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CNN NEWSROOM

Marilyn Mosby to Speak About Why All Remaining Charges In The Death of Freddie Gray Have Been Dropped; FBI Investigating Potential Russian Government Involvement in DNC Email Hacks; Two Different Views On The Greatness of America; Donald Trump Gives A Speech. Aired 10:30- 11a ET

Aired July 27, 2016 - 10:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:33:25] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right more on our breaking news. You see the podium set up in the city of Baltimore. The State's Attorney, Marilyn Mosby expected to speak, oh I think in just about a half-hour from now.

Of course she'll try to explain why all the remaining charges against these three officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray have now been dropped. Some might say it's a colossal failure for Marilyn Mosby but she'll put it in her terms, we think in just about a half- hour. Of course we'll take you back to Baltimore live when that happens.

All right, we've heard a lot about Russia and the accusations swirling around the DNC's email hack. And those accusations are remarkable. Not only is the FBI looking into whether Russia was involved, many feel Donald Trump may have played a role in it, too. President Obama's response to that rumor? Anything's possible.

CNN's Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon with more on this. Hi, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Well right off the top, the Trump campaign says they had no involvement in any of this activity. But U.S. officials are telling CNN there is every reason to believe, little reason to doubt, strong evidence -- all of those words -- that the hacking into the Democratic National Committee emails was done on behalf of Russian intelligence.

They say this because they began to track some hacking that they traced to the Russians into some government systems several months ago. The White House, The State Department, even here at the Pentagon. There was an intrusion into the email of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. That cyber pattern is what, in part, took them to the DNC emails and, in part, has led them to believe Russian intelligence behind it.

The Russian motive? Was it just, if you will, routine Russian hacking into U.S. systems? Or is it an effort, fairly breathtaking, to consider that the Kremlin is trying to affect the U.S. presidential election. Trump of course, seen as perhaps closer to the Russians than Hillary (AUDIO BREAK) President Obama and Vice President Biden talking about all of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Russians hack our systems. Not just government systems, but private systems. What the motives were in terms of the leaks, all that, I can't say directly. What I do know is that Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed admiration for Vladimir Putin.

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know about this particular dump of emails. But we do know that this is the modus vivendi of Russia.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, NEWS ANCHOR, POLITICAL CONSULTANT: What would it say if they were trying to influence our election?

BIDEN: Well it would say, totally consistent with who Putin is.

STEPHANOPOULOS: You think he wants Trump to win?

BIDEN: I think he doesn't want Hillary to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:36:10]

STARR: So if it is proven to U.S. satisfaction, under the FBI investigation, that it was the Russian government, what now, what could happen? Russia is already heavily sanctioned but experts are saying there could still be an effort to place more sanctions, economic sanctions, and law enforcement actions on the Russians. Carol?

COSTELLO: So just to make it crystal clear, Barbara, investigators say Russian hackers were to blame for the DNC breach, but there's no evidence that the Russian government was behind it. Is that accurate?

STARR: Well let me go back over that, that's a very interesting point. What officials are telling CNN is their understanding at the moment is, there is evidence, strong evidence, that the hackers who got into this email system were hacking on behalf of Russian intelligence. So if you believe that the Russian intelligence services are representative of the Russian government, you can draw your own conclusions. If you believe the Russian intelligence services operate independently of the central Russian government, and independently of Vladimir Putin, I think it's fair to say there aren't too many people that believe that, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, that's why I love my Barbara Starr. Thank you so much for making it clear for us, I appreciate it, Barbara. With me now to talk more about this is Florida Senator Bill Nelson. He's also a senior member of the Armed Services Committee. Welcome, sir.

SENATOR BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: What do you make of this? NELSON: Well the Russians are certainly capable. And I wouldn't put

it past them to be doing this. And we'll find out in time. And it's ...

COSTELLO: Do you really think that Vladimir Putin could be behind it?

NELSON: Absolutely. Former KGB, he loves to get in and disrupt. So of course he could.

COSTELLO: Really? But why do you -- if he is responsible, if he is behind it, is it more to spoil Hillary Clinton's chance at a presidency or does he really like Donald Trump, do you think?

NELSON: Well that we don't know. Time will tell. But whatever it is, it may have worked in the sense that it showed that people have opinions in the DNC. But beyond that it's not going to affect the outcome of the election.

COSTELLO: Well, there's still a drip, drip, drip to come, right?

