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NEW DAY SUNDAY
Clinton Email Investigation: Outcome of DOJ Probe Could Impact Convention; Two Days of Mourning After Terror Attack Kills 20; Gingrich Downplays Trump VP Talk; Thick Scum on Beaches Smells Like Raw Sewage; VP Selection Ramps Up as Conventions Near; World Leaders Pay Tribute to Human Rights Champion, Elie Wiesel. Aired 7-8a ET
Aired July 3, 2016 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:00:00] CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you so much for starting your morning with us.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I went down a road and just quickly turn.
PAUL: Hit a detour.
BLACKWELL: Much more coming. Next hour of your NEW DAY starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hillary Clinton has met with the FBI.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sources telling CNN there's not enough evidence to charge Hillary Clinton.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think she should be in jail for what she did with her e-mails.
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Newt, are you going to do it? Should he be vice president? It's a hell of a job.
NEWT GINGRICH (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: None of you should bet on all this. It's wild speculation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two weeks ago, you said you were not being vetted. Is that still the case?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The former U.S. ambassador to Bangladesh believes that the targeting of foreigners was intentional.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At least three of the victims were college students studying here in the U.S.
Renowned holocaust survivors and noble peace laureate Elie Wiesel has died.
(END VIDEOTAPE) PAUL: Well, Sunday has been waiting for you and so have we. Good morning. I'm Christi Paul.
BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you.
Hillary Clinton could be facing really the most crucial stretch of her campaign thus far. And it has nothing to do with what her opponents are going.
PAUL: Rather, the political world is waiting for the FBI's next move on the email investigation, and the timing of that announcement could, some say, make or break the Clinton campaign. She was questioned by the FBI for three and half hours yesterday. Sources tell CNN there's not enough evidence to file charges but this interview comes as Clinton's wrapping up her battle against Bernie Sanders and is turning to take on Trump.
BLACKWELL: Now, listen to this, for that fight for the general election, Clinton raised $68 million in June and she's prepared to accept soon the nomination at the Democratic convention at the end of the month. If the investigation closes with no charges but a harsh rebuke of Clinton, could she lose momentum?
Well, Clinton tells MSNBC that she's in the dark about what's coming in and when.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHUCK TODD, MSNBC HOST: Were you given that indication today that no charges would be filed? And are you confident no charges will be filed?
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Chuck, I am not going to comment on the process. I have no knowledge of any timeline. This is entirely up to the department.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: All right. Here to talk about what could happen next, Amy Kremer, Donald Trump supporter and cofounder of Women Vote Trump, and Tharon Johnson, Hillary Clinton supporter and former south regional director for Obama 2012.
Tharon, we're going to start with you.
Even if the charges are not filed here and the guidance that our justice correspondents have received is up to this point, there has not been enough evidence to file charges. We'll all wait and see. What will be the impact of, as I mentioned, that harsh rebuke going into the conventions?
THARON JOHNSON, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: Well, I think the first thing is, is that, you know, Hillary Clinton spent three and a half hours basically answering every single question that the investigators asked her yesterday. Let's not forget this is also at a time where earlier last year she spent 11 hours responding to a politically motivated Benghazi committee.
So, I think there's basically a sort of a breath of fresh air for the Clinton campaign. I mean, her spokesmen basically say, listen, they welcome this investigation. We knew for a very long time that she was going to be a part of the questioning.
So, as far as a rebuke, it's something that Republicans get very, very excited about but I think it's also going to rally Democrats around Hillary Clinton once all the evidence comes out.
BLACKWELL: Amy, when Tharon said a breath of fresh air. I saw a little smile up there. What's your response to what you just heard?
AMY KREMER, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Well, I do think we have to wait and see what comes out of the FBI. But 175 agents on this, there's something there. They wouldn't be spending the resources to do this if not.
But we're just going to have to wait and see. I know that the American people are tired of the political class has a different set of rules than regular people. That's why you've seen this uprising this cycle.
So, it's going to be interesting what happens. You know, the Clinton, they -- on Friday or one day last week, they sent a thing to the judge requesting for 27 extra months for e-mails for the Clinton Foundation. They originally said there were 6,000 e-mails. Now, there's 34,000.
So, what's going to happen with that? They're asking to extend that 27 months to be able to get turn over those email. So, that's part of it. We all want to have that too.
JOHNSON: But one of the things we got to really, you know, for our viewers really point out the facts. Number one, Hillary Clinton did nothing illegal.
