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Clinton Clinches Nomination; Outrage Over Lenient Rape Sentence. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired June 07, 2016 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00] JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: And there's no place for it. There's no place for race in the Republican Party or in America, period, end of it. No more (INAUDIBLE) policy. I'm (INAUDIBLE) -

ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know something, for you to compare Donald Trump to Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan and Jack Kemp really is just too much for me on an empty stomach in the morning, Jeffrey.

LORD: I am saying (INAUDIBLE) part of the Republican Party and you want to abandon it and (INAUDIBLE) -

NAVARRO: Yes. And then, I'll tell you what, I have been a Republican a hell of a lot longer than Donald Trump has been. I've been a Republican since I was eight years old.

LORD: But not me.

NAVARRO: I've been a Republican since the first day I became a U.S. citizen. Donny come lately is not going to give me lessons on Republican values. And he is definitely no Abraham Lincoln.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Final word, Jeffrey.

LORD: All I can tell you - all I can tell you was the Republican establishment has now sided with identity politics. All of those folks that you mentioned, Speaker Ryan, Senator McConnell, Marco Rubio, what in the world are they thinking? There is no place for this in the Republican Party, period.

CUOMO: All right, it will be very helpful to this discussion as we move forward to see actual proof of what you say the danger is of this bias in this case, Jeffrey, but you lay it out in a piece today. We direct people to it.

Ana Navarro, as always, thank you for making your opinions known.

LORD: Thank you, Ana.

CUOMO: Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: They do that very well, both of them.

Well, voters in California head to the polls today, so we will speak with long time California Senator Barbara Boxer about the Democratic race and her complex relationship with the Clintons.

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[08:35:23] CAMEROTA: Time now for the five things to know for your new day.

Hillary Clinton makes history. He's earned enough delegates to be the presumptive Democratic nominee. Voters still go to the polls today in six states for Super Tuesday, including the big ones, New Jersey and California.

Donald Trump taking heat from members of his own party after sources say he ordered surrogates to continue criticizing the judge who is overseeing lawsuits against Trump University.

Florida taking a direct hit from Tropical Storm Colin. A state of emergency is in effect with streets flooded and power lines down. That storm is moving northeast.

A Los Angeles jury wants the serial killer known as the grim sleeper put to death. Lonnie Franklin Jr. was convicted last month of murdering ten women starting back in 1985. A judge has the final say on sentencing in August.

The Pittsburg Penguins now one win away from the Stanley Cup. The Pens beat the San Jose Sharks three to one to go up three games in one in their series. Pittsburgh can take the cup at home in game three Thursday night.

For more on anything I just said, and the five things, go to newdaycnn.com for the latest.

Chris.

CUOMO: Well, guess what, it turns out standing more at the office may help you crank out more work. In today's "New Day, New You," standing desks apparently aren't only good for your health, they're good for productivity too. A Texas A&M University study monitored 167 people at a call center over a six month period. Researchers found the productivity of those using standing desks increased steadily over time, as opposed to the workers who were seated. Employees who stood longer felt better about themselves, prompting a better work attitude.

CAMEROTA: When I was standing, I did five things. You just did one thing sitting.

CUOMO: It's true. Did you feel better about yourself?

CAMEROTA: I did.

CUOMO: Is that even possible?

CAMEROTA: Yes.

Well, with Hillary Clinton ready to shatter a glass ceiling, we hear from another D.C. trailblazer coming up, California Senator Barbara Boxer opens up about the heated primary in her state, her final term in office and her unique relationship with the Clintons.

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[08:41:04] CUOMO: Hillary Clinton just became the first woman in American history to secure the presumptive presidential nomination of a major political party. Joining us now is someone who's had a front row seat to her own political career spanning more than four decades, detailed in her new memoire, it's called, "The Art of Tough: Fearlessly Facing Politics and Live." Welcome California Senator Barbara Boxer.

Senator, it's good to have you.

SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: Thank you.

CUOMO: I would tease you and say that the title of your book is a Trump takeoff. He did "The Art of the Deal." You do "The Art of Tough." But the message in there is very different than the one being articulate by Trump right now in his election. And I want to talk about that. What are you seeing in politics right now that you don't like, and what's the fix?

BOXER: Clearly, what makes America great is the fact that we are diverse, that we work together as a team. And what we see happening is a candidate on the Republican side who turns us one against the other and says he wants to make America great. That's going to bring America down economically, socially in the eyes of the world.

