. I want to respond to that, though.
ROSEN: So, here's the point. Bernie Sanders can disagree with Hillary Clinton, but it is completely inappropriate and false, and damaging to the party and Democrats, and the movement Bernie Sanders says he cares about to be insinuating ethics problems.
The second issue is Bernie Sanders cannot do anything alone. He needs to start helping Democrats up and down the ticket. He has refused to do this, to date. Hillary Clinton has spent a huge amount of time fundraising and helping Democrats up and down the ticket. If any Democrat is going to be successful in 2017 as president, we have got to have a Democratic Congress, and you cannot go it alone. Bernie Sanders has to stop going it alone.
TASINI: So, let me respond. Can I respond to this now?
BALDWIN: Please.
TASINI: In some way this is the media's fault. You have completely bought the false narrative of this idea of the negative attacks. What Hillary Clinton wants and what they want is to basically ask her questions. So, on your grilled cheese sandwich should we have cheddar cheese or Swiss cheese? That's the level at which they want the debate.
It is not a negative attack to ask Hillary Clinton to release her Wall Street transcripts, which she refuses to do, because that goes to the heart of the corruption of the system that she is part and parcel of. The amount of money she gets from Wall Street --
BALDWIN: Listen, I'm not saying you're wrong. I just talked to Brian Fallon and I pressed him on that very issue.
TASINI: No, wait. Let me finish. The oil and gas industry -- it is not a negative attack to question her vote for the Iraq war which slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. The war that she embraced with Dick Cheney, George Bush. And, embracing the Libya debacle which Barack Obama, himself, admitted was a disaster.
It is not a negative attack to ask her why she supported welfare reform, why she's supported every bad trade agreement that has destroyed millions of good jobs. And why she, in fact, does support the Trans-Pacific Partnership, even though as a campaign tactic she says she doesn't. Why has she supported the death penalty?
All of these things are about issues, and what the Clinton campaign says oh, you can't address any of these. These are all negative attacks. No, because they do not want to have an actual debate about the issues that can be tough, but is about really addressing the issues and about having a different view of what the Democratic Party should be about.
BALDWIN: I would imagine -- I can't speak for the Hillary Clinton campaign and Hilary I want you to jump in and join me. And by the way, I do take offense when you threw me under the bus.
TASINI: That's OK.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
TASINI: I was saying as a representative of the media. And let me say, though, to give credit to Dana Bash, for example, when she pressed in the debate three times about the transcripts. So, it's not an entire --
BALDWIN: I get it, I get it. But, Hilary, why don't you jump in because on substance I think it's fair, but on tone it's different. Go ahead, go ahead.
ROSEN: Brooke already pressed the campaign this morning on transcripts, though. TASINI: Oh, she asked one question. But people, in general, there's not been a pressing of the issues and --
ROSEN: Stop. Here's the thing. Hillary Clinton has taken on the issues --
TASINI: Not true Hilary.
ROSEN: She has been -- there has been an aggressive conversation about the issues in the debates with Bernie Sanders. I don't think she's afraid to talk about her record on national security. She has been aggressive in her record in the Senate in terms of helping on jobs and helping women, and children, and families.
Bernie Sanders, actually, doesn't have a record on any of this stuff he's talking about. He's been in the Congress for 25 years and hasn't done anything on these issues, so --
TASINI: That's not true, also.
ROSEN: Hillary Clinton wants a debate on the issues.
TASINI: So, let go to Hilary -- what you said about the Senate.
ROSEN: She does more than making speeches.
TASINI: In the Senate -- in the Senate --
ROSEN: My point is different.
TASINI: No, no. In the Senate, Hillary Clinton has -- no, no, hold on.
ROSEN: No, Jonathan, you didn't answer my question here.
TASINI: I will answer your question. Hillary Clinton has zero record of taking a piece of legislation from A to Z in her eight years of Senate. Cite me one major bill that she stood on the Senate floor, advocated for, took amendments, negotiated the problems. There's zero. Bernie Sanders, on the other --
ROSEN: You know what? You're wrong. You're just wrong.
TASINI: Bernie Sanders, on the other hand --
ROSEN: Stop. Just stop.
