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President Obama Talking With National Security Council Today; Terror Attack in France Kills 84 People and Injured More Than 200 Others; Donald Trump Officially Announcing Governor Mike Pence as His Running Mate. AIred 1-2p ET

Aired July 16, 2016 - 13:00   ET

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


[13:00:00] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Thousands of judicial officials and members of the military have been detained in connection with the plot. President Obama held a conference call with his national security team from the White House this morning to discuss the situation. U.S. secretary of state John Kerry spoke out on Erdogan's behalf.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We stand by the government of Turkey. It is our understanding that things are now calm, that order is being restored.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Turkey's government has also been sealing off the key military air because of Incirlik. This is the same air base used by the U.S. to launch many of its air strikes against ISIS targets.

I want to talk more now about this with CNN global affairs analyst Kimberly Dozier.

President Obama talking with national Security Council today. What exactly do they need to be planning for right now?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Continued instability as the Turkish government tries to figure out if it really has rooted out all of the coup plotters. The danger in this is that both Turkish - police Turkish, military and their intelligence services will be focused right now on each other, on a witch hunt instead of being focused on things like border control with Syria where ISIS is trying to get fighters across, especially as it's under increased pressure in the city of (INAUDIBLE) right near the border. And also they are not going to be concentrating on finding ISIS followers within their own country, a network that we know is extensive as evinced by the recent terror attacks inside Turkey.

WHITFIELD: And so, Kimberly, you know, how representative is it to believe that this coup attempt of the Turkish military as a whole, you know, is there a feeling or is this indeed the will of the people even? DOZIER: U.S. officials I have spoken to have said they think it's a

very small group in the military, but at this point they don't know what they don't know. So they have to proceed with caution. Now, the U.S. coalition, the U.S.-led coalition was able to conduct airstrikes overnight, including in areas along the border with Turkey. So even though they can't operate out of the Incirlik air base because the Turkish authorities have closed the air space, they are able to make up for it with other platforms ships nearby. But if it goes on for a period of days or weeks, this could have a real effect on the fight against ISIS.

It could also mean that along that border where you need the Turkish border guards keeping an eye out for smugglers who are trying to get some of the ISIS leadership out of the country because of increased pressure from U.S. backed rebels, they are going to be focused inward instead of outward.

WHITFIELD: Also joining us from Istanbul, Ian Lee also with us now.

So Ian, can you give us an idea of just how, you know, rattled the nerves are there, especially on the heels of what took place Ataturk airport just some weeks ago. And now as Kimberly was talking about, Erdogan has this central witch hunt, you know, to carry out. We know that what, five generals and 29 colonels have been removed but it's unclear how deep this kind of consensus is to attempt this coup.

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. There has been a roundup under way since the coup started taking place 24 hours ago, 2800 military officers of various ranks have been arrested as well as 2700 judges and parts of the judiciary have been put aside. So they really are going to have a lot of people. And the prime minister today came out and said they will pay a heavy price for what they have done, especially with the people who were involved in the killing of 161 people. These were civilians, these were police officers who fought those who were in the coup. Now, 20 people within the coup also died during the last 24 hours.

But moving forward we are hearing from president Erdogan saying that he wants his supporters to take to the streets tonight. And looking out behind me, we have seen the numbers of protesters growing. They are calling for massive demonstrations. But as you pointed out earlier, people are a little bit skittish. There was that violence last night. You have those deaths. You had 1400 people injured. So we will be waiting to see if his call for massive demonstrations, a show of force to support the government will be heeded, will those people take to the streets.

WHITFIELD: And then Kimberly, what about Incirlik? I mean, this is a vital, you know, piece of real estate not just for the Turkish air asset, but for the U.S. as well. I spent a lot of time around there at the start of the Iraq war and how reliant the U.S. military was on it and now U.S. military, of course, the air force heavily reliant on Incirlik as it pertains to taking out ISIS. So what about that relationship now? Does this mean that U.S. military assets are kind of at the ready just in case that can no longer rely on the base? [13:05:19] DOZIER: Well according to Pentagon officials, the base

right now, the U.S. operations there are running and ready to launch when they're allowed to launch again. They're using generators instead of commercial power since power has apparently been cut off to the base.

But from the Turkish point of view, from Erdogan's point of view, you can bet this is going to be one of the first areas that he try to clear of any possible coup members and get up and running again. Because Erdogan understands his importance to the larger NATO alliance and to Europe. They have got to show that they can get back in business right away.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kim Dozier and Ian Lee, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. We will check back with you.

