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Trump to Get First National Security Briefing Today; Team USA Crushing Competition in Rio; Trump Courts Black Voters in Law-and- Order Speech; Major Shake-Up in Trump Campaign. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired August 17, 2016 - 06:30   ET

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

[06:30:01] BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In some places, fortunately, the water is receding. In others, like where I'm standing right now, in Ascension Parish, it's not going anywhere. You can see behind me there are homes that are inaccessible right now. You simply can't get inside. There are also still dozens of highways and roads that are closed.

I should point out, as a matter of fact, on the other side of the street, you can't see it now because it's dark, but the Ascension Parish courthouse is also inundated. So, it's not just homes, it's also government buildings that are shut down. More than 60,000 people have had to request assistance from FEMA. They will certainly need it because there are tens of thousands of people that are displaced in shelters right now.

There's also a curfew in place here in Ascension Parish, partly because of safety, also because of crime. Ten people were arrested last night because of looting -- Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, Boris. My goodness. It just looks like the chaos there is not yet getting any better. Tens of thousands of people displaced.

Boris, thank you very much for all of that.

So, Donald Trump is just hours away now from getting his first national security briefing. What will intelligence officials tell him? We have two former CIA members here to tell us. That's next on NEW DAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:35:07] CAMEROTA: Breaking political news this morning: Donald Trump shaking up his campaign staff again, naming a new chief executive and campaign manager. And this announcement comes just hours before Trump will receive his first classified national security briefing from intelligence officials.

So, here to explain what goes on in those briefings is David Priess. He's the author of "The President's Book of Secrets." He's a former CIA intelligence officer.

As well as Phil Mudd, he's our CNN counterterrorism analyst and a former counterterrorism official. Gentlemen, great to have you re. I can't think of two better guests

to walk us through what's today.

David, let me start with you because you did this for a living. You briefed the attorney general and the NSA adviser, the top of the national security bureau, about the intelligence briefings every morning.

So, how does it work? What do you say to them? How is it delivered?

DAVID PRIESS, FORMER CIA INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: Yes, there are different kinds of briefings, Alisyn. You've got the president's daily brief, which goes to each president and whomever he designates to receive it. That's the job I had, delivering the PDB downtown.

These candidates are not getting the president's daily brief. They're not getting the crown jewels of U.S. intelligence. They're getting, no kidding, classified briefings, but they don't contain the intelligence sources and methods and all of the in-depth information about intelligence.

CAMEROTA: OK. So, Phil, what kinds of things that Donald Trump likely to learn today?

PHIL MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST: Look, the conversations, as David said, will be broad. The conversations about things like Iran and the Iranian threat from things like ballistic missiles, stability in North Korea, where we are with China and the South China Sea, where we are with Russia and Europe and Crimea.

So, broad conversations decided by the White House and the director of national intelligence. These aren't whatever Mr. Trump or Secretary Clinton want to talk about. This is what the White House says can be discussed by intelligence officials at a broad level.

One quick comment, Alisyn, as David mentioned, if for example you have a conversation about North Korea, it might be about the state of stability in the country. It's not going to be about what kind of access U.S. intelligence has to the North Korean inner circle. That's the difference between these briefings and something the president of the United States might get.

CAMEROTA: David, any fear that one of these candidates, because Hillary Clinton will be receiving this same information at some point, that Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will inadvertently release some information that they're given?

PRIESS: That has never happened before. This is a tradition that's gone 70-plus years. We've never had a candidate who's gone out and talked about the explicit information within the briefing.

It's always a possibility, but there's a safeguard against that. Usually in the campaign, there's a series of briefings for the presidential candidate and the vice presidential candidate. If someone were to be go out and blurt classified secrets, chances are those briefings would be rolled back. That's always an option the sitting president has.

CAMEROTA: You know, Phil, it's sort of interesting this is going to happen, because one of these people is going to lose. So one of these people is probably most likely going to become president and one of them is not. So, why are they both privy to such sort of special information?

MUDD: Look, they're going into a situation where they're talking to the American people and preparing potentially to be a president elect in November about some of the most important issues facing America, issues like how we confront Russia and Syria, issues about how Iran is involved in places like Iraq where American soldiers are in conflict zones.