[07:05:01] Now, there was really been investigating --
BLACKWELL: Well, that's still to be determined.
JOHNSON: No, what's being investigated is whether she violated the rules with the e-mails. Number two, she didn't hide anything. I mean, let's -- Amy points out these additional e-mails. She turned over her server to the FBI.
BLACKWELL: What we're waiting for the potential if there's an indictment. The inspector general did the investigation related to the rules of the State Department. That part's done.
We're waiting to see if there is a criminal indictment. So, that's what the FBI was involved with.
JOHNSON: Right. You guys have just reported and other people, and a lot of experts that have come on the show say it's highly unlikely that she'll be charged or indicted for any sort of criminal charges. So, I think that, listen, when I say it's a breath of fresh air, you look at what he Clinton campaign said, she welcomed this interview. I mean, this is something that she's been preparing.
KREMER: Only because she would have been subpoenaed had she not done this interview.
BLACKWELL: Go ahead, go ahead.
KREMER: No, she would have been subpoenaed. This whole investigation is about her and her staff. So, she would have been subpoenaed. So, it's easy for her to say, I volunteer to go do that, but she really had no other option.
JOHNSON: But let's be fair, Amy. Let's look at the countless amount of people and the staff members of being interviewed for the last two years. I mean, the secretary has been very, very transparent about what she did. She's apologized for it. She said that she won't do it again.
So, I think while the investigation is going on, she can't really comment because there's a legal investigation. But I think there's been a high level of transparency from her and basically trying to put this FBI investigation to bed.
BLACKWELL: All right. Amy Kremer, Tharon Johnson, thank you both again.
This falls into the category that if you support Hillary Clinton, you will see that there's nothing here. If you don't, you see that everything is here.
KREMER: And (INAUDIBLE) by the FBI agent.
BLACKWELL: It's important to point that out, as Amy and Tharon just did. Thank you so much.
Now, as we wait to hear the outcome for Hillary Clinton, we're also waiting to hear who she's going to choose as her running mate.
Our Brianna Keilar spoke with New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker about whether he's being vetted for the job. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D), NEW JERSEY: What I do know is that on the Democratic side, there are many fabulous candidates. People that could really be strong vice presidential candidates.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: That is not a no, sir. That is not a no.
BOOKER: That's exactly what it is. It's telling you that if you have a question like that, please direct it to the Clinton campaign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Well, Bangladesh has started two days of mourning for the victims of a terror attack that killed 20 hostages and two police officers at a cafe in the capital of Dhaka. Three American students are among those who have died and we want to introduce you to them. Two of the students were from Emory University in Georgia.
Abinta Kabir was a sophomore. She was visiting family and friends for summer vacation when this happened. The other Emory student Faraaz Hossein, he was headed into the university's business school in the fall.
Our affiliate WSB in Atlanta spoke to friends of the students about what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REPORTER: The news and the images out of Bangladesh have devastated friends of two students among the hostages killed Friday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We really don't know how to grasp this yet just because this is so shocking. And, you know, none of us -- no one ever could see it coming.
REPORTER: Faraaz Hossein and Abinta Kabir were both students at Emory University.
Rifat Morsalin (ph) says he met Hossein earlier this year when he needed help on a school project and hunger in Bangladesh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He didn't need to be asked for help. He reached out and just offered to help.
REPORTER: Hossein and Kabir were at a cafe together in the city of Dhaka when terrorists stormed in. Nearly 11 hours later, they were dead, along with seven of the terrorists and two police officers.
One of Kabir's first teachers is struggling with the tragedy.
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: I don't even want to think about it. I'd rather to remember her with that smile that she had.
REPORTER: She had just finished her freshman year at the campus in Oxford, where flags are now at half-staff. Hossein was preparing to transition to Emory's business school in the fall. Morsalin says he's concerned that the number of extremists in his home country is growing and that innocent people will pay the price.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The chance of this happening, this terrible tragedy, is just so low. You know, two students from Emory University just here in Atlanta, just unbelievable tragedy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL: That was our affiliate WSB here in Atlanta.
The University of California as well at Berkeley says a student of the school was the third student killed. Tarishi Jain was a sophomore. She just started an internship at a bank in Dhaka a few weeks ago.
This were happening during the holy month of Ramadan, of course. It was the deadliest, it was the boldest terror attack in the country. Well, starting today, authorities will have increased security around the attack site as well, as nearby hospitals.