Meantime, we are also covering breaking news on developments on the terror attack in France that killed 84 people and injured more than 200 others. ISIS now in a statement claiming the deranged truck driver is a quote "soldier for its cause." And the French interior minister says the attacker got radicalized very rapidly. Several people have also been arrested.

Let's go now to CNN's Brooke Baldwin who is in Nice, France for us.

Brooke, what's happening?

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, good evening. It is just about 7:00 here in the gorgeous crown jewel of the French Rivera here. Beautiful blue skies on a Saturday. And right here, this is the promenade as we were live yesterday. It was all shut down. And now not even 48 hours, it's reopened.

This is where that madman took his truck and just plowed through the crowd of people. So many families out celebrating their version of Independence Day, that still day, killing dozens of people injuring so many more and it has nor reopened. We are also getting new claims of responsibility for the attack which you just mentioned there at least through ISIS media referring to this person as a soldier, an ISIS soldier. And we are getting some new just really troubling insight into his background.

The prosecutors' office says five people are now in custody today potentially connected to this. One of the five is actually the attacker's ex-wife. They are questioning her to figure out a possible motive. The suspect had reported fallen into some sort of deep, deep depression following their situation and impending divorce.

So joining me now to discuss the latest developments on this case is CNN's Will Ripley.

And will, before we get into this attacker and what you're learning, I just want you to set the scene where you are because I have had some time this morning just walking around Nice. There's so many different memorials popping up with just crowds paying respect. And I know you're near a candy store where a lot of children were just two nights ago.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Brooke, being here on the now reopened (INAUDIBLE), really underscores the importance of this terror investigation because - and you can see all of these people are gathering here. These are tourists who have come to see the spontaneous memorials including this one where there are a lot of flowers, candles and most heartbreaking of all, children's teddy bears.

There was a candy store, as you said, set up here. A lot of children with their parents were lined up to buy sweets after the fireworks show. And witnesses who were staying at that hotel across the street said that the truck essentially was zigzagging aiming for the biggest crowds, aiming for the children. There are some flowers over there with a note that says our thoughts are with you, little princess. Somebody's daughter died right there.

BALDWIN: And Will, let me just follow up. Beyond the memorials, what more are you learning on the investigation side?

RIPLEY: French authorities, they have cleared the investigative scene out here, but there's been a lot of activity at the attacker's apartment. They gathered computers, they gathered documents. And what the French interior minister is saying right now, Brooke, is that it appear if he was radicalized, it happened very quickly. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNARD CAZANEUVE, FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): This is a new type of attack. The individual who carried out this absolutely disgusting horrible act was not known by the intelligence services because there had not been any arrests or activities or expresses of radical Islamism. It seems he became radicalized very quickly.

The trauma cause by this extremely violent crime deeply shocks French people and at the same time shows the difficulty of the anti-terrorist fight because we are now faces with individuals who are sensitive to the message of ISIS and are committed to extremely violent actions without necessarily being trained by them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[13:10:07] RIPLEY: And so we hear about these five people who are in custody, including the shooter's estranged wife and four men that we don't know very much about right now. We don't know if they are friends, family members, associates or perhaps something more. Here in France just because somebody is detained for questioning and put in the protective custody doesn't necessarily mean they are going to face criminal charges.

Of course, also, the question if he was radicalized online, it just goes to show once again the danger of this lone wolf scenario, somebody who is not even on the radar here in France, even though they are monitoring literally hundreds of people. But he wasn't one of them, despite a violent background of domestic violence against his wife, his children, his former mother in law and an arrest for getting in to a fight.

BALDWIN: Very small world, roughly. Thank you so much. Will Ripley there just down the promenade from me. More in the developments and the investigation into more into who this person was.

With me now, CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank.

Paul Cruickshank, a lot has sort of begun to come together today beginning with, you know, there are no obvious links evidence to, you know, jihadism. But tell me about this phone number that's popped up.

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Well, they obviously obtained his phone number after this attack and they ran it through all of the past counterterrorism investigations and they actually found that it and actually cropped up in a counterterrorism investigation here in France. This counterterrorism investigation linked to an associate of a very well-known French jihadi from Nice. Omar Diabi (ph) is somebody that was recruiting a lot of French those to fight jihad in Syria with by You Tube videos. It is actually commanding a pro-al-Qaeda of Italian in Syria right now.