NELSON: Well you know, I look at everything as an optimist, not a pessimist. Everybody said, "oh woah is me, all of the kerfuffle on the first day." That's all dissipated. This place is united now. And we're united going into November.

COSTELLO: But I do think this Russia thing is going to become part of the campaign rhetoric moving forward. Donald Trump has come out and said, you know look, I have no financial ties to Russia. I don't know what you're talking about. You're accusing me unfairly. You're intimating that I'm to blame, I'm behind this, because of my relationship with Vladimir Putin. And that's ridiculous.

NELSON: Well I'm not blaming him. I think again, in the big scheme of things, this is going to be just a little dip.

COSTELLO: Really?

NELSON: Yes.

COSTELLO: Because if Russian intelligence did hack into the DNC system, that's a big deal, isn't it?

NELSON: Well it is from an intelligence standpoint. But from the standpoint of the outcome, who's going to win in November, that's not going to make that much difference.

COSTELLO: So what should the United States do if it's proved that Vladimir Putin was behind this hack?

NELSON: Well there's one country that is better than the Russians. And the Russians are better than everybody else. And the better country in being able to use cyber attacks is the United States.

COSTELLO: So you think the U.S. will ...

NELSON: You messed around with us, we're going to go after you. And they ought to know that.

COSTELLO: So it'll be sort of a cyber war between the United States and Russia?

NELSON: Well that goes on every day. They and the Chinese are all the time trying to get into us. But they know our capability and you go over that line and they're going to have, suddenly, some of their systems shut down.

COSTELLO: So if it's proved, did they go over that line? And will we shut some of their systems down?

NELSON: I can't make that decision. That's made in the context of whatever is discovered.

COSTELLO: Senator Bill Nelson, thanks for stopping by.

NELSON: OK thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Appreciate it, thank you. Still to come in the Newsroom, two conventions, two very different tones.

[10:40:50]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:45:15]

COSTELLO: All right, we're still awaiting a live news conference out of the city of Baltimore by the State's Attorney, Marilyn Mosby. That will happen in just about 15 minutes. She will explain why all charges have been dropped against the three police officers in the death of Freddie Gray. That means the State's Attorney didn't want any of these cases in the city of Baltimore. We're expecting her remarks, as I said, in just about 15 minutes.

All right back to Philadelphia and the convention. Because they've been two very different conventions, two very different outlooks when it comes to the state of the nation. Cue the Republicans:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC TRUMP, SON OF DONALD TRUMP: It's time for a president who can make America great again.

NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: With Donald Trump and Mike Pence, what we know is true. We can make America safe again. We can make America work again. We can make America first again. And together, we can make America great again for all Americans.

GOVERNOR MIKE PENCE (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: And when we elect Donald Trump the 45th President of the United States, together we will make America great again.

IVANKA TRUMP, DAUGHTER OF DONALD TRUMP: When my father says that he will make America great again, he will deliver. DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: And we will make America

great again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But making America great again is not how the Democrats see it. They think Trump's got it all wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Don't let anyone ever tell you that this country isn't great. That somehow we need to make it great again. Because this, right now, is the greatest country on earth.

SENATOR BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: It's when we fight together, and that's what makes America great.

ERIC HOLDER, FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL: And the strength to lead our already great nation in this hour of challenge, and consequence. Now did you hear what I just said? Already great nation. Donald, did you hear me? Already great nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right so let's talk about that. CNN Political Analyst and Editor in Chief of The Daily Beast is here, John Avlon. CNN Political Commentator, Errol Louis is here. He's also a political anchor for New York One News. And Councilman Joseph Borelli is here. He's the co-Chair of Donald Trump's New York campaign. Welcome to all of you.

So there's this image of two very different Americas out there. And I think maybe some voters might be confused. Is America great, or isn't it, John?

JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, EDITOR IN CHIEF, THE DAILY BEAST: Well often where you stand is a matter of where you sit. And obviously the Trump campaign has a vested interest in saying the country's going to hell in a handbasket, and only the Donald can save it. Look there are some objective metrics that are important to keep in mind.

We are in recovery from the great recession. Has it gone far enough? Absolutely not. But the reality is that unemployment is down dramatically. We have seen upticks in crime in some areas but the country overall is not seeing anywhere near the crime epidemic that seemed to be invoked in Cleveland. Far from it.

