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CNN NEWSROOM

Donald Trump Reaches Out to African-American Voters in Speech; Interview with Dr. Ben Carson; New Cases of Zika Virus in Miami Reported; Summit Inn Along Route 66 Burns in Wildfire; NBA Reporter Craig Sager's Battle with Cancer Profiled. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired August 20, 2016 - 14:00   ET

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


[14:00:00] MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: And Kristen, what can you tell us about today's meeting with the Hispanic advisers and Trump?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Martin, this is the campaign's biggest effort to reach those Hispanic voters to date. The campaign sitting down with Republican National Committee as well as a group that they call the National Hispanic Advisory Council for Trump. Now, in a statement put out by the RNC, this group consists of civic, business, and religious leaders from across 12 states, and the goal of today's meeting, again, according to the statement, is to insure they have ways for the Hispanic community to understand where Trump stands on certain issues, including terrorism and the economy.

Now, of course, this is, as you mentioned, one of Trump's new efforts to reach out to minorities. He is trailing behind, in the latest FOX News Latino poll he was trailing Hillary Clinton with those eligible Latino voters by 46 points. So they are trying to reach out to these different groups. Of course, you'll remember when he announced he was running for president, he said that immigrants coming in from Mexico were rapists and drug dealers, alienating several people. Again, continuing to alienate those groups of Hispanics by his immigration policy, which many people feel is racist. One of his biggest policy talking points is building the wall.

So this is just one step in the direction Trump trying to reach groups. As you mentioned, last night and the night before, he was making an appeal to African-American voters. Recent polls have him in the one percent range among that voting demographic.

SAVIDGE: And he's out on the campaign trail later, so what do we expect to hear?

HOLMES: Well, we are in a crucial battleground state of Virginia. And let's take a look at the most recent Quinnipiac poll if we have it here. It shows Hillary Clinton is up 50 percent to 38 percent. These numbers, they were expecting a little bounce coming out of the Democratic convention, but now we're still up on these numbers.

And we have to remember that Mitt Romney only lost the state of Virginia by four points in 2012. So this 12-point difference is huge. So I think we can expect to hear a lot of what we have been hearing lately, which is Donald Trump's attempting to be more mainstream, attempting to appeal more to the base, not just his base but the Republican base in general. Martin?

SAVIDGE: Kristen Holmes, thank you very much for that.

In Donald Trump's continued effort to reach out to minority voters, he is offering a new campaign promise. He told a crowd of mostly white supporters in Dimondale, Michigan, that he will win 95 percent of the African-American vote once he is reelected in 2020. He then made his pitch directly to black voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I say it again. What do you have to lose? Look, what do you have to lose? You're living in poverty. Your schools are no good. You have no jobs, 58 percent of your youth is unemployed. What the hell do you have lose?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: To talk about this strategy and whether it will have any effect on Trump's standing among minorities, I'm joined now by former Republican presidential candidate and adviser to Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson. Thank you, sir, for joining me.

BEN CARSON, (R) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Absolutely.

SAVIDGE: So let's talk about this. "What do you have to lose" may communicate something to people, but I'm not sure it's really the best pitch. I do believe that Donald Trump has a message he could communicate. What I'm asking of you is, when you just say what the hell have you got to lose, is that really respectfully making an approach to an electorate?

CARSON: Well, again, in all these cases, I think it's important to look beyond the words and ask what is the message that's being communicated? And basically, what he's saying is after the last several decades where you have had a lot of people promising, you know, all kinds of things, which have only led to dependency and really haven't led to the empowerment of people, he's saying, listen to some of the things that I have, some of the things like giving people school choice because you have so many people, particularly in the inner cities, who are stuck in these horrible schools. And of course, that means a lot in terms of what happens to you for the rest of your life.

He's talking about, you know, looking at the prison system. We have five percent of the world's population, 25 percent of the prison inmates. Obviously there's a problem there. We need to look at sentencing, but we also need to look at what is leading to such a large number of people from certain demographics ending up in our system and dealing with those issues.

And also, when they're in prison, let look at ways we can give them some education and some skills as well as a real job when they come out so that the recidivism rate isn't so high.

SAVIDGE: These are all really very valid points. And why didn't he make them as opposed to saying "what the hell have you got to lose"?

[14:05:01] CARSON: He will be making those. But you know, it's being done on a gradual status. Remember, the Republican Party traditionally has really not reached out to the African-American community, to the Hispanic community the way that they should have. This is the beginning of that process. It will continue. It will roll out the right way.

