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Clinton Foundation Sets Donation Limits; U.S. Swimmers Controversy; Police Rescue Autistic Boy's Party; Simone Biles Inspires Future Generations. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired August 19, 2016 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:30:44] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK, so amid growing questions, the Clinton foundation now says it will not accept any corporate or foreign donations if Hillary Clinton wins in November. Bill Clinton also vowing to stop the paid speech circuit altogether.

So let's discuss this with Carl Bernstein. He's the author of "A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton," and a CNN political contributor.

Good morning, Carl.

CARL BERNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Good to be with you.

BANFIELD: Carl, what do you think of this announcement that Bill Clinton made to his staff yesterday saying that, OK, if she's elected, let's just be clear, no donations - we won't accept any from foreign donors or corporate donors?

BERNSTEIN: Long overdue. It should have been done while she was the secretary of state. I wrote a piece in "The New York Times" a few weeks ago about this. My guess is that they ought to put the foundation into some kind of receivership in which the Clintons have absolutely no contact with it if she wins the presidency. But it's very late in the game to be doing this, and I think it helps Trump in the sense that it shows there are two real issues that won't go away that are undermining her campaign, the server and the foundation and the inappropriateness of taking this money in the first place, the speeches, et cetera, et cetera -

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BERNSTEIN: And this foundation being subject to influence of the secretary of state.

CAMEROTA: Look, let's talk about that because what the Hillary Clinton campaign and the foundation would say is there's no smoking gun. There was no pay to play. They didn't take any money that then affected policy. But what her critic will say is, there seem to be some sort of cozy relationship, or at least not a complete bright line between the foundation and the State Department. The foundation did at times ask for favors or ask for access, whether or not that was granted. What do you - who do you think is right on this one? BERNSTEIN: I think the idea that we keep looking for smoking guns is a

great mistake. That - what we want to know is the basic conduct of our nominees for the presidency. And this goes to the worst part of Hillary Clinton, as does the server. At the same time, we're talking about Donald Trump, who is manifestly unqualified, temperamentally, factually, in terms of his biography of his life, to be president of the United States, whereas Hillary Clinton has some real credentials. But she must overcome her own Achilles' heel on the trustworthiness, dishonesty factor, and that's based on her own conduct, not the vast right wing conspiracy. She has done this to herself. Bill Clinton has been complicit and they've got to get past this. And the reorganization of the Trump campaign -

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BERNSTEIN: Has been done to emphasize this aspect of her weakness.

CAMEROTA: Let's talk about that. We have seen the reorganization with two new people in charge. And, yesterday, we did see at least what appeared to be some sort of temperamental shift from Donald Trump in that. For the first time, he clearly said that he does regret some things that he has said on the campaign, particularly the ones that were hurtful. What do you make of why he said that last night? He didn't have to say that. He wasn't asked a question about it.

BERNSTEIN: I think it might get him a point or two. I think it's purely tactical and absolutely meaningless. What really means something is who is - he's brought into his campaign, which is the guy who runs Breitbart, the right wing website, along with Roger Ailes. He now has a brain trust in his campaign that is aimed at burying Hillary Clinton as a crook, as a liar, and that her secretary of state tenure was deceitful, that it weakened the United States.

Now, all of these things can be answered, certainly about her substantive conducts as the secretary of state. But we are now seeing a campaign by Trump, with advisors, the likes of which we've never seen before. And anybody who believes the polls that show him out of reach of the presidency a certainly the people in Brooklyn on Hillary's campaign don't believe the polls either.

This is not over by any means yet, especially with these really vicious attack dog messengers coming in to run the campaign and go straight for the jugular, which is Hillary's weakness on dishonesty and untrustworthiness.

[08:35:13]CAMEROTA: And just to be clear, Carl, the campaign, the Trump campaign, says that Roger Ailes does not have any sort of official role, that he's not part of the campaign, he's just a friend of Donald Trumps.