And we have some new video I want to share with you. This is video that believed to show commandos moving in to end the terror attack. Take a look.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
[07:10:10] PAUL: The siege ended early yesterday morning. The attackers took hostages, got into a shootout with police until soldiers moved in and killed them, 13 hostages were rescued. CNN cannot independently confirm the video's authenticity, we want to point out, but it appears to be recorded from a building next to that restaurant, as you can tell.
Our Alexandra Field has this quick update on the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At the crime scene, we have seen part of a Japanese delegation arrive, and the Japanese government official. We also know that Japan is sending in counterterrorism experts to help with the investigation here. That restaurant is sealed off while investigators do their work inside. Japanese family members of the victims are also set to arrive in Dhaka where other family members are already doing the very grim job of being asked to identify the remains of their loved ones, remains are still in the hands of investigators who hopes to turn those remains over to the families quickly for burial.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Bangladesh authorities have consistently denied an ISIS presence at all in the country despite previous ISIS claims of past attacks. In the past two years a wave of murders across Bangladesh have targeted secular writers, academics and religious minorities.
BLACKWELL: In Baghdad, the toll from two car bomb attacks has now risen to 80. ISIS has taken credit for the first blast which ripped through a busy commercial district. Now, for the second blast, that went off in an outdoor market. No one has claimed responsibility.
PAUL: Well, rumored Donald Trump vice president pick Newt Gingrich has some advice for Trump. He says, get your act together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRICH: Trump's job is frankly to quit screwing up, get the election down to three or four big issues, all of which come down to single concept, enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: He had more to say there, former Speaker Gingrich, about the vice presidential role. We're going to tell you that.
BLACKWELL: Plus, history will be made at Fort Bragg at a baseball game. But before that, our newest sports contribute Hines Ward got a feel for the base from above.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'm definitely going to scream like a little girl.
Has anyone passed out before?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not a Ravens fan, are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. I'm going to get a parachute, all right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, make sure yours is tight too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[07:15:28] GINGRICH: The number one definition of the vice president's job is the president. So who knows? Some presidents give a lot of power to vice presidents. At least Trump has said over and over he needs a vice president who understands Washington, because he knows he doesn't.
Well, if he really means that, again, people often maneuver a lot. I suspect if it did come to anything, we'd have to have a very, very long talk and then depending on that talk, of course, I have to sit down with Donald and have another long talk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: Vice presidential vetting season, as you can see, in full swing. That, of course, former speaker Newt Gingrich weighing in on chatter that he could be Donald Trump's top pick for V.P. Even Vice President Joe Biden got in on the action take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I like to ask one question before I begin. Newt, are you going to do it? That's all I wanted to know. I want to get to the important things off the bat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And --
BIDEN: He needs the help, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The question was, should I --
BIDEN: Should he be vice president? I tell him -- anyway it's a hell of a job, get a big pay raise. It's all work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: All righty. CNN politics reporter Eric Bradner with us now.
Eric, I want to hone in on something Mr. Gingrich said there. He said Trump needs a vice president who understands Washington because he knows he doesn't. Was that a dig at Trump? Or was that promoting the fact that his supporters love him because he is not establishment?
ERIC BRADNER, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Yes, I think Gingrich has really found the perfect promotional pitch here. So, he's speaking Trump's language and saying like, look, the message is enough and we don't need to worry about what the establishment says. And then he's speaking establishment Washington's language and saying that Trump's great, but he needs to really rein it in.
And Trump has always said he needs someone who can help him on Capitol Hill. It's something that Trump has been a bit introspective in admitting like, this is a skill that he has not developed. And Gingrich is someone who obviously has experience at speaker of the House. So, I think he's highlighting a Trump weakness that Trump personally sees as something he can speak about himself, that he's acknowledged and sort of touts, like it's great that I'm an outsider but I do need someone who can help me play the inside game.
PAUL: OK, let's talk about some of the inside names. We got New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, the former House speaker there.
Who do you think is resonating most and how important is that V.P. pick when you're talking about presidential elections? Is it more important, do you think, this time around than it has been in the past?
BRADNER: I think it's possible, yes, it is more important. But it depends on which direction Trump wants to go. This is something that could really help him soothe a lot of conservative donors picking someone that they find palatable.