But the key thing here is we're all in the same boat. And if part of the boat sinks, the rest of it is going down, too. You can go to the most luxurious part of the boat, but you're still going down. And we need to begin to help Americans realize that we are not each other's enemies and the success of one is the success of the next. We have to get away from this politics of division which is useful to some people because it gives them a power base, but it's not helpful to us as Americans.

SAVIDGE: Why not make this argument or this statement in a predominantly African-American community? Why not take it directly to the people to whom you're speaking rather than speaking in a predominantly white neighborhood?

CARSON: Well, it's relevant to everybody, but to answer your question specifically, he will be going to some predominantly black areas. So that is in the process of happening. You will see that roll out.

SAVIDGE: But we're talking about 80 days. There's not a whole lot of time, 80 days is certainly not two weeks, but time is growing shorter. This is something that seems like should have been focused on a while back, and by focusing on it now makes it look like he's in trouble. He's reaching for someone else to help.

CARSON: Well, I'm sure you know the history of political elections in this country. And if that's the case, you also know that it's the last six weeks when people really start paying attention. You have your 30 percent who are going to vote for Hillary Clinton no matter what, your 30 percent who are going to vote for Donald Trump no matter what. And then you have the group in the middle that we have to start concentrating on. I wish it wasn't like that and I hope in the future it won't be like that, but we have to deal with reality.

SAVIDGE: What do you think of the changes that took place this week in Donald Trump's campaign?

CARSON: Well, you know, it's sort of like, you know, since we're coming to the end of the Olympics, a good example, you know, is a race, a relay race. You have your starter. Corey did a great job as the starter. And then you have your middle man, which was Manafort, did a tremendous, particularly with the delegate situation being very precarious.

SAVIDGE: Gets him through the convention.

CARSON: And now we bring in the finishers.

SAVIDGE: And is this the last change we're going to see before we get to, say, the finish line? Or could there be another hand-off?

CARSON: Well, I'll tell you what I used to always tell patients. Why guess when soon you'll know? And obviously, this is working. And I think you're going to start seeing some changes in the polls as people start paying attention.

But really, it's not about the polls. It's about, you know, two different visions. You have one vision where Hillary Clinton says let's take the pie, divide it up, and redistribute it equitably, and you have another vision where you have Donald Trump who says let's make a whole lot of pies so that everybody can have some.

SAVIDGE: What makes you think it's working? The reason I say that is we just mentioned polling in the state of Virginia that certainly shows that battleground state now very lopsided for Hillary Clinton. One poll, grant you, but that's an indicator and it's not a good one for Donald Trump.

CARSON: Well, as you know, there is a lag in the polls. It's never instantaneous. So ask me that question a week from today, because I think you will see a difference.

SAVIDGE: You think we will see a difference in the message and the way that Donald Trump speaks? Or do you think he will just be a man who speaks as he always has, from the hip?

CARSON: Well, I think you already see that he's really beginning to address the issues. And that's what this campaign is about. You know, one candidate will take us in a very different direction than the other one will. And it's not really about us. It's about our children and our grandchildren.

And, you know, Americans really need to take a serious time and study the history of this country and why it was formulated. And then look at the trend of what's going on right now, and ask yourself, is that a trend that you want to continue, or do we want to make a turn here and sort of get back to some of the values and principles that made this the greatest nation the world has ever known? We need to make that decision. It's critical.

SAVIDGE: We definitely need to vote. Dr. Ben Carson, thank you very much for joining us. We appreciate it.

CARSON: My pleasure.

[14:10:00] SAVIDGE: A sobering call from the CDC to pregnant women. It's a warning to stay away from Miami Beach. Why the department has upped its warning on Zika as the number of locally transmitted cases picks up to 36. We'll take a look at this, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: Fear of the Zika virus is growing in Florida as the CDC advises pregnant women to stay away from the Miami area. This after health officials report new cases of non-travel related Zika virus in Florida. The total of the locally transmitted virus is now said to be at 36, and the areas of concern are spreading as well. This week, new cases of the virus are or were traced to a popular tourist destination, a mile and a half stretch of Miami Beach. The city's mayor, Philip Levine, spoke to CNN last hour, and here's what he told me about these developments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR PHILIP LEVINE, (D) MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA: There's not a panic going on here by any means. You can see there's people going by, you've got a skateboarder. There's a lot happening. People love Miami Beach. But we cannot downplay this. We must focus on this, we must eradicate this. And I know if we work together and we get our governor to work with us, we can get this done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now from Miami Beach. I talked with the mayor of Miami Beach last hour. He said that Miami Beach is as busy as ever. Are you seeing that?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Martin, the mayor is right. You can see there's people out and about. They're having a great time on this beautiful Saturday afternoon.