BALDWIN: He left Nice to go to Syria and before he left put out a ton of videos trying to motivate others.

CRUICKSHANK: Very influential amongst the generation of French nationals who went to fight in Syria. So they are trying to figure out was he just -- happened to be a social acquaintance of this associates of Omar Diabi (ph) man or perhaps was he part of this radical circle. They are looking back at that now. But as we have been saying, the French interior minister saying, they believe he was very quickly radicalized. But a picture is emerging, Brooke, of somebody who was both radicalized, maybe quite recently, but also somebody --.

BALDWIN: Broken. He seemed broken.

CRUICKSHANK: You're right. A broken individual, somebody very disturbed who had acute mental health challenges. According to his father some nervous breakdowns when he used to break everything in a fit of rage, a very volatile character. He, just a few months ago, got involved in a road traffic accident and he threw a wooden pallet at a driver. He was given a thousand euro fine for that. A six month suspension. Did not have to go to jail but was given the suspended jail sentence. And he was told he had to go to (INAUDIBLE) here in east every week. That could have been a trigger. The separation from his wife could have been a trigger. We have seen this sort of blend of mental health issues and radicalization time and time again on both sides of the Atlantic. Some people have coined the phrase lone wolves.

Remember that shooting in Chattanooga, in Tennessee, almost exactly a year ago, Muhammad Abdullah Aziz (ph), he was suffering from bipolar disorder, depression, and also radicalization and he had also this triggers with the DUI which really set him on edge.

BALDWIN: But still triggers the questions of how would one know that, how would one climb into someone's mind to determine somebody would take a truck and try to mo-down hundreds of people. I just got information in my ear from my produces that now France has announced they're sending in 10,000 troops -- correct me Diana, 10,000 troops to be part of -- this is from the French interior minister to be part of the U.S.-led coalition. What does that tell you?

CRUICKSHANK: Ten thousand troops?

BALDWIN: Ten thousand.

CRUICKSHANK: That are going to be part of the U.S.-led.

BALDWIN: I presume part of the U.S.-led coalition, correct, guys? To boost security in France, according to the interior minister.

CRUICKSHANK: Yes. So that is basically they are maintaining the security levels here, that these people have already been deployed for months and months and months following the terrible shootings, attacks in November of last year. They're about to end the state of emergency here in France but now they've extended it all the way up until the autumn.

I have to tell you, having spoken to officials here, they are absolutely exhausted. French police, French army, they've been working long days, 15, 16, 17-hour days, a day day after day. They are absolutely exhausted with this situation.

BALDWIN: Why does this keep happening in France? "Charlie Hebdo," November, Nice.

[13:15:00] CRUICKSHANK: Several questions. They Found a high number of French nationals have gone to join ISIS. About a thousand have travelled to Syria. That gives ISIS all sorts of opportunities to launch attacks. A tremendous number of radicals here in front. Eleven thousand nationals in France and residents are on the counter terrorism radar screen. That's an astronomical number.

And also France, of course, is playing a leading role in the fight against ISIS. ISIS today saying that this call to launch attacks against people fighting against ISIS, including, France, countries like France fighting against ISIS.

BALDWIN: All right. Paul Cruickshank, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

And Fredricka, just as I toss it back to you, despite let me just say despite what happened, the horror that happened two nights ago, you know, beaches here in Nice, this is so you remember vacation season. They are packed despite what has happened. People are continuing on -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: I see the people behind you. It seems leek they're trying to return to some normalcy but clearly still on the minds what transpired not long ago.

Alright, thanks so much, Brooke. We will check back with you. All right. Coming up next, Donald Trump and Mike Pence take the stage

together for the first time as running mates. I'll speak with Iowa governor Terry Branstad live about what governor Pence as to the ticket.

Plus with just two days to go until the Republican convention gets underway, we will dig into how this latest terror attack abroad may be impacting security in Cleveland.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:19:35] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitefield.

In the race for U.S. president, Donald Trump made a long awaited introduction. The Republicans are hoping will unite the party and win the election in November. Indiana governor Mike Pence is officially joining the Republican ticket and will be running for vice president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: One of the big reasons that I chose Mike, and one of the reasons is party unity, I have to be honest. So many people have said party unity because I'm an outsider. I want to be an outsider. I think it's one of the reasons I won in landslides. So I won in landslides. This wasn't close. This wasn't close.