But Chris Christie on one hand is sort of like Trump. He's bombastic. He's known for sort of saying, you know, throw out the establishment, whereas Mike Pence on the other hand is a diehard conservative. But he's also someone that is not really a big fan of raising a ruckus. You'll never see Mike Pence in an angry confrontation.
So, he's got a really wide range of options here. I think he has to make the decision on temperamentally who he'd like to go with, what kind of style he wants as his number two. That's the big question that I think these options that we're seeing are -- I think that's the big question that we'll answer.
PAUL: All righty. Eric Bradner, good to see you this morning. Thank you, sir.
BRADNER: Thank you.
BLACKWELL: All right. Let's turn to the Democrats now. He's been a top campaign surrogate for Hillary Clinton for months. So, could now Jersey Senator Cory Booker get the spot on the Clinton ticket? You're going to hear his answer just ahead.
PAUL: Also in Florida, take a look at what's happening. Thousands of residents are furious and demanding action after their toxic algae bloom is coating their coastline and chasing away holiday visitors.
[07:20:01] Jennifer Gray is there in fact.
Hi, Jen.
JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Christi. Yes, it's disgusting. It looks gross and it smells worse. Residents are furious. They want answers. They're hoping that we will come to a resolution on this in the near term. And we'll have a full report coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: All righty. Let's think about the Florida coastal residents here for a second. They are furious about this toxic algae bloom that spoiled their beaches for the Fourth of July holiday and beyond. Look at all the people that came out here -- 5,000 for a protest. This is in Stuart, Florida, where thick, stinking scum makes it impossible for anybody to enjoy the water.
BLACKWELL: Our Jennifer Gray is joining us from Stuart, Florida, where it's just miserable. Let's just call it what it is. The smell is terrible.
I've been watching you in the preview monitor here. Give us an idea of what's there and what the response has been from the people who live in that community.
GRAY: It's absolutely disgusting. It smells like a porta potty. It smells like sewage. It smells atrocious. And now that the sun is out, it marinates it and makes it worse.
And you can imagine how furious people are. Florida, known for their pristine waters, the recreational fishing, the tourism, now dealing with this in their backyards. Those 5,000 people were protesting, spelling out with their bodies by the land. And that was in reference to an amendment that they passed in 2014 to buy the land south of Lake Okeechobee to store all of this disgusting water that has the fertilizers from the sugar industry that has the pollutants from the urban runoff to store that.
But nothing has been done. So, they're shouting at lawmakers to say what's going on, we need this fixed. It's ruining our estuaries. All of this fresh water spilling into the salt water estuaries, depleting the marine life of its oxygen. A manatee as pulled out of the water yesterday dead, not totally sure if it was the algae but it was in this water that's polluted.
And so, it's a crisis here in Florida. And so, the governor has not been down yet to visit. Marco Rubio did come on Thursday, Senator Rubio. He did say that he was going to do his best to try to find answers and get some relief as soon as possible.
[07:25:04] I did have someone from the sugar industry call me late last night and he said they can't build a reservoir south of the lake yet because they are in an operating lease. The residents are screaming and saying, we need answers right now.
And so, guys, it's really sad. This has been a back yard to me for the past decade. I'm a fisherman, a scuba diver. And so, it is heartbreaking for all the people here in Florida and people that like to come here to visit.
BLACKWELL: Yes, I lived in Florida for seven years, three before I came to CNN in that community on the palm beaches and treasure coast section of Florida. And it is a beautiful, beautiful area. But what I'm hearing from you, no answers in the short-term of how they're going to clean this up.
Jennifer Gray, thanks so much for braving those elements for us.
GRAY: Thanks.
PAUL: Yes, take good care. No doubt about it.
All righty. Hillary Clinton questioned for more than three hours by the FBI. What can we learn from the timing of those questions and how crucial will the FBI's next steps be for her campaign?
BLACKWELL: Plus, is the Hillary Clinton/Cory Booker ticket in the works?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Two weeks ago, you said you were not being vetted to be Hillary Clinton's vice presidential running mate. Is that still the case?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: We're going to hear Booker's answer after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hillary Clinton has met with the FBI.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sources telling CNN there's not enough evidence to charge Hillary Clinton.
TRUMP: I think she should be in jail for what she did with her e- mails.
BIDEN: Newt, are you going to do it? Should he be vice president? It's a hell of a job.