BERNSTEIN: I use the phrase brain trust, and he is very much involved. And we need to be looking in the media at the reality of the Trump campaign, what its aims are, as well as the fact that what we've seen with the server, and going over to the Congress of the United States now with the FBI 302 files -

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BERNSTEIN: Is very precarious for Hillary Clinton. She's got to find a way to put this behind her. And it's damn near impossible to do because it's indefensible what she did with the server. And she's going to have to be contrite in a way that really is meaningful.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

Carl Bernstein, always great to get your perspective. Have a great weekend.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: All right, up next, police in Brazil say that Ryan Lochte's story about a gun point robbery in Rio was a lie. Will Lochte and his teammates face charges? Our legal experts debate it, next.

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[08:40:14] HARLOW: Twelve time Olympic medalist Ryan Lochte is sticking to his story, that he and three other U.S. Olympic swimmers were robbed at gunpoint in Rio, but Brazilian police say they are no victims, they are vandals, and they were never robbed. Could they face charges? That's the question this morning.

Let's debate it with CNN legal analyst Paul Callan and Danny Cevallos.

Paull Callan, to you.

The likelihood that Ryan Lochte, the mega star, the big name multi- millionaire here, is extradited, has to go back to Brazil, face charges, is that going to happen?

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I'd say the chances are zero.

HARLOW: OK.

CALLAN: But, if they could mint a new gold medal in stupidity, perhaps it could be sent back to the United States for him, because it would appear that he was the leader of this rather crazy and stupid plot.

HARLOW: We've learned this morning a new development, Danny, that James Feigen, one of the other Olympic swimmer here, was the last one in Rio, you know, to get out. And in order to get out and get his passport back, he had to pay $11,000 to a charity in Brazil. That kind of feels a little icky at first blush. Like, oh, was it - you know, why would they sort of coerce him into doing that? Is this really go through the proper legal channels? Is that odd or no?

DANNY CEVALLOS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It's not as odd as you would think. In fact, we have all kinds of things like that in our own American legal system. We have things calls diversionary programs. We have community service. We have restitution, where a court decides that you owe money to whatever shopkeeper's window you broke or something like that.

HARLOW: No court really decided here. It seems like just a negotiation with the police.

CEVALLOS: And that - I would actually chalk that up to good defensive lawyering, getting out in front of the problem. I don't know for sure, but I would imagine maybe his attorney approached them in advance and said, hey, before this become a court case, why don't we try to resolve it? And that happens all the time here in the states before something becomes a criminal case and afterwards, where the parties get together and say, hey -

HARLOW: Yes.

CEVALLOS: How about some community service, you pay back what you broke, and we'll all move on with our lives.

HARLOW: So Lochte is sticking with his story, total silence on this for the last five days, which is - which pretty stunning, as our Christine Brennan said. Paul Callan, if you were defending Lochte in all of this, I mean, who knows, if he sticks to his story and wants to take on the police here, I don't know, if you're defending him, how do you do it?

CALLAN: Well, I think it's wise advise for him to remain silent at this point because remember the story has changed in Brazil and there are a lot of other witnesses to what actually happened, including other American swimmers. So there's no benefit for him to going public until the lawyers negotiate a complete settlement and then he just has to sit back and hope his endorsements don't -

HARLOW: What would your defense be?

CALLAN: Lochte's defense? Well, I think he could put together a defense, and this is it. Even if they vandalized the gas station and offered money for it, that doesn't give the owner, through his security guard, the right to pull a gun and say, that's not enough money, we want more. That's still robbery. Even in the United States. In civilized countries, if you have a disagreement over an amount of money, you go to court about it. You don't pull a gun.

HARLOW: How do we know that? Is there a difference in the laws there and what would define robberies?

CALLAN: Oh, no. I've looked at the Brazilian penal code and it's very, very similar and you do not have the right to pull a weapon to extort extra payment from somebody in Brazil. So he has a solid argument that he was in fact robbed after the incident matured.

HARLOW: Danny, the Brazilian police have called on these swimmers to apologize to not just them but - and the resources used, but to all the people of Rio. If you were their attorney, what would you say?

CEVALLOS: The rules change when you have high profile client as a defense attorney. If some - if nobody knows your client, a public apology doesn't really have any negative consequences. But with a high profile client, you have to consider not only the criminal consequences, but the public relations consequences. This is somebody who depends largely on his image to make money in the world. HARLOW: Endorsements.