[13:20:15] GOV. MIKE PENCE (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I answer this call for two reasons. Firsthand experience that strong republic leadership can bring about real change, just like we've seen in the Hoosier state. And secondly, because Hillary Clinton must never become president of the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Joining me right now on the phone, Iowa governor Terry Branstad.

So governor, what you see in Donald Trump's selection of Pence and now saying that the Indiana governor was is first choice?

GOV. TERRY BRANSTAD (R), IOWA (on the phone): Well, I think it's an excellent choice. He is a common sense conservative Midwest governor who is really focused on revitalizing the economy in Indiana, balancing the budget. They have a $2 billion surplus, contrast that with the federal government, 19 trillion debt. Lack of leadership. So he's really a very stable and steady governor who has had a great track record. I consider him a great friend. I think this will strengthen the Trump ticket and help us in the battleground states. We in Iowa are expected to have having governor Mike Pence as the vice presidential candidate.

WHITFIELD: And you talked about contrast, these two are, you know, contrasting leaders. How do you see that as being favorable for Donald Trump when, you know, they have very different points of view as it pertains to TPP, the start of the Iraq war, and you know, there are so many examples of how they are so different. Why do you see them as a strong union?

BRANSTAD: Well, it's a difference in style, but I think Americans are looking for strong leadership. They see the failure of the Obama administration to take seriously the threats that we have from Islamic militants. They won't even mention the threat from Islamic militants, they won't mention it by name. Trump has got the guts to take on the tough decisions and provide leadership. And by choosing Mike Pence, he reassures both economic and social conservatives that he's with them and that he's got a vice president that's going to have the experience to deal with the Congress as well as a guy that's been the chief executive of the state that has led the economic recovery which we so desperately need in this country. The focus has got to be on jobs and growing the American economy and restoring American greatness. We need to make America great again and I think that Mike Pence fits right with that theme.

WHITFIELD: So before their official announcement today and the two of them coming together today, former rival Jeb Bush wrote an opposed in the "Washington Post" where he said the anger of voters in America has quote "given rise to the success of a candidate who continues to grotesquely manipulate the deeply felt anger of many Americans. Trump's abrasive, know nothing like nativist rhetoric has blocked out sober discourse about how to tackle America's big challenges," end quote. What's your response to that?

BRANSTAD: Well, you got to get over being a sore loser. The Bush family got a lot of support from Republicans and it's time that they quit bad-mouthing the nominee that legitimately won the nomination. We have an important election. We can't afford to continue in disaster's direction with Hillary Clinton continuing the Obama policies that led to weakness, the national debt that is unaffordable and unsustainable.

WHITFIELD: Governor Branstad of Iowa, thank for being with us.

BRANSTAD: You are so welcome.

WHITFIELD: Trump's announcement will no doubt affect the tone and overall message of the Republican National convention which kicks off officially on Monday in Cleveland.

Let's go to CNN's Martin Savidge who is there.

So Martin, people getting into place as if the convention had already gotten under way. Give us an idea of what you're seeing in terms of preparation outside the perimeter of this convention center.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fredricka. We are standing inside of what is called Cleveland's public square. This is about a quarter of a mile from the main venue you site which is the (INAUDIBLE) arena. This is the heart of downtown Cleveland had a deplete makeover in preparation to make the city look really great for this convention.

Let me show you one of the security additions recently shown on up on the scene here. There is no forecast of snow here, I should let you know, but the RNC. But those are indeed snow plows that have been brought in. Authorities aren't commenting exactly why they are feared, but I think you can put two and two together to say that that horrific terror attack in Nice has something to do with it. And so, as a result you have seen these large trucks put a various venues sites around the city to act. They are overlapping to act as a kind of a truck barrier that conserve to protect the general public. Public Square is at times very, very crowded. So these trucks are here for this purpose.

Elsewhere, you are seeing cement barriers go up all around the security perimeter. There's tighter security around the arena itself. The event zone is pretty much downtown Cleveland. It's still open to the public. However when you are talking about the arena itself or the convention center, you have got to have pretty special credentials or you have to be a delegate to get inside.

The security perimeter, I have to say, growing tighter and tighter by the hour, aircraft overhead, 4,000 military brought in, thousands of other officers on hand. They are much either visible or even invisible with their security but you definitely know it's here -- Fredricka.

[13:25:58] WHITFIELD: Right. And then not visible right now are the expected protesters on all sides who are believed to be poised to descend on Cleveland. So what is the expectation of who the protesters are, what groups they represent or even where they may be, you know, descending?