GINGRICH: None of you should bet on all this. It's wild speculation. KEILAR: Two weeks ago, you said you were not being vetted. Is that
still the case?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: All right. A time of a bit of uncertainty ahead for the Clinton campaign as the political world waits for the FBI's next move on her e-mail investigation. Clinton was questioned by the FBI for 3.5 hours on Saturday. The interview comes as Clinton has wrapped up her battle against Bernie Sanders effectively and has now exclusively to Donald Trump.
Her campaign said in a statement this, let's put it up on the screen. "Secretary Clinton gave a voluntary interview this morning about her e-mail arrangements while she was secretary. She is pleased to have had the opportunity to assist the Department of Justice in bringing this to a conclusion.
[07:30:05] Out of respect for the investigative process, she will not comment further on her interview."
PAUL: All righty. For a closer look and the legal aspect of the investigation, Attorney Page Pate is with us.
And, Page, it was interesting because he was reading that and she voluntarily spoke, I saw you shaking your head.
PAGE PATE, ATTORNEY: Yes, I thought that was funny. I mean, it's always voluntary. No one is compelled to talk to the FBI. Even if you're a defendant, a targeted investigation, you have a right not to talk to them.
So, we know she was going to talk to them. That's been discussed for a long time. What I find very interesting here is the timing of all of this.
Now, this is an unusual investigation. I mean, think about it for a second. We have the presumptive Democratic nominee sitting down with the FBI for 3.5 hours this close to the investigation. The way they normally handle this investigation, and I've been doing this for over 20 years, nothing like this, but a normal federal criminal investigation, you will start out talking to witnesses to try to find out more about the facts.
If they thought Ms. Clinton was simply a witness, they would have gone to her earlier. Did you have a server? What was on the server? Why did you have it?
But the other tact they take sometimes is if they're focusing on the person as a potential subject or a targeted investigation, then they'll talk to the witnesses, they'll gather the facts, and then wait until the end of the investigation, sit down with that person and either confront them with the evidence or try to get them to explain what they believe are inconsistencies.
PAUL: OK. Since she is the last interview, what do you take from that?
PATE: I take that there's something there, because certainly, the Clinton campaign would have preferred to do this interview early in the investigation. Why string this out this long?
And if they did their investigation -- they've been looking at this for months -- and they found nothing, then why do they need to talk to her for 3.5 hours just to tell her there's nothing here?
PAUL: OK. So, there have been a lot of questions as well about the Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch meeting on Monday and the timing of that and the timing of her talking to the FBI. What do you make of the fact that she has said I have been available to the FBI since August to talk to them. Why this week? Why after what happened?
PATE: Well, I think the timing is incredibly coincidental. It's hard for me to believe that over the past several months -- I know her lawyers have been talking to the FBI.
PAUL: She's been campaigning. In her defense, she's been traveling all over the place.
PATE: Of course. But this is a priority. You're going to want to have this interview as soon as they are willing to talk to you. So, I know they wanted to wait until they had completed, or at least gotten close to the end of the investigation before they talked to her. But this weekend, I certainly think that must have been prompted by the meeting between Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton.
PAUL: So, when it comes to Loretta Lynch, and both Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton have come out and said, look, we would have handled this differently. No doubt about it. I would not do the same thing that we just did.
But if Loretta Lynch, who has said she will take the recommendations of in this, if she's not the one who is going to make this final decision, who does that fall on?
PATE: Right. I mean, that's what's amazing to me. Who is in charge of this investigation? I mean, if the attorney general is basically saying I'm not going to make the final decision here, then who is?
And if there's that much of a problem, even if nothing really happened in the meeting -- I doubt they actually talk about the investigation, it would have been incredibly stupid, but there's now this perception that something's wrong. Why not have somebody else step in? Why not appoint a special prosecutor to come in at this stage, simply review what the FBI has done and make a final decision? Because if the attorney general is not leading this investigation, we need to know who is.
PAUL: OK. Page Pate, we appreciate your insight on this.
PATE: Thank you.
PAUL: Thank you so much. Victor?
BLACKWELL: All right. We're about two weeks out now from the start of the Republican National Convention and speculation is, of course, ramping up over who Donald Trump will choose as his running mate. Topping the list, the rumored list at least, Newt Gingrich.
Here's what the former Republican House speaker said about the vice presidential job on Saturday at the Aspen Ideas Festival.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: The number one definition of the vice president's job is the president. So who knows? Some presidents give a lot of power to vice presidents.