CUOMO: He has developed a big base within his own party, some would suggest even outside it with independent voters, because he rejects the system. That he tells it like it is, even when it is somewhat offensive to people. Do you believe that Donald Trump can make it all the way to the White House on the simple premise that he rejects the system and that voters who don't like how you and how D.C. and how the system works have an alternative in him?

BOXER: I just don't see it. I don't think he tells it like it is. I think he tells it like he sees the word, which is that there's only a few people, you know, that should have the benefits of America. And that is not the way America has been made great. And it's not - it's just not going to work. I just don't see it. But enough about him.

CUOMO: Enough about him. Let's talk about Hillary Clinton, because, you know, look, many Democrats feel the same way as you do in terms of perspective, and yet he's knotted (ph) up in the polls and Hillary Clinton has her own challenges in front of her. Bernie Sanders has exposed what seems to be a magic gap with Hillary Clinton, that people resonate off his message and feel that magic, that reason to believe that's so important in politics. How does Hillary Clinton change her game, capture people's imaginations and make the case?

BOXER: Well, I love the question. I mean, Bernie's relatively new to the national scene, although he's been in elected life for 40 years. Hillary has been out there for a long time. And I think her authenticity, people always say she's not authentic, her authenticity is, she's not a backslapper. She's not someone that's great at big rallies.

But what is she really good at? She's really good at fighting for our families. She's really good at getting up again and again. Talk about the art of tough. She knows what it is. You know what you're trying to do. You know people are going to try to intimidate you. And she remains standing.

And it's so exciting to learn that we have, in fact, captured the nomination, although I hasten to add, the race is not over in her mind or Bernie's mind. People need to get out and vote. It's not just the delegate count, it's the voter count. And Hillary's leading by 3 million votes. And we want to add to that number.

CUOMO: You know, the - one of the chapters in your book, could it have been titled too tough when it comes to Hillary Clinton? You know what it's like when you're seen as being on the wrong side of what the Clintons want politically. You talk about it in the book. You talk about it outside the book. What has your experience exposed about how the Clintons play?

[08:45:00] BOXER: I just don't view it as a game. I have a complex relationship, which is now absolutely fabulous, because we had a marriage that ended in divorce and it was hurtful for everybody. That's just normal.

I also stayed neutral in the race between Barack Obama and Hillary because I loved her like a sister. I loved him like a son, honestly, and I stayed out. And, you know, Bill Clinton didn't take kindly to that. My husband didn't take kindly to all the people over the years who may have walked away from me.

So even though we've had this complexity of the relationship, I want to say this clearly, there were two reasons I got to the Senate. One was the courage of Anita Hill, who called attention to the fact that there were only two women out of 100 in the Senate, with her courage. And, secondly, the Clinton/Gore campaign, which in California was extraordinary, and I was able to ride that wind and it worked. So, I - I mean, we're in a very good place right now and I'm working my heart out for her.

CUOMO: Final point. Something that's being ignored right now is the historic nature of this moment. I get why in terms of the campaign dynamics. But you know what, it matters a little bit more than just another issue in the campaign. It started out as barely 2 percent. Now you have about 20 percent of elected participation rate. You're one of those pioneers. What does it mean to you that the person you're supporting right now for president as the presumptive nominee of your party is a woman?

BOXER: Well, my heart is beating a little faster today. This has been a very tough fight and battle. You know, we didn't get the vote, women didn't, until 1920, and the men had a very big head start on us, particularly white men, as you know. So it has taken us a long time to prove to the people.

All we want and say is that we're equal. We're not saying we're better. And I think Hillary - it takes a certain kind of person, a certain type of toughness to keep getting back up when people say, you're not authentic, you're shrill, you know, you're aggressive, where a man is assertive. It's been a battle. But I think - I think she's going to be the next president. I think it's going to be tremendous for our country. It's a tremendous signal to little girls, to little boys, to see, you know, when we have all these problems with rape and all kinds of issues, to understand that women deserve that respect.

CUOMO: Well said. I - I'm not saying you have had, you are having a great run, Senator Boxer.

BOXER: Thanks.

CUOMO: Thank you for being with us on NEW DAY. "The Art of Tough: Fearlessly Facing Politics and Life" is the book. Thank you for being with us. Good luck going forward.

Alisyn.

BOXER: Thanks, Chris.

CAMEROTA: OK, Chris.

Now to a story that's getting so much attention. There's growing outrage over the lenient sentence for a former Stanford swimmer convicted of sexual assault. Coming up, a friend of the victim speaks out about the judge, the sentence, and the victim's powerful statement in court.