America's gotten steadily safer over the last quarter century. So, by the objective metrics that I think someone in the center tries to use, it's tough to say that America is in hellish shape. By objective measures, it's not. That's partisan spin. We're not at the mountaintop, we're not in a perfect place. So you don't want to fool yourself in that regard either. But a lot of that stuff looks more like fear mongering than facts to me. COSTELLO: So Joseph, is America great?

COUNCILMAN JOSEPH BORELLI (D), NEW YORK: Well America's great, let's start there. But I ...

AVLON: On that we can agree.

BORELLI: On that we can all agree. But start with your facts. Last night in the video that featured Bill Clinton before he spoke, he spoke about how many people he was able to take off the poverty roles while he was President. Fast forward to the eight years of Barack Obama and we see 6 million more Americans are now on the poverty roles.

So there are objective facts, I agree with you, that can play both sides. But what you really do see is Hillary Clinton being forced to walk this very narrow line between trying to link herself to some of the things which Barack Obama would characterize as successes of his administration, and all of a sudden trying to be this new change ...

COSTELLO: In Donald Trump's mind, in your mind, did Hillary -- did Barack Obama have any successes?

BORELLI: Well I'll tell you a funny story about that. So when Barack Obama was doing his announcement -- or his endorsement, rather -- of Hillary Clinton, he went through a laundry list of things that his administration -- he touted as successes. Not one of the things he mentioned, not one of them, was on foreign policy. Which was the thing that Hillary Clinton was in charge. She was in the wheelhouse. They talked about healthcare, innovation ...

COSTELLO: Sorry, I have to interrupt, I have to interrupt. Because your candidate, Donald Trump is holding this impromptu -- I don't know if it's a news conference or not, but he's speaking. Let's listen.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: So, it's been 235 days since crooked Hillary Clinton has had a press conference. And you, as reporters who give her all of these glowing reports, should ask yourselves why.

And I'll tell you why. Because despite the nice platitudes, she's been a mess.

You look at what's happened with ISIS, which isn't even mentioned. You look at what's happening with law and order, they don't even mention our police.

[10:50:00] They mention everybody but our police. They don't have an American flag on the dais until we started complaining and then they ran up with two very small little flags, one that we saw.

So you know, I put myself through your news conferences often, not that its fun. 235 days, no news conference for Hillary Clinton. You oughta check it out because there's a lot going on.

Her great disloyalty to the person that rigged the system for her, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, she totally rigged it. Bernie Sanders never had a chance.

And total disloyalty, it's like you're fired, get out, fast. The e-mail situation I call it the double e-mail situation, both very serious. What was said in the last ones to the DNC was horrible, absolutely horrible.

If I would've used language like they used about religion, about race, about everything else that they discuss in those e-mails I would've had to run and hide and probably drop out of the race.

With her, everything's just fine. So just ask yourself why she doesn't have news conferences. And honestly, the reason is because there's no way she can answer questions because the job she has done is so bad.

When they talk about change, I noticed they have change. She's been there for 30 years. Thirty years. There's no change. It's going to be the same, it's going to be an extension of Obama. In my opinion, worse.

She lied about TPP. She was for TPP, she saw me on television knocking the hell out of it because it's a horror show, it's going to kill all our jobs, it's going to be almost as bad as NAFTA, maybe worse which her husband signed, by the way, which destroyed this country, destroyed manufacturing in the United States.

And I'll do something about it, that'll be so renegotiated. And by the way, yesterday for the first time she said she wants to renegotiate trade agreements. First time, yesterday. Well, because of me.

She also saw me talking about TPP and currency manipulation and currency devaluation. And she heard it and she said wow, she can't win that subject in a debate.

So all of a sudden she goes and she goes against TPP, her vice president is one of the biggest proponents of TPP and now he's going against it. And Bernie Sanders was right, he was against it.

They will go for TPP and vote it in very shortly after the election if she wins, which for the sake of our country we all hope and I hope that she doesn't. They will vote it in -- just mark my words, hopefully we don't have to worry about it -- but she will vote.

She'll change a comma, she'll change a paragraph of the 6,000 page document that nobody's even read on our side. Just so you understand, the other countries know every word, every paragraph, every sentence, every single comma and period.

We don't even read it, our country. Because we're led by stupid people. so she saw me talking about TPP, she realized that she couldn't defend it, her special interests are pushing her hard because she's bought and sold by the special interests.

They're pushing her very hard and so she said she's against it. The day she gets in -- which hopefully will never happen -- she will approve or shortly thereafter TPP. And that will be another disaster for job in our country, OK?