At least Trump has said over and over, he needs a vice president who understands Washington, because he knows he doesn't. Well, if he really means that and who knows? I mean if he really means -- because again people often maneuver a lot.
I suspect if it did come to anything, we'd have to have a very, very long talk. And depending on that talk, I'd have to sit down with Donald and have another long talk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Let's turn to the Democrats now and the talk heating up over the possibility of a Hillary Clinton/Cory Booker ticket. Now, Senator Booker certainly did not throw any cold water on that fire when he spoke to CNN's Brianna Keilar. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Two weeks ago, you said you were not being vetted to be Hillary Clinton's vice presidential running mate. Is that still the case? Have you, has your staff provided any personal documents to the Clinton campaign?
[07:35:00] SEN. CORY BOOKER (D), NEW YORK: You know, at this point, I've answered this question, talked about this. I'm just referring questions about the vice presidency to the woman who's going to have to make that decision. People that could really be strong vice presidential candidates.
KEILAR: That is not a no, sir. That is not a no.
BOOKER: That's exactly what it is. It's telling you that if you have a question like that, please direct it to the Clinton campaign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Last hour, we talked with a panel about what Booker would bring to a Clinton campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) A. SCOTT BOLDEN, FORMER CHAIR, DC DEMOCRATIC STATE COMMITTEE: Absolutely. He is an inspiring rising star on the Democratic Party. He's telegenic. He's smart. He inspires the base. Latino voters are going to be very important to the Democrats. He speaks Spanish. The Bernie Sanders group, the progressives, he checks that off.
And quite frankly, energizing the base and not just getting support of Latino voters and African-American voters, but energizing them to come out in major droves on Election Day is going to be super important. He does that, actually. And I think he would be an ideal vice president candidate to support Clinton, especially with young people and young women as well.
So, he checks a lot of those boxes. And him referring questions to the candidate, that's not a no for sure. And that's something that suggests that he's being seriously vetted and reviewed by the Clinton campaign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: Not a no for sure. So, be sure to watch the full interview on "STATE OF THE UNION" coming up at 9:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
PAUL: You know, history's going to be made today at Fort Bragg. Major League Baseball honoring the troops this weekend, hosting its very first Major League Baseball game.
Our newest sports contributor, Hines Ward, has preview.
So, the new "Dancing with the Stars" winner defied expectations with every step, didn't he? Now, the model and actor he happens to be deaf hopes to make his greatest impact off the dance floor.
CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, has his story in this week's "Turning Points".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DYLE DIMARCO, ACTOR/MODEL/ACTIVIST: I had doubts in myself to join "Dancing with the Stars." I just felt like, you know, if I went ahead and just failed in the first week, that means people would view deaf people as people that can't dance.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But he didn't fail. He won.
DIMARCO: I'm Nyle DiMarco. I'm a model, an actor and an activist. I was raised in a family that was completely deaf, two brothers, parents, grandparents, great grandparents. It is genetic, so I really consider myself very fortunate. My whole family knows sign language.
I went to Gallaudet University, the only university in the world for the deaf. My whole goal was to become a math teacher.
GUPTA: But then Hollywood came called. DIMARCO: "Switched at Birth" and "America's Next Top Model" both
found me on social media.
GUPTA: But being on the modeling reality show wasn't easy.
DIMARCO: I had to live with the models. I couldn't really communicate with anybody. And, you know, I just remained optimistic. And I was like, I'm going win this show.
GUPTA: And he did. DiMarco's next goal, to help other deaf people gain access to American sign language.
DIMARCO: There are 70 million deaf people in this world, and only 2 percent of them have access to sign language. To deaf kids, they should always find the ability in a disability. If you do, then you'll do great things in life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:41:52] BLACKWELL: History will be made tonight when the first professional contest of any sport will be played on an active military base. The Braves and the Marlins will square off at Ft. Bragg.
PAUL: And here's the thing -- they're playing in a brand new ballpark. Take a look at this. It was built just for this game. Construction was completed in less than four months on the site of an overgrown golf course. Just over 12,000 servicemen and women have what's the hottest ticket in baseball and deservedly so with what they do for our country.
The newest member of our sports family, Hines Ward, is also lucky enough to be there. Hines getting up early with that phone call on a Sunday morning or alarm.
Thank you so much for doing so.
Victor and I were talking about how -- how did they build the stadium for this game?