[07:40:00] TASINI: -- negotiated the entire veterans change in benefits. Negotiated with John McCain, a multi-billion dollar bill. He was chair -- he was chair --
ROSEN: You know, here's the thing. And the Veterans Administration, by all accounts, has been --
TASINI: -- of the -- he was chair of the veterans' committee under Democratic control. ROSEN: You know what?
TASINI: You guys are just distorting -- you're distorting the record, Hilary.
BALDWIN: OK, OK, OK.
ROSEN: There's not a single senator --
TASINI: You're distorting the record.
BALDWIN: OK, OK, quickly, quickly, hang on. Hang on. Quickly, Hilary respond. Twenty seconds and we have to go.
ROSEN: OK, she has a record in the Senate. She helped the families on 9/11. She moved child health care legislation. She moved upstate jobs in New York. That's why the voters of New York overwhelming supported her last night by 16 points because she was an effective senator.
BALDWIN: OK.
ROSEN: She will be an effective president for that reason.
TASINI: She's not going to be the nominee.
BALDWIN: Jonathan and Hilary, it isn't even 8:00 in the morning and I need my whistle. I appreciate it. Love a good, healthy debate. Thank you both so much. Chris Cuomo, to you.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: That's what I'm talking about, Brooke. I like you. I like you with your fists up. I like you with your fists up.
Donald Trump whipped the competition in New York full stop. But, what does that mean about the convention? Could it still be contested? The answer is yes, so we're going to talk for a former RNC chief of staff for the inside scoop on what happens if that happens, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:45:00] CUOMO: All right, it's time to get some insight because we're all looking ahead, right? You have big primaries all through the northeast corridor coming up. Over 170 delegates up for Donald Trump. That could really change this race. But he says he has larger concerns, and so do other Republicans, about the state of play and what if there's a convention, and what are the rules?
So let's get somebody who has true, inside scoop. Mike Shields, former RNC chief of staff and president of the Congressional Leadership Fund and American Action Network. He's also a CNN delegate analyst. Perfect title for today.
So the word is, Shields, you're on your way down to Florida. There's going to be some pre-talk about what might happen with the rules. The first question is do you believe that people in your party, in the upper echelons, believe that there's a problem with the system?
MIKE SHIELDS, CNN DELEGATE ANALYST: No, I don't think they do and there's going to be a rules meeting of the RNC this week, but it actually can't do anything. All they can do is recommend things to the convention rules committee. And in the end, the delegates are going to make all the decisions of the convention.
The Republican Party really is the delegates at this convention, so no matter what comes out of the rules committee it has to be voted on by a majority of the delegates on the floor. The nomination for president has to be voted on by a majority of the delegates on the floor. So, there's a lot of talk about all of these different sort of controversial things going into the convention. In the end, the delegates at the convention are going to make the decisions about all of the stuff that we're talking about.
CUOMO: So what is the state of play that brings you down to Florida? You're having a meeting now to make recommendations to the people who will make the decisions then. I get you that it's all going to be decided in that week before the convention, but it's about what influence is put on to that week before the convention. What's your take?
SHIELDS: Well yes, this is a regularly scheduled RNC meeting. They have quarterly meetings of all their members and I think what you're seeing going on is now all three of the campaigns -- the Trump campaign, the Cruz campaign, and the Kasich campaign -- are going to be sending folks down to this meeting to sort of start lobbying.
The 168 members of the RNC -- many of them are actually delegates. Obviously, they talk to delegations in their states and you're starting to see that dual campaign happen where you're running to get elected and get voters to vote for you, but you're also running to talk to these delegates. If you come up short of 1,237 you've now got to influence the delegates to vote for you at the convention.
There will be some unpledged delegates. And if Donald Trump gets close enough he's going to want to have an operation that's both out in the states and talking to these influential members of the RNC about those delegations so they can try and win delegates at the convention, as well.
CUOMO: Satisfy the curiosity that what we're seeing with Cruz, from Trump's perspective, is a function of the system being impure. That there is a rigged nature to it. That you can win a lot of the popular vote and then have delegates taken away from you. It's resonating with the people. Is it on good ground?