SAVIDGE: Yes, runs the gamut of course. You have got those who are very much opposed to Donald Trump in way, shape or form. Then you have other groups who are protesting, such as black lives matter and then, of course, there is the issue of open carrying (ph). As you know, there is about 72 items that have been banned in the event area. You can't have a can of tuna. But Ohio is a right to carry state. In other words, you can bring a loaded weapon down here as long as it's openly on display. A gun on our hip or an AR-15 on your shoulder, as much as people might find that uncomfortable, it is allowed. And actually an open carry group is expected to protest right here tomorrow.

Also, the new black panthers have said from time to time they plan to bring their weapons. So you can understand by having protest groups in close proximity to law enforcement and the very tight security perimeter here, the possibility of serious confrontations on the minds of many. And the Cleveland police say they are worried. They also said they are ready and will adapt for whatever I coming their way. This is a huge concern for the protests and the level of angst in our country right now -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Understandably.

All right, thanks so much, Martin Savidge. We'll check back with you in Cleveland. Appreciate it.

All right next, President Barack Obama speaking to U.S. military advisers after Turkey's president narrowly escapes a coup. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:31:25] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Right now the Turkish government says it is in control of the country after an attempted coup by some members of military. The Pentagon also confirming that Turkey has closed its air space to military aircraft. That means a key military air base the U.S. uses to launch airstrikes against ISIS has stopped operations.

Let's talk more with CNN military analyst retired army lieutenant general Mark Hertling.

All right, good to see you. So how vital is this air base for continued operations in the global fight against terror?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Extremely vital, Fredricka. It is very close to the Syrian border. We have been launching attacks there for the last several months since we received permission from the Turkish government to actually base some additional aircraft there. So it will be extremely vital in the fight, not only the continued attacks against and Raqqa and the surrounding areas in Syria but it also gives shorter legs as the air force calls them, to the fight as the Iraqi forces continue to move toward Mosul.

WHITFIELD: So what if any is the backup plan if U.S., you know, air assault unable to use Incirlik, then what?

HERTLING: I don't doubt that we are going to get permission to reestablish the base there. It's already established excuse me. But continue to fly operations out of there. This is Mr. Erdogan, continuing to press his commentary about anyone who supports the gallinest government that he believes is beliefs trying to take over or counter his government. And he knows that Mr. Golan is here in the United States. It's sending a message. I think the diplomacy will continue to work and we will get permission very shortly to have the Incirlik operational again.

But for that, I also have to say, that Incirlik is critically important for the current fight, but there are 26 other NATO bases in Turkey, to include the NATO JTF headquarters in Izmir (ph). So all of these bases are extremely important. Just not for the United States but for the other elements to have alliance.

WHITFIELD: So President Barack Obama discussed the situation with his advisers earlier. What do you suppose is being discussed? What are the options on the table that they need to be considering right now?

HERTLING: Well, I know that from discussions that I have had with some of my military counterparts in European command and U.S. army Europe that they are continuing to discuss with their counter parts what has gone on. There is still confusion within the ranks of the military. Many people, including myself, thought that was a Turkish military wide coup. It wasn't. It was a limited coup. So they are trying to reestablish context with the key leaders to find out who in fact was involved and who in fact is on the side of the Erdogan government.

WHITFIELD: And general, real quick while you're speaking, we are also looking at present Turkish president Erdogan who is speaking there from Istanbul. We don't know what is being said. Our translators are looking and listening right now when we get that information, but clearly, it's likely his message is to kind to allay the fears that the coup was not successful, that he is indeed still in power. But then how can he trust his own military particularly since this was a military-led coup attempt?

HERTLING: Well, this is something that he is experienced in the past. And in fact the last time he alleged a coup, which was in 2010, 2011, he basically took almost 300 of his general officers and admirals and court-martialed them. And it was a primary attempt, many believed that was under false charges but he was able to get control of the military and pursue a much more authoritarian regime.

There are many right now that thinks that's going to happen once again. He is going to purge certainly the ones that were involved in the coup but anyone who may not have even been involved but who possibly knew about it and didn't take action to counter it. So you are going to see not only a little bit of challenges within the military for the military leaders, but it is going to affect other organizations because he is going to use that to establish a more authoritarian regime.

[13:35:37]: And general, for a moment, I think we do have translation now, while Erdogan is speaking. Let's try to listen in here.

RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): as you're aware, this structure has attacked both the Grand National assembly of Turkey, which is an icon of our independent. And today when they bombed, they expected the parliament to revert. However parliament assembled today and every political party, regardless of differences --

(CHANTING)

ERDOGAN (through translator): Here is the commander. My dear brothers, sisters, the parliament assembled and joint statement has been released. We will also sign this statement. We agree with the contents of the statement. And this joint statement and this solidarity, this togetherness is what we need all the time. Once we are able to do this, there is no obstacle we cannot overcome.

WHITFIELD: OK. So again the Turkish prime minister there addressing the crowd there in Istanbul trying to reassure people, both verbally and really symbolically too, General Hertling, by standing there, you could clearly hear the crowd, uncertain whether that crowd was in support of what he was saying or against. But you don't see a plexi- glass (ph) around him. Clearly security is with him. But he is also sending a message, isn't he, about he himself not appearing to be fearful. People did see him overnight via, you know, face time on their cell phones. But now here he is showing a strength, a sort of strength if you will by hi verbal message as well, right? HERTLING: Yes, a very poorly planned coup attempt but a very savvy

reaction to it by the Erdogan government and him specifically. Getting on that cell phone was a master stroke that shows that h, was -- last night that showed that he was returning and was going to stomp out the coup and that he was asking his followers to take to the streets. A true master stroke in terms of countering a coup.

Now, one of the things interestingly enough, Fredricka, from a military perspective, the only thing that's worse than a coup is a failed coup. What you are going to see is he is going to establish more power. As we talked about earlier, he is going to eliminate some of the leaders in the military, probably place many of them arrest, have quite a few trials. So he is going to consolidate his power and it's going to give him an even bigger and stronger platform for a constitutional changes within the Turkish government.

WHITFIELD: Alright, lieutenant general Mark Hertling, thanks so much. Always good to see you. Appreciate it.

HERTLING: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up next, paying on it (ph) to the dozens killed and ended along a promenade in Nice, France. More about the attack as well. Plus a live interview with a French senator.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:42:16] WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

Back now to the other breaking news that we are covering right now.

We are learning that France is deploying 10,000 soldiers to boost road and border security. This after a terror attack in nice leaving 84 people dead and more than 200 others injured. The media group for ISIS also now claiming the truck drive was a soldier for the terror group's cause.

Let's go now to Nice and CNN's Brooke Baldwin with more on our coverage - Brooke.

BALDWIN: Yes. I think the 10,000 just to be precise, you know, that is for France that is just to maintain the level of security that they have seen. Unfortunately because of what happened last January, Charlie Hebdo, and what happened in November and now of course, what has happened just along this promenade here in Nice.

I want to bring in a guest we talked to many, many times after the terror attack in Paris last year. She is Natalie Goulet. She is a French senator and vice chair of the foreign affairs committee and she's joining me now from Normandy.

So Natalie, thank you so much for the time. And from what I understand, what you are saying despite the terrible events of two nights ago, you say no one could have prevented this attack. How do you mean? NATALIE GOULET, FRENCH SENATOR: Well it was unpredictable. This

murderer was not on the watch list. It didn't have any link, no link with any radicalization group or radicalized group. He was absolutely unknown. I mean, so, you know, even the people while on the watch list are difficult to catch, how do you want to catch -- to prevent this kind of terrible attack by somebody who the watch list. That's the point.

WHITFIELD: You know, I was talking to -- listen. I absolutely hear your perspective. I was talking to the vice mayor here of Nice who sort of echo what is the president said to CNN this morning, which is president Hollande should have done more. He specifically said why, you know, that there were concerns that there weren't enough police right here on the promenade when you had 60,000 fireworks on that still day. Add to that the fact that this madman could have driven in his truck for 1.2 miles without being taken down. How do you respond to that?

GOULET: Well, you know, precisely. Let's talk about that. You know, those people, they are in charge of this city. They are totally obsessional with security. We are on the state of emergency. If they thought that the security was not enough, to think that there was some lack, the security, under state of emergency, they were absolutely allowed not to allow these fireworks and this meeting. It exactly the purpose of the state of emergency. And I find it really indecent. I find it unbelievable that those people are now arguing against the president.

I myself belong to a position. But this kind of decision doesn't belong to the president. This kind of decision belongs to the mayor of the city. And if they felt that something may happen and if the security was not enough, this should have just (INAUDIBLE) this fireworks. You know, it's unbelievable. It's what -- we call it (INAUDIBLE). It's a Latin thing. You cannot argue from your own mistake and blame other people. That is very unfair.