CEVALLOS: So - right. So whereas from a public perspective, you might think, oh, just come out and say you're sorry because time and time again we've learned that if you say you're sorry in the United States, in the media, then you will eventually be forgiven. But that no so -

HARLOW: America loves a come backstory, right?

CEVALLOS: Yes, they do. But you know who doesn't love a comeback story, the criminal justice system.

HARLOW: Yes.

CEVALLOS: In the sense that if you come out and say, I'm sorry, I did something wrong, that's an admission and it can be used against you.

HARLOW: Yes, an interesting point. There you go. All right, I think maybe we won't hear anything then for a little while from these guys. Yes, lawyers advice.

Paul, Danny, nice to be with you.

CALLAN: Thanks, Poppy.

HARLOW: Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Poppy.

Police show up at a house in Oklahoma after getting an anonymous call, and inside they find an autistic boy and his mom. Find out what happens next in this story when NEW DAY returns.

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[08:48:14] HARLOW: Police in Yukon, Oklahoma, responding to an anonymous call asking them to show up at an autistic boy's third birthday party. Well, the boy's mother had no idea. So when the police arrived, she was initially shocked, and then grateful that they went "Beyond the Call of Duty." Our Martin Savidge has the story.

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MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It began with an anonymous phone call to the police in Yukon, Oklahoma, saying something was wrong inside this home.

LT. CURTIS LEMMINGS, YUKON POLICE DEPT.: So I drive by, sort of canvassing the area.

SAVIDGE: Things look OK. But just in case, Captain Matt Hofer approaches alone. A young woman answers.

CAPT. MATT HOFER, YUKON POLICE DEPT.: And she has that look of, oh, my, lanta, the police are at my front door. SAVIDGE: Terra Hubbard is already having a really bad day. Plans for

her son's birthday party are falling apart as parent after parent calls to say their child isn't coming.

TERRA HUBBARD, BRAYDEN'S MOM: I mean I'd get, oh, I can't come. Oh, this just came. Oh, this and this and this and this.

SAVIDGE: Terra believes it's because they feel uncomfortable around her three-year-old son Brayden, who has autism. And now the police are at Terra's door. But Officer Hofer's words change everything.

HOFER: I heard that there was a birthday party for Brayden today. And she says - and she starts to smile and she says, yes. And I asked her if we could participate.

HUBBARD: And I was just speechless. Speechless. Nothing would come out.

SAVIDGE: Yukon's finest had come to get this party started. And more kept arriving.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we all went over there and we doubled the party.

SAVIDGE: Brayden's party went from zero to heroes.

HUBBARD: Just to see them interact like that, it's truly, truly amazing.

[08:50:06] SAVIDGE: And for mom, the timing couldn't have been better.

HUBBARD: Yes, it's been a really tough time.

SAVIDGE: Yukon's finest saved the party and the day, while proving police officers cannot only answer the call, but occasionally also a prayer.

Martin Savidge, CNN, Yukon, Oklahoma.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: That is a beautiful story.

HARLOW: That made my -

CAMEROTA: I know.

HARLOW: That made my day.

CAMEROTA: I'm tearing up too. That is amazing. Gosh, what angels those police officers are.

HARLOW: Absolutely.

CAMEROTA: All right, Simone Biles is, of course, the breakout star of the 2016 Olympics. Now she's inspiring a whole new generation of gymnasts. So we are about to speak live to her very first coach and the young kids trying to follow in her footsteps.

Hi, guys.

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CAMEROTA: Children all around the world have fallen in love with Team USA's final five. And, of course, the biggest winner of the group is four-time gold medalist Simone Biles. So joining us now from Bannon's Gymnastic in Houston, this is the hometown gym in Texas where Simone Biles was discovered and trained for 11 years. We have Simone Biles' first coach, Susan Szota, and three young gymnasts, Kathryn Redding, Charlie Green and Savanna Quinn.

Great to see you guys this morning.

SUSAN SZOTA, SIMONE BILES' FIRST COACH: Good morning.

KIDS: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: Coach Szota, you were Simone's very first coach. Tell us what stood out about her at six years old when she walked into that gym.