SHIELDS: No, I don't think so. Nothing's being taken away from anybody. There is rules that have been set out. Everyone knew the rules. I think Donald Trump has actually benefited from some of the rules. There's been some open primaries. I lot of states --
CUOMO: But you know, Mike, that knowing that there are rules and those rules being fair are two very different things. Do you believe the rules are fair? SHIELDS: I do. And I think where you stand on the rules is really relative to where you are in the campaign. I'm guessing if a candidate gets to 1,237 they're suddenly going to defend the rules and say they're the greatest rules they've ever had.
CUOMO: Well, Trump is one --
SHIELDS: They don't want to change them. And so --
CUOMO: Before New York, he had won more of the delegate percentage than he had of the raw vote percentage, and yet, he is the one championing the complaints. So he's the one who should be saying well, the system is what it is because he's benefitting from it most. But he says no, I'm having delegates taken from me. That shouldn't have happened. You should vote and those delegates should be locked up 100 percent. Should that be the way it should be?
SHIELDS: Well, he could think that that's the way that it should be, but he got into a contest for the Republican Party's nomination knowing that that's not the way that it is. And so I think a lot of this is posturing because he's trying to make the case and influence these delegates. I don't think this system is fair. I'm close enough. Just kind of switch and vote for me.
That's a reasonable thing to do in the public to sort of push that as a political agenda, but when it comes to the actual rules of the party, if someone was to suddenly say well let's just change the rules now and allow the person in the lead to have it. Well, that's sort of rigging it in the other direction. You're going to have a whole bunch of people that are are very angry. Cruz supporter's base -- people in the party that would say wait a minute. Over half of us didn't vote for this candidate and now we're having to change the rules at the last minute.
None of that's going to happen, by the way. This is all going to be handled at the convention by the delegates. I understand why the Trump campaign would make a public statement that they don't like the rules. That's in their interest to say that. If they get to 1,237 it's going to be in their interest to say let's keep all these rules the way that they're supposed to be because I'm now the nominee.
CUOMO: Mike Shields, thank you for the insight. There's a lot spraying around in the wind about this. It's good to get somebody with some clarity. Appreciate it. Brooke --
SHIELDS: Thanks, Chris.
BALDWIN: All right, guys, thank you so much.
Coming up next I want to share a story with you. It's just extraordinarily personal to me. There are 6,600 sailors currently deployed in the Persian Gulf, but I want to tell you the story of my dearest friend since the 7th grade. He's a lieutenant commander. He's the executive officer out there in the Gulf on the USS Anzio. His story right there, and so many others. Why they are sacrificing to keep us safe. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:54:00] BALDWIN: I've really been honored this week to share my stories from my recent trip to the Persian Gulf, an exclusive two-day embed with the U.S. Navy. But, today's third and final story is personal.
This is the original reason that the Navy Admiral invited me to see my friend, since the 7th grade, who I met back in my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, Lt. Commander Bobby Rashad Jones, who is now 15 years in. Serves as the XO, or the executive officer on the USS Anzio. And he, along with the rest of the crew, showed me what it means to leave friends and family and the comforts of home behind to fight for our freedom.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: After thousands of miles, a screeching halt on an aircraft carrier, and a hop by chopper, I landed on the USS Anzio, the U.S. Navy's guided missile cruiser, lead defender of the USS Harry S. Truman, and home away from home for Lt. Commander Bobby Rashad Jones.You've been to my office.
BOBBY RASHAD JONES, LT. COMMANDER, U.S. NAVY: Yes.
BALDWIN: I have taken four planes and a helicopter to get to your office.
JONES: Which is pretty cool, right?
[07:55:00] BALDWIN: After a CNN report recently aired detailing our special friendship -- (video playing) This was the first terrorist attack on the United States from ISIS (video ending) -- my reporting on a world at war and his fighting in one, the U.S. Navy granted me rare and exclusive access to the lives of these young sailors deployed in the Arabian Gulf, and I was honored to climb aboard.
JONES: All right, so this is --
BALDWIN: Is this your room?
JONES: My stateroom. I live, work, counsel.
BALDWIN: What do you have over there?
JONES: I have pictures of important people, so yeah, you're there.
BALDWIN: You're stuck staring at me next to your sweet family?