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[08:51:34] CAMEROTA: Outrage is growing over the lenient sentence for a former Stanford University swimmer in the sexual assault of an unconscious woman after a party. Brock Turner's six month sentence is spurring efforts to have the judge removed from the bench and the victim's own impact statement is rallying many into her corner. Here is a portion of statement describing how the unconscious victim found out what happened to her.

She says, "one day, I was at work, scrolling through the news on my phone and I came across an article. In it I read and learned for the first time about how I was found unconscious, with my hair dishevel, long necklace wrapped around my neck, bra pulled out of my dress, dress pulled off over my shoulders and pulled up above my waist. This was how I learned what happened to me, sitting at my desk reading the news at work. I learned what happened to me the same time everyone else in the world learned what happened to me."

Joining us now is Professor Michele Landis Dauber. She is a law professor at Stanford and a friend of the victim.

Professor Dauber, thank you for being here with us.

MICHELE LANDIS DAUBER, STANFORD UNIVERSITY LAW PROFESSOR: Thank you for having me. CAMEROTA: Your friend's impact statement has basically turned the

Internet on its head. So many people are forwarding it to their friends, are talking about it. Our colleague, Ashleigh Banfield, read the entirety of it yesterday on her show. That started a tremendous conversation online. The one place where it seems that her impact statement did not have the intended impact was in the courtroom, where the judge gave the suspect six months in prison, as opposed to 14 years that he could have received. As a law professor, how do you that?

DAUBER: Well, I know that the victim is terribly disappointed with that because she did, in fact, write the sentence hoping that the judge would take into account the severity of the crime. I do not agree with the way that the judge applied the law in this case. I don't agree with the decision he came to. And that's why we are working on a recall campaign against him at this point.

CAMEROTA: You were in the courtroom when your friend, the victim, made that statement. Can you just tell us what that was like? I mean for - for a statement to be so long and so powerful and graphic, what was the response in the courtroom?

DAUBER: Well, a lot of people were crying. It was very emotional. But we were trying to be supportive of her. And I think that, you know, people were hopeful that Judge Persky would be persuaded. You know, one of the most important factors that he's supposed to consider is the severity of the impact of the crime on the victim when deciding how to make a proportional sentence. But he, you know, apparently didn't find it persuasive.

CAMEROTA: The convict's father, this former swimmer at Stanford University, he also made appeals to the judge and I want to read those to you. This is the dad of the young man convicted of sexual assault. He said, "that is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life." There was another portion of the statement that Brock Turner's father made. "I was always excited to buy him a big ribeye steak to grill or to get his favorite snack for him. Now he barely consumes any food and eats only to exist. These verdicts have broken and shattered him and our family in so many ways. His life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve."

[08:55:14] Do you think that those statements swayed the judge?

DAUBER: I do. And I think that the defense attorney had also collected a number of statements from friends and former coaches and people like that who commented on his good character, supposedly. And, you know, my reaction to the father's statement is that it was incentive and didn't take into account, similarly to the judge, the severe impact on the victim of this crime. For example, comparing the impact of being sexually assaulted to the not liking your favorite snacks any more I think really trivialized the sexual assault in ways that were just terribly unfortunate.

CAMEROTA: So now you are part of the charge that wants to have this judge removed. There have been 200,000 people who have signed a change.org petition to recall this superior court judge, Aaron Persky. We have asked the judge to comment, but the judge has said that he cannot because he is embroiled in this recall effort. What do you think will happen?

DAUBER: Well, there are a number of people from Silicon Valley, including myself, who feel that his decision miss applied the law, and also was not consistent with community values regarding sexual assault. Quite frankly, this decision has made all women at Stanford and at colleges all across the county less safe because it failed to take into account the deterrent impact of the sentence.

When you have a crime like this and you conclude that because there was alcohol involved or because the perpetrator had a history of achievement, that we will treat it less severely than the legislature has mandated, that is the state legislature provided a two year minimum sentence and the judge deviated from that, and to grant him probation. Then what you're saying is essentially - that describes every campus rape, unfortunately, particularly at Stanford. All of these young men are very high achieving.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

DAUBER: And by granting that exception you're saying basically to women on college campuses, you're on your own.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

DAUBER: And we find that unacceptable. We're going to gather the necessary signatures. We have a website, recallaaronpersky.com, if you're interested in signing up, if your viewers are interested in signing up, to get updates, they can go there.

CAMEROTA: Professor Michele Landis Dauber, thank you for coming on with that side of the story. We, obviously, will continue to follow that case.

Well, NEWSROOM with Carol Costello picks up right after this very short break and I'll see you tomorrow.

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