So I think you've got two stages here. How do you prepare candidates to talk to the American people, including in the debates that are coming up, and then quickly, you've got to transition, Alisyn, in November to potentially daily conversations with a candidate that are presidential.

I don't think you want to start that from 0 to 60 in November. You want to build up as you're doing now in August, September, October for that day when one of these will be the president elect.

PRIESS: Let me amplify on something Phil said there.

CAMEROTA: Yes, go ahead.

PRIESS: The purpose of the briefings is both to prepare them for the enormous duties of the presidency perhaps, but also to prevent them from inadvertently saying something catastrophically stupid on the campaign trail that classified briefings would help them not do. In fact, when I got information from Jimmy Carter for my book, "The President's Book of Secrets", he told me that he relished these pre- election briefings because he did not want to say something that would put then-President Ford into a bad situation on national security, nor did he want to box himself into something stupid when he became president.

CAMEROTA: Oh, that's interesting. It's sort of the flip side. When you have more information, you can actually be more quiet about it.

Phil, Donald Trump is bringing, we understand, Chris Christie and General Michael Flynn with him today. Will those guys also be privy to the same intelligence briefing?

MUDD: We'll see. My judgment, Alisyn, would be yes. Let's take those names out, off the table. I know in some circles, they're controversial. Let's make this anonymous.

[06:40:01] A presidential candidate wants to turn across the table and talk to key advisers about information he or she is receiving. Should that individual, that presidential candidate, a nomine of a major party, have the right to bring somebody into the room, so it's not just a one on one with the candidate. My answer would be a clear yes. It can be Chris Christie, it can be

somebody else, but I think a candidate should have the right to have somebody in the room to speak about what he's hearing.

The alternative to have a one on one with a briefer sounds odd. You've got to have a group of people to talk. Those advisers in this case are Chris Christie and a former general.

CAMEROTA: David, can the candidate request specific things, something they want to build on or know more about? Can they ask questions?

PRIESS: Absolutely. And previous presidential candidates have done this. It can happen two ways. One way is in the briefing itself. They can receive information about something and then ask the briefer for a follow-up, for details, for implications.

The other way is when they're setting up their next briefing because there can be more one of these briefings during the campaign. Often, the candidates will submit lists of questions. Back in 1976, I believe it was, Jimmy Carter submitted a list of dozens of questions that he wanted his briefers to cover.

An important point, when that happens, that information is also provided to the other candidate because these intelligence briefings are scrupulously neutral. The objective is not to politicize. The objective is to equally inform the candidates.

CAMEROTA: Guys, thanks so much for peeling back the curtain on all of this for us. You're both punch of information.

David Priess, Phil Mudd, thank you very much, great to talk to you.

MUDD: Thank you.

PRIESS: Thank you, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Chris?

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Let's get to the good news. The Summer Olympics in Rio. The real winners today might be two runners who finished dead last. What a story. This is what the Olympics is all about with a twist at the end, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:45:40] CUOMO: To the Olympics. Team USA crushing the competition. Simone Biles clinching another gold medal. She took the floor last night, and that is the place where she is at her best and did not disappoint.

How do I know? CNN sports anchor Coy Wire told me. That's how I know. Live in Rio with the right shirt on today.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, red, white, and blue, Chris. Team USA down here with more medals than Led Zeppelin. Just continuing to dominate these games. Let's get you caught up. USA adding nine more medals yesterday,

extending that lead over China, who's in second. Look out, Great Britain in third by only one.

We have to talk about this amazing finish for the final five, as they've been called, America's sweethearts. The USA women's gymnastics squad leaving Rio as the most decorated team in U.S. Olympic history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE (voice-over): America's golden girl is back. Simone Biles tumbling, flipping her way to her fourth gold medal, this time the floor exercise. Her score nearly half a point higher than her nearest competitor.

Biles' teammate Aly Raisman also giving a stunning performance. Her parents nervously watching as their daughter takes the silver.