[13:45:52] BALDWIN: I know there is a lot of finger pointing that happens in the wake of something like this. But your point, that this person, the attacker was a virtual unknown. I mean, we have heard now from the father, saying it sounds like he had a number of, you know, breaks, psychotic breaks. He was depressed. He was going through this divorce, you know, evidence of real violence. How is France or how are counter terror officials even supposed to stop someone like that?

GOULET: I'm very sorry. I may disappoint you. But do you want to put on the watch list or terrorist list a man who kick his wife, I mean, or beat his wife. I mean, it's absolutely unbearable but doesn't make it a terrorist. Doesn't make him a terrorist. So what we have to settle now is to try to organize things and have (INAUDIBLE). It was absolutely impossible to predict it.

You cannot put everybody on the watch list. We do not have a patriot act here. And then he didn't have any hint of radicalization. He was just violent. I mean inside. Not brought -- he didn't have any speech. He didn't have any connection, known connection with some radicalized team, squad or something. He didn't have anything. This guy the day before was a citizen, a noble citizen, maybe with some bad ID, maybe madman but nothing that could make him a predictable murder. You know, we have to do what we -- I know that it's crazy, but it's the situation that we face.

BALDWIN: It's early. Yes. He is a madman. Let's call him what he is. He's a murderer and a madman. But whether or not he had some sort of specific connection s to jihadism, we don't know, French senator Natalie Goulet, thank you so much. I appreciate it in Normandy.

And Fredricka, as I toss back to you, you know, we are not even a full two days since, you know, all of these people were either killed or injured. But there has been a phone number as Paul Cruickshank has been reporting, a phone number attach to this attacker who is driving the truck connected to an associate of a very bad, bad man who became a jihadist and who left Nice to go on to Syria. The question is was this man from Nice, you know, motivated by him, was he in touch or at all? It's still really too earlier to know.

WHITFIELD: So much still to learn. Thank you so much, Brooke. We'll check back with you.

All right. Now to politics in the country, Donald Trump officially announcing governor Mike Pence as his running mate today. But in the lengthy address leading up to his introduction of governor Pence, Trump often veered into his own kind of stump speech, at one point even hitting back on Hillary Clinton's attacks on his foreign policy experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But I see the ads on foreign policy, she's talking about Donald Trump doesn't have foreign policy experience. Of course not. I've been so very, very, very successful business person. I mean. But if you look at my calls, I said don't go into Iraq. Nobody cared because I was a business person. I was a civilian.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Joining me right now is former lieutenant governor of South Carolina and Donald Trump supporter Andre Bauer. Good to see you. Also CNN political commentator and former policy director for Mitt Romney, Lanhee Chen. Good to see you as well.

All right. So I want to begin with you Lanhee. You heard Donald Trump there, you know, he thought we should not have gone into Iraq. Pence voted for the Iraq war. You know, Trump is sending two messages here, right. We are together on this stage even if we are not together on issues. Intentional or a mishap?

LANHEE CHEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, Fred, nothing about this campaign has been conventional so far. And I would guess that the vetting process that was used through which governor Pennsylvania emerged probably was not conventional either. And so, while it's pretty clear that they have a disagreement on that issue, I'm not sure it matters very much to Donald Trump because he is going to run his kind of campaign. And if there are differences, he is going to say, look, I'm at the top of the ticket. I'm the guy going to be calling the shots. Yes, we may have had disagreements but that doesn't matter anymore.

And I think for voters, that is one very important factor they have to evaluate, which is even if they see Mike Pence and they like the fact that Trump picked him, at the end of the day it is the top of the ticket and that is guy they are going to be voting for.

[13:50:31] WHITFIELD: It was a 29-minute scattered intro of Mike Pence, Andre. So what does, you know, Trump's choice for Pence and the way in which he did it say about Trump the candidate, you know, so much is often said, about how choosing a running mate says a lot about a presidential candidate decision-making overall.

ANDRE BAUER, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: Well, to me, he made a fabulous choice. He picked a pedigreed Republican almost fabulous that absolutely silenced all of the critics within the party. You have two guys that addressed the biggest issues right now in the United States. And that's the economy and job creation. And both of them are battle tested, one from the private sector, one from the public sector. And right now that probably appeals to more voters in the middle than anything you could possibly look for.