BLACKWELL: Yes, for this game.
PAUL: For this game. You've been to the stadium. What's it like?
HINES WARD, CNN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, it's amazing. What better way to kick off the Fourth of July weekend by honoring the real heroes of the military.
I got a sneak preview of the stadium. I got a chance to hang out with Colonel Brett Funk who gave me a tour. And all I have to say is, the grass on the in-field of the baseball stadium feels like a putting green. It's amazing it took four months to build this stadium.
PAUL: All right. So, we were wondering, we heard you had quite an initiation to CNN. (LAUGHTER)
PAUL: You know it's good when both of the guys are laughing. Which means it could be anything.
BLACKWELL: Yes.
PAUL: Yes. Talk to us about that.
WARD: Well, I got an opportunity to hang out with the U.S. Army parachute team, better known as the Golden Knights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: At least I got the right colors on. All right. I'm good to go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody calls me Ace.
WARD: I like Ace. That sounds like a guy that would keep me alive. I'm definitely going to scream like a little girl.
Has anyone like passed out?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.
WARD: You're not a Ravens fan, are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to go get a parachute.
WARD: Yes. Make sure yours is tight too.
(LAUGHTER)
WARD: My heard is pounding. You got me? Don't drop me, Ace.
WARD: Yes. Safe!
That was worse than playing the Baltimore Ravens. That was the scariest thing I've ever done.
I'm officially part of the team now, CNN. I took one for the team.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: It appears as if you enjoyed it. Did you?
WARD: Yes. I mean, when I jumped out of that airplane, I thought I saw Jesus.
(LAUGHTER)
[07:45:01] WARD: So I definitely took one for the team.
But as far for the game and the stadium, kudos to Major League Baseball and the players association for making this happen. You can feel the patriotism. The atmosphere will be electric tonight. It will have kind of like a Super Bowl feel to it. You're going to see everything. So, I think from that Major League Baseball, this needs to be an annual event.
PAUL: I can't wait to see what they make you do next, Hines.
BLACKWELL: Yes. We said this was the initiation. I don't know if you know this or not, but no one else had to do this to get this job. But I'm glad you did.
HINES: Well, it's all downhill from there.
PAUL: Hines Ward, thank you so much. And welcome to the team.
BLACKWELL: Welcome indeed.
PAUL: All right.
WARD: Thank you, guys.
PAUL: Sure. Take good care.
Listen, still to come --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL: She should be singing tonight at the game.
BLACKWELL: She did hit that Whitney Houston note.
PAUL: Yes.
BLACKWELL: Going up for the Oscars.
PAUL: And look at all the people, whoa, that was spontaneous. Outpouring of patriotism there, hitting just the right note this Fourth of July. We're going to tell you more about her.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAUL: We have heard from so many today world leaders on the passing of renowned Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel.
Former President George W. Bush in fact writes, "As president, I was honored to have consulted with this fine citizen of the world. I'm grateful for his insight on the value of human life and for his generous spirit and big heart. He was an example of a gracious life and that example will influence millions for generations to come."
BLACKWELL: Wiesel's efforts to advance human rights around the world earned him the Nobel Peace Prize.
Our Richard Roth looks at the extraordinary legacy of Elie Wiesel.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He would become the most famous survivor of the Holocaust. But at the age of 15, Elie Wiesel had no fears when his family was rounded up and hungry by the Nazis.
ELIE WIESEL, NOBEL PEACE LAUREATE: To the last minute, I wasn't worried. We had no idea that Auschwitz existed.
ROTH: That changed when he was transported by cattle car with hundreds of others.
WIESEL: I knew something was terrible. It was something terrifying that was in store for us.
[07:50:04] ROTH: Arrival at Auschwitz, the extermination camp, an older inmate advises them, tell the Germans you're 18 years old. A candidate for work. It would save his life, or what would pass as life in the death camps.
Trapped in a nightmare, Wiesel sustained himself by keeping his father alive. Father and son were later taken to Buchenwald camp. Wiesel's father Shlomo just weeks before the U.S. Army arrived.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All along the united advance, the gates swing open from German concentration camps.
ROTH: This picture was taken after liberation. Wiesel is in the second level of the bunk next to the beam. He would later say he didn't recognize himself.
Wiesel lamented there was no grave of his father to visit when he toured Buchenwald in 2009 with German Chancellor Merkel and President Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What can I tell him? That the world has learned? I am not so sure.