So why don't we start off any questions? Yes, sir?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

TRUMP: It's just a total deflection, this whole thing with Russia. In fact, I saw her campaign manager I don't know his title, Mook. I saw him on television and they asked him about Russia and the hacking.

By the way, they hacked -- they probably have her 33,000 e-mails. I hope they do. They probably have her 33,000 e-mails that she lost and deleted because you'd see some beauties there. So let's see.

But I watched this guy Mook and he talked about we think it was Russia that hacked. Now, first of all was what was said on those that's so bad but he said I watched it. I think he was live. But he said we think it was Russia that hacked.

TRUMP: And then he said -- and this is in person sitting and watching television as I've been doing -- and then he said could be Trump, yeah, yeah.

[10:55:09] Trump, Trump, oh yeah, Trump. He reminded me of John Lovitz for "Saturday Night Live" in the liar (ph) where he'd go yes, yes, I went to Harvard, Harvard, yes, yes. This is the guy, you have to see it. Yes, it could be Trump, yes, yes. So it is so farfetched. It's so ridiculous. Honestly I wish I had that power. I'd love to have that power but Russia has no respect for our country.

And that's why -- if it is Russia, nobody even knows this, it's probably China, or it could be somebody sitting in his bed. But it shows how weak we are, it shows how disrespected we are. Total -- assuming it's Russia or China or one of the major countries and competitors, it's a total sign of disrespect for our country. Putin and the leaders throughout the world have no respect for our country anymore and they certainly have no respect for our leader. So I know nothing about it. It's one of the most farfetched I've ever heard. Yes, Jon (ph)?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

TRUMP: I never met Putin, I don't know who Putin is. He said one nice thing about me. He said I'm a genius. I said thank you very much to the newspaper and that was the end of it. I never met Putin.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

TRUMP: I would treat Vladimir Putin firmly but there's nothing that I can think of that I'd rather do than have Russia friendly as opposed to the way they are right now so that we can go and knock out ISIS together with other people and with other countries. Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along with people, wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along, as an example, with Russia? I'm all for it and let's go get ISIS because we have to get ISIS and we have to get them fast.

You saw what happened with the priest, it's only going to get worse. And Hillary Clinton wants to allow 550 percent more people from that region into our country and we have no idea who they are, where they come from, where their documentation is, it's only going to get worse and it's going to start getting bad in our country. We're letting people come in by the tens of thousands. You see what happened to the French priest. A friend of mine, he said he was going to France, like three, four months ago. I saw him yesterday. I said how'd you like France. He said I wouldn't go to France. I wouldn't go to France. Because France is no longer France. France is no longer France. They won't like me for saying that but you see what happened in Nice, you see what happened yesterday with the priest who was supposed to be a spectacular man. France is no longer France and this world better be very careful and they better get very tough and very smart and they'll never do it with Hillary Clinton.

And by the way, in terms of change, she's been there for 30 years. She's been doing this for 30 years. What she's going to go all of sudden things are going to change? She's bought and sold 100 percent by special interests and lobbyists. Yes, Tom (ph)?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

TRUMP: None, none.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

TRUMP: Because it's under order. And I'll release them when the audits completed. Nobody would release when it's under -- I've had audits for 15 or 16 years. Every year I have a routine audit. I'm under audit, when the audits complete I'll release them. But zero, I mean I will tell you right now, zero, I have nothing to do with Russia, yes?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

TRUMP: I don't know, I don't know. It depends on the audit. It depends on the audit, not a big deal. By the way, just so you understand, I've released my papers, 104 pages of documents. I built an unbelievable company, tremendous cash, tremendous company with some of the great assets of the world. You've seen it. You were all very disappointed when you saw it actually but that's OK. Far, far great than anybody ever thought. I have a great company. I built an unbelievable company but if you look there you'll see there's nothing in Russia.

And as far as the tax returns, as soon as the audits complete, like any lawyer would tell you, Greta Van Susteren she was going over it a while ago, she's a lawyer. She said well no lawyer would let somebody release a tax return when they're under audit. It's a routine audit. I've gone through audits, which I think is very unfair, for 15 years. I have friends that are very rich and never get audited. I'm audited every year. Maybe that's because of politics, who knows.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

[11:00:00] TRUMP: I'm not going to tell Putin what to do. Why should I tell Putin what to do?