WHITFIELD: And Lanhee, Donald Trump has been saying he is, you know, the unconventional, as you put it. He is not the establishment. Mike Pence does represent a certain level of establishment. So how much of this choice is about appeasing the establishment in indeed trying to unite a party as we heard Donald Trump say? Effective?

CHEN: Yes. I mean, look, what was clear from this pick was that this was not a love match. This was a match of necessity. And Donald Trump's pick of Pence is a recognition that he had a problem with conservatives. He had a problem with the broad majority of the so- called establishment of the Republican Party. And he was doing his best to pick someone that had credentials as Andre alluded to.

Look. I think Mike Pence has done a great job as governor. I think a lot of people think very highly of him. But you know, it's very difficult to put to rest concerns that many of us might have about the nominee at the top of the ticket just by picking somebody who is broadly acceptable as VP because as I noted, it's still Donald Trump voting for president.

WHITFIELD: And so, Andre, what does this say about loyalty? Because Donald Trump To here you saw Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor, certain showing a certain loyalty to Donald Trump. What do you feel like if you're Chris Christie this morning?

BAUER: Well, look, I have been the number two guy for eight years. I was lieutenant governor of a state. And loyalty doesn't mean you have to pick that person for VP. He could very well use them in a multitude of other facets where he has great things that could complement secretary of state and multitude of facets with his background. So just because he didn't picked him for his vice president doesn't mean he's not loyal to him just because he didn't think he hit all of the buttons that he wanted as his VP pick.

WHITFIELD: All right, Andre Bauer, Lanhee Chen, thanks so much gentlemen. Good to see you.

CHEN: Thank you.

BAUER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, next, terror attacks abroad and mass shootings here in the U.S. have police in Cleveland on edge as it hosts the GOP convention. I will be joined live by the former sheriff of that county to talk security.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:51:39] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredericka Whitfield.

The terror attack in nice is intensifying already heightened concerns at the Republican National convention in Cleveland. Let's bring in CNN law enforcement analyst Bob Reid who is the former sheriff of Cuyahoga County. Good to see you.

So unrest at political rallies had already contributed to wide police in convention host cities like Cleveland and Philadelphia, you know, have been on high alert. Has the attack overseas in Nice, France in your view or even the deadly political unrest in Turkey changed Cleveland's security plans at all?

BOB REID, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: No, I don't believe so. You know, these plans have been in place for over a year. If table top conversations every day in reference to what's happening around the world. These vehicle attacks that happened in Nice, they have gone through scenario like that. I was on the street today talking to officers and looking at some of the barricades and some of the things they put up just to stop any issue like this. There's a fine balance between making sure that EMS and fire department can get into certain venues at the same time keeping away --

WHITFIELD: You're talking about the parked trucks in place?

REID: That's correct. Parked trucks in place, some of the newer barricades that they have that will stop vehicles, stop trucks that are actually in front of the convention center. (INAUDIBLE) got a unique plan on getting out a unique plan or plan that is well-put that during the convention they will not let trucks into the venue that's have not been inspected nor they have to be escorted. So starting with the convention, no trucks will be allowed in this area.

WHITFIELD: Ohio is an open carry state which means people in the conventions 1.7 square mile secure event zone are allowed to openly hold by firearms, guns are of course not permitted inside the arena itself which has a ban on weapons of any kind. So the head of police union called that absolute insanity this morning on CNN's "SMERCONISH." Listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not responsibility to --

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN HOST, MICHAEL SMERCONISH SHOW: You don't want them exercising their quote/unquote "right"?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely not. That makes more mayhem. We are going to have very two very passionate groups of people on the opposite sides of the world as far as ideologies go, the last thing we know is to have either side of that armed. And that's going to make our job very difficult as we are standing in between them. We want everybody to go home in the same shape they came.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So how concerned are you?

REID: Well, I agree with Steve Loomis. I have a lot of respect for him. I think that we are not stepping on the constitution if we exactly say for the next five days but we don't have an open carry, certainly not in the hard zone. We are not going to allow that. But in the event zone that we do not have open carry, it's permitted. We are asking that we don't have it. I don't know the protocol right now is that they are going to be allowed. But I agree with Steve. I think it's not a good idea.

WHITFIELD: And all right. Thank you so much. Bob Reid, good to see you. Appreciate it.

REID: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. The next hour of NEWSROOM begins right now.

Hello again, everyone. And thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.