ROTH: Wiesel started asking questions after the war, becoming a journalist. It took years before he talked about the horrors he experienced in his book called "Night" an eventual bestseller.
In 1985, as he received the Congressional gold medal, he implored President Reagan unsuccessfully not to visit a German cemetery filled with members of the SS.
He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. The humanitarian would later speak out against other atrocities. On Saddam Hussein.
WIESEL: It is not a method of war. It is a method of intervention.
ROTH: Darfur, Sudan.
WIESEL: It is a scandal that we didn't stop the bloodshed. ROTH: And on the Iranian President Ahmadinejad.
WIESEL: I will tell you frankly, this man is a disgrace.
ROTH: He was named a messenger of peace by United Nations, the organization founded as a result of World War II. He would ask the U.N. Security Council --
WIESEL: Why am I involved in tragic event that occur to people I have never met on the other side of oceans and continents? It is because I belong to a traumatized generation haunted by the world's indifference.
ROTH: The Elie Wiesel Foundation was set up to fight indifference and intolerance. In 2008, Wiesel and his foundation learned they were among the victims of financial schemer Bernard Madoff. Wiesel always said he was a writer and a teacher. He said he never spoke for all the Holocaust victims but serves to remind nations to not let it happen again.
WIESEL: As a teacher, I always believe in questions. The question is, will the world ever learn? Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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[07:56:08] BLACKWELL: Michael Phelps makes it three for three at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials. He's already the most decorated Olympian of all time, 22 medals, 18 gold. But now, Michael Phelps has a chance to add even more hardware to his trophy case.
Phelps had to rally in pretty aqueduct fashion on the final lap to win the 100-meter butterfly last night. He is the first American male to swim in a fifth Olympic Games. Now, Phelps qualified in three individual events and has a chance to be on three relay teams.
PAUL: So, if you have ever been to D.C., you might be one of those people who has a burst of patriotism when you're there.
BLACKWELL: It will do that to you.
PAUL: It will, when you're visiting some of the monuments. There was this tourist who gave an impromptu rendition of the star spangled banner at the Lincoln Memorial and it has exploded across the Internet. This woman needs to be singing somewhere.
BLACKWELL: Our Jeanne Moos, you're about to hear this singing, spoke with her about what prompted her to suddenly belt out the national anthem in front of strangers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No one expected to hear this as the Lincoln Memorial, not even the woman singing.
STAR SWAIN, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL (singing): Oh, say does that star- spangled banner yet wave --
MOOS: Thirty-four-year-old Star Swain was just a regular tourist, coaxed by her friends to do an impromptu performance.
SWAIN: We could hear the acoustics and we're just like, man, it sounds amazing in here.
MOOS: At first, no one noticed. Then people started to gawk. By the time she got to the ramparts, Star was turning heads.
SWAIN: -- over the ramparts we watched --
MOOS: She's been singing since she was a kid, performs mostly in church, so she was shaking with nervousness.
SWAIN: Lord, please let this note come out.
(singing): For the land of the free, and the home of the brave --
MOOS: The video went viral, commenters gushed about getting chills and goosebumps.
You mean, they haven't called you for the Super Bowl, yet?
SWAIN: No, and I am waiting.
MOOS: Star, an assistant principal at a Florida school, was so thrilled with the response, she sang her gratitude.
SWAIN (singing): Over 10 million views, I thank God for you.
MOOS: That's one of her two kids, popping up behind her.
There was one guy in the audience who didn't react to Star's performance, who remained stone faced.
Was it weird to sing with Lincoln sitting over there in a chair?
SWAIN: He would have gotten up and applauded, that was a bit weird.
MOOS: But how can he just sit there like a statue, listening to this?
SWAIN (singing): -- and the home of the brave --
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL: Oh my gosh! I want to cheer too.
BLACKWELL: Oh, that was rich!
PAUL: Somebody call that woman, please. Have her sing. BLACKWELL: You know, that jump to the next octave, that's not easy.
PAUL: Yes, no, it's not. No, it is not. And her little boy, that was priceless. Awesome. Popping up behind there. Here I am!
All righty. Well, listen, happy Fourth of July to everybody. We appreciate all of the people who protect us in this country and who keep the wheels turning.
We are so grateful and always grateful to spend our mornings with you as well. Make some great memories this weekend.
BLACKWELL: "INSIDE POLITICS" with John King starts right now.