Their medals making the final five the most successful women's U.S. gymnastics team in Olympics history. The three biggest stars of Team USA gracing the cover of "Sports Illustrated." Biles, Michael Phelps, and Katie Ledecky.

On the track, Jenny Simpson taking home bronze in the 1500 meters. She's the first American to ever medal in that event.

And Usain Bolt easily winning his heat in the 200 meters, advancing him to the semifinals later today.

USAIN BOLT, OLYMPIAN: It's been good. Can't complain. I'm tired. I can tell what shape I'm in, I'm feeling. I knew the first round was going to be rough. In the sun, early morning, I'm not a morning person.

WIRE: And a collision on the track during the 5,000 meters, New Zealand's Nikki Hamblin taking down American Abby D'Agostino, who injures her knee in the fall. D'Agostino then helping Hamblin up, both women going on to finish in a moment of pure sportsmanship at these Olympic Games.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: All right. Huge upset last night, guys. Kerri Walsh Jennings' attempt at a four straight Olympic gold in beach volleyball fall short. She and April Ross lost to host nation Brazil. They play for bronze tonight.

What else today? Women's 200-meter final, women's long jump, and also, Alisyn, men's basketball. Win or go home time. They have had some close ones. It's Argentina in the quarterfinals.

CAMEROTA: So exciting, Coy. And we love you break it down for us. Anybody who can work in Led Zeppelin to a sports report, I like it. We'll talk to you later in the program.

All right. Time for CNN Money now. Health insurer Aetna is dropping exchanges in 11 states. What does that mean for you?

Chief business correspondent Christine Romans is in our Money Center.

What does it mean, Christine?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Well, end of the latest big health insurer to drop out here. It'll operate now in just four states next year, Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, and Virginia. It had 838,000 customers at the end of June in its Obamacare exchanges. So, now, many of those people have to find new plans.

Aetna says it lost 430 million bucks on Obamacare policies since 2014. Aetna says its policyholders are sicker and costlier than expected. That's why it's losing money.

Other insurers are feeling that as well. UnitedHealthcare is exiting most Obamacare exchanges next year. Humana also dropping coverage in certain areas. Several blue cross blue shield companies are also scaling back.

The challenge now is making sure there are enough choices for consumers. The critics of Obamacare say this all shows the law is not working. You'll see this is going to become campaign fodder, guys.

CUOMO: All right. Appreciate it, Christine.

Let's take a break. Two huge moves in the election. Donald Trump gave a big speech last night about law and order that may or may not have helped him broaden his base. We'll tell you why.

And then, this political blowout shaking up his team, bringing in a really controversial person. Who is it and why, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[06:54:00] DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Law and order must be restored. The problem in our poorest communities is not that there are too many police. The problem is that there are not enough police.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Is that a message from Donald Trump that will appeal to black voters and his law and order speech last night in a suburb of Milwaukee after unrest in that city over deadly police shooting of an armed black man has led to protests and all kinds of violence that you've been seeing on your TV screens?

Now, he also argued that Clinton is against the police and accused her of betraying the black community. How will that play?

Let's discuss. CNN political commentator and author of the new book, "Nobody: Casualties of America's War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond", Marc Lamont Hill. And former secret service agent, Dan Bongino.

Good to have both of you this morning.

So, there aren't enough police, that's the problem with these poor black communities. Your take?

MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Two problems with that. One, empirically, it's just not true.

[06:55:01] And second, it doesn't resonate with black people. When black people hear law and order, according to studies, I'm not trying to speak for all black people, but according to studies, when they hear law and order, it doesn't suggest law and order. It suggests get tough, crack heads, divide the community, all the things you don't want when you want to bring the community together.

CUOMO: So, Dan Bongino, another piece here. The sheriff there, Clarke, had said, you people keep trying to want to fix the police, fix the ghetto. And then there was a piece of sound that many people jumped on to say, hey, this is an inaccurate portrayal of what's being said down there.

Let's play one of the family members of the victim.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Y'all burning down (EXPLETIVE DELETED) we need in our community. Take that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) to the suburbs. Burn that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) down. Y'all want to hurt somebody, take that (EXPETIVE DELETED) farther out. Don't do it here. Don't bring the violence here and the ignorance here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Now, there's significance of two levels. One, you had somebody speaking to their community, telling them to be better than what they were seeing. The other part is the first part of the bite was, take it to the suburbs. That part of the bite was not widely used.