JONES: It's more like you're staring at me. If me being out here separated from my family ensures the safety of millions back home, then it's worth it.
BALDWIN: If called upon, the USS Anzio has missiles onboard capable of hitting targets in Iraq and Syria, some 1,000 miles away. Along these claustrophobic corridors and dizzying stairwells exists a brotherhood. They rise together and relax together, too. So, what do you have to do in your rare down time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This.
BALDWIN: This is it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's video games and exercise.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We read a lot.
BALDWIN: What do you wish you had that you don't? Keep it clean.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wi-Fi.
BALDWIN: Wi-Fi?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, definitelyWi-Fi.
BALDWIN: Aboard the USS Anzio not all the sailors are men. You guys have it so much better than the guys.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do, we know.
BALDWIN: A Naval Academy grad and one of only two women of 370 plus men stationed on Anzio, Lt. Precious McQuade made a gut-wrenching decision last November. Leave her baby girl back home when duty called.
PRECIOUS MCQUADE, LT., U.S. NAVY: I mean, it's definitely tough but the example that, at least, I'm setting for her and breaking some of the gender norms.
BALDWIN: Which is incredibly admirable, but I imagine you have days where you shut the door and you weep. Nighttime allows a moment to think of loved ones back home and to sneak in some sleep. You were saying sometimes you get better sleep here --
JONES: Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
BALDWIN: -- in this teeny bed?
JONES: In this tiny bed, yes, yes.
BALDWIN: Why?
JOHN ADAMS, PETTY OFFICER 2ND CLASS, U.S. NAVY: Well, when the ship rocks it's kind of like your mother is rocking you to sleep. I don't know. It's one of those things.
BALDWIN: Close the curtain --
ADAMS: Yes.
BALDWIN: -- and that means don't bother me?
ADAMS: Right. Close the curtain, but the XO -- he has a pretty loud voice, so when he comes down and inspects bunks -- BALDWIN: You hear him coming.
ADAMS: Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
BALDWIN; Ah, yes. The XO -- the ship's executive officer. When you finally get to go home what's the first thing you're going to do?
JONES: I'm going to hug my wife and my kids and tell them that daddy's home. It makes you realize what you're fighting for.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: So what's really cool -- what Brooke did this morning is you guys FaceTime. You Face Timed with them this morning.
BALDWIN: I did. They're eight hours ahead.
PEREIRA: They're so excited. We're sitting in the make-up room --
BALDWIN: And here comes Dean's and Rashad's face and these other guys.
PEREIRA: I wanted to ask him. Do you think he would have sensed you'd be where you were today and did you think you would know that he would be where he is today when you were, what, 7th grade?
BALDWIN: That's a great question. Of course, I would imagine where he would be. I mean, I knew he was going on --
PEREIRA: You knew he was going to go into the service?
BALDWIN: I knew he was going on to play football at Navy. He turned down a lot of offers because he was just incredibly moved on his visit when he was in Annapolis. But to go on 15 years and to be the Lt. Commander and to be a boss in the Navy, and he wants to stay in for a little while longer. Yes, I buy it and then some. I can't wait to see what he does next.
PEREIRA: He's incredible.
CUOMO: I liked the tone of the urgency that you gave it, also. People often suffer from a misperception about the Navy, and that while they're out in the water the war is going on on land. They are uniquely vulnerable --
PEREIRA: Yes, they are.
CUOMO: -- because they have almost no ability to get out of the way of planes and incoming that want to attack them because they're such a slow moving -- it's a city on the water they have there. So, it's good that people are reminded.
PEREIRA: That was incredible.
BALDWIN: Thanks for letting me share. Much more on my show -- CUOMO: Thank you.
BALDWIN: -- at 2:00 this afternoon. Thank you, thank you. We have a lot going on this morning, of course, following the results of the New York primary, talking to Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton's huge win, right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: There's no place like home.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We don't have much of a race anymore.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: People in state after state cry out for a new path.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We believe we have a path toward victory.
TRUMP: We're going to go back to the old way. It's called you vote and you win.
SANDERS: I am really concerned. Three million New Yorkers were unable to vote.
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Some politicians say that America's losing on everything. What, are you kidding me?
CRUZ: America has always been best when she is lying down with her back on the mat.