SZOTA: Well, when she walked into the gym, she - she wasn't the average kid that usually comes into the gym. Clearly she came with some skills that she obviously learned from flipping at home. So, you know, in spotting her, we decided she would probably be really great to be on competitive gymnastics. So she was brought to me at level four, which is the first level of competitive gymnastics. And now we just worked, trying to work on the details of her - of her skills.

[08:55:20] CAMEROTA: And it sounds like pretty early on you guys realized that she was exceptional.

Savanna, I want to ask you a question, because I know you're 10 years old. So what is it about Simone Biles that you like best?

SAVANNA QUINN, 10-YEAR-OLD GYMNAST: What I like best about Simone Biles is all of her skills and how pretty they are in her routines.

CAMEROTA: They do look really pretty. She makes it look easy, which, of course, you guys can tell us it's not at all.

Charlie, you're seven years old. Have you watched Simone on TV for - all for the past two weeks?

CHARLIE GREEN, 7-YEAR-OLD GYMNAST: Yes, I have.

CAMEROTA: What was your favorite event?

GREEN: My favorite event was probably floor.

CAMEROTA: What did you like about it?

GREEN: Just - I like floor because my coach is Niko (ph). He's on the Olympics. And his best skill is floor. And I think my favorite skill is floor because Niko's own (ph) because Niko trained me.

CAMEROTA: That makes -

GREEN: And his best event is floor.

CAMEROTA: That makes perfect sense.

Kathryn, what does Simone Biles mean to you and the fact that she's won all of these gold medals mean?

KATHRYN REDDING, 9-YEAR-OLD GYMNAST: She is really cool to me, and it make - it inspires me to work harder and get there, like she got there.

CAMEROTA: Coach, what has it been like for all of the young gymnasts there at the gym to watch Simone and to know that she came from that very own gym and that, you know, it's possible to launch a superstar from there?

SZOTA: Well, it - she is definitely inspiring for all - you know, the young children that are coming into the gym. You know, they look at her, and she helps them believe they can achieve their dreams as well.

CAMEROTA: Hey, Savanna, I think we're looking at a picture of you and Simone. What was it like to meet her?

QUINN: It felt amazing to meet Simone Biles for the first time.

CAMEROTA: What was she like?

QUINN: She was very nice and encouraging.

CAMEROTA: Charlie, do you think that you want to go to the Olympics?

GREEN: Yes. It's my dream to go to the Olympics.

CAMEROTA: Well, it looks like you're in the right place to make a dream like that come true.

Kathryn, how about you?

REDDING: I think I am, too, because I want to follow my dream and go to the Olympics, too.

CAMEROTA: All right, well, we have a surprise for you guys this morning. Simone Biles was just here on our show live. She's, of course, in Rio, but she was on our show live and she had a very special message that she wanted to send to all of you. So, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMONE BILES, OLYMPIC GOLD AND BRONZE MEDALIST: Hey, guys, this is Simone Biles. Thank you guys for all your support through this whole Olympic journey. And I can't wait to see you guys when I get back home. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Coach, what does it mean that she wants to come and see you guys and sort of share her success with all of you?

SZOTA: She's a true champion and just - she's really taken herself to great heights. And I can't express how proud I am of her. And her teamwork, and what - what makes me most proud about her is that, you know, I tried, as a young girl, to teach her to just have fun and enjoy herself in doing gymnastics. Clearly she's taken that lesson and brought it all the way through to the gold medal championships. So for that I'm really, really proud.

CAMEROTA: She sure has. And I know it was emotional for you watching her win. What was that - what were those moments like?

SZOTA: Well, there was - there were tears of joy. Just tears of pride. And, you know, as I said, I just can't be more excited that - that she just went out there and had fun, and she was just almost the same little girl that I coached at age six and seven, was the same kid that I watched achieving her dreams and reaching that gold medal.

CAMEROTA: Well, that is really -

SZOTA: So she's just amazing and I'm ever so proud.

[09:00:00] CAMEROTA: I bet you are. That's really, really beautiful. Coach Szota, Savanna Quinn, Charlie Green, Kathryn Redding, best of luck with all of your dreams and your futures as gymnasts as well. Thanks so much for being with us on NEW DAY this morning.