Your take?

DAN BONGINO, FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT: Yes, listen, Chris. We view everything in this world on the margin, right? What she said on net was awful. I don't care if she opened up in the beginning with some nice comment about be better.

Telling people to go bring violence to the suburbs where I live, burn my house down and take violence to my kids, you know, she can go pound sand.

Her message was one of hate. It was filled with hate. And on net, I don't really care if she opened it up with a good thing.

You know, Charlie Manson may have picked up gum off the sidewalk once in his life. It didn't make him a good guy. You don't call for violence in the suburbs to innocent people and to burn their house down and then get some kind of a pat on the back for being some social justice warrior.

I'm sorry. She can go pound sand. Terrible message.

CUOMO: Is there any mitigating what Dan just said?

HILL: I think it's a little more complicated than that. I think it was an argument to say, look, why destroy your own community. I think it was less her advocating going and destroying the suburbs, and more saying, stop destroying your own communities. Oftentimes, that's what happens.

But again, I agree, the ultimate goal here shouldn't be to destroy anything. It should be to build something. That's what I want to see happen.

CUOMO: So, let's talk about that, Dan Bongino. You know what Donald Trump said last night. There's a new poll up that I believe has to understate the support he has in the black community because it says African-Americans, 1 percent of them, are going to vote for him, and 91 percent are going to vote for Hillary Clinton.

We've never heard of a number like that. Historically, the GOP winds up about 12 percent. I think once it was 17 percent. So, this was an area that was identified, especially after the 2012 elections, as we need to expand our base. We have to make an argument that Democrats have ruled these communities and kept them the way they are.

Why isn't that translating through the Trump campaign?

BONGINO: Yes, you know, Chris, this is one of the great mysteries of my life. If I was granted omnipotence by the Lord tomorrow to change one thing, it would be to be able to walk into the black community and largely in inner cities and say, please, look at what's happening here.

I mean, these communities have been ruled monopolistically by far left big government liberals for decades, in some cases since the '20s and '30s. These communities have been driven into the ground.

I mean, you don't have to be a scientist to look at the evidence, the correlational evidence right in front of you. Liberalism correlates with poverty and high crime every single place it's been tried. And yet, you have some members of the black community which support the Democratic Party, which continues to bankrupt them.

I wish I could change it. I wish the Trump campaign could as well.

CUOMO: First part of that statement drew a wince. Why?

HILL: There's nothing far left about Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia. These are, I agree, Democratic machines --

BONGINO: What? HILL: I'm going to tell you. They're Democratic machines but they're

not far left. Michael Nutter was the mayor of Philadelphia. No one would call him far left. I mean, I think that's a bit extreme. It's not exactly Cuba there.

But the other piece of, this and you said you're not a scientist, and I'm glad you said there, there's a different between correlation and causality. I agree, there's a connection between these very poor places and Democratic machines, but being Democratic doesn't cause you to be poor, being liberal doesn't cause you to be poor.

There's a lot of top-down policies that enable this to happen. In a place like Ferguson, for example, the flight of jobs is far more important, the destruction of public housing is more influential than who's the mayor, although that's not a black majority. Same thing in Baltimore.

Again, we need a new way out, but the new way out isn't just to crack down on Democrats and bring Republicans in. We need new policies that bring in jobs, that bring in investment, and that change the relationship between police and community. That's not a partisan issue. That's a much bigger issue.

CUOMO: Gentlemen, it's good conversation to have. Dan Bongino, appreciate it as always. Marc Lamont Hill, thank you for the perspective.

HILL: Thank you, sir.

CUOMO: There is some huge news coming out of the campaign. Let's get right to it.

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY.

We do begin with breaking news. Donald Trump shaking up the top of his campaign again. Trump naming a new chief executive as well as a campaign manager.

CUOMO: Trump insiders say that the candidate is fed up with being boxed in, and he has brought in a real firecracker, somebody from the political fringe. We're going to tell you about the change.