[14:15:04] But I have to tell you, I have not seen a lot, actually any pregnant women out here. And that's really who needs to be concerned. The fact that non-pregnant people are out and about, you know, that's the way it should be. It's the pregnant women who are concerned. When I speak to obstetricians, they say, look, my patients are worried. They say most of them are staying calm. They're covering up and using mosquito repellent. But they say there are some women who have essentially barricaded themselves in the houses for the duration of their pregnancy. And they said there are some women who have even chosen, not many, but a few who have chosen to leave the area all together.

SAVIDGE: Let me ask you this. What does it mean when we hear that cases are, quote, spreading locally? What exactly does that mean?

COHEN: Right, that's such an important distinction. Up until recently, all the cases in the United States were travelers. Somebody went down to the Caribbean, someone when down to South America, they caught Zika, came back to the United States and were diagnosed. But now in Miami, in this area, we're seeing something new. So that is people who never traveled. They got bit by a mosquito in Florida and got Zika. That is a whole different level of transmission.

SAVIDGE: All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much for putting that in perspective.

Coming up, 309 buildings and counting have been destroyed in what is called the Blue Cut fire in California. We'll have an update from the areas that have been hardest hit next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [14:20:23] SAVIDGE: From the "You can fool some of the people some of the time" category, let's look at these top stories. A fugitive behind bars after attempting to fool cops with this elaborate disguise. Police in Massachusetts say 31-year-old Sean Miller was posing as an old man when they raided a house where they suspected the drug dealer was staying. Officers pulled off his disguise, placed him under arrest. They also seized two loaded weapons and $30,000 in cash.

Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio could soon be facing criminal charges. A federal judge has asked the U.S. attorney's office to file contemp charges against him, claiming he failed to follow instructions in a racial profiling case. In that case Arpaio and three subordinates are accused of violating an order to prevent their department from profiling Latinos. So far there has been no comment from Arpaio.

The former Navy SEAL who participated in the raid that killed Usama bin Laden and then wrote a tell-all book about it has agreed to pay the U.S. government all past and future proceeds from the bestseller "No Easy Day." The Department of Justice says Matthew Bissonnette failed to have a draft reviewed by the government. Under that settlement he reportedly will have to pay the government about $7 million.

In southern California, the Blue Cut fire has now destroyed nearly 100 homes and blackened almost 40,000 acres. Also lost to the flames, a Route 66 landmark, the legendary Summit Inn visited by stars like Elvis Presley and John Wayne. Here's CNN's Paul Vercammen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CECIL STEVENS, FORMER OWNER, THE SUMMIT INN: The wine rack and a lot of other stuff was, an old gum ball machine.

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cecil Stevens, longtime owner of the Summit Inn before he sold it a month ago, can't believe the Clue Cut fire torched his life's work.

STEVENS: It makes me sick to my stomach. It's awful, because I know every button that was there, I know every light switch, every pipe. After 50 years, you had to repair half of that stuff.

VERCAMMEN: That's right, a half century of owning a favorite hangout on Route 66. Stevens bought the Summit Inn and Restaurant Friday the 13th in 1966, shut down the motel and focused on food and the history of the fabled route from Chicago to the Pacific Ocean. Cecil and his wife of 41 years Debbie became the mom and pop of a nostalgia stop for classic car crazed patrons, Route 66 worshipers, even locals obsessed with both.

STEVENS: There's been many times where I would sit at the bar having coffee when it was snowing and said I'm not going to work.

VERCAMMEN: Smoldering tales and this ashes have it that celebrities rolled in, too, including Elvis Presley. The king reportedly saw Cecil's jukebox didn't offer a single one of his records. STEVENS: He kind of stood back and kicked the jukebox lightly, and said maybe next I come in here you'll have one of my records on. And you can believe when I came back I went out and got a record right away.

VERCAMMEN: Music serenades generations of people who pulled off the road to eat everything from ostrich burgers to banana splits to the popular hillbilly burger.

What's a hillbilly burger?

DEBBIE STEVENS, FORMER OWNER, THE SUMMIT INN: It was sourdough bread with a hamburger and lettuce, tomato, onion. It was really good. It was delicious.

STEVENS: It was a meal in itself.

DEBBIE STEVENS: It was huge.

VERCAMMEN: The kitchen is now a pile of charred heartbreak, but perhaps a good omen, the Summit Inn sign still stands, and the new owners tell CNN they play to rebuild and try to recapture every charming inch of Cecil Steven's American treasure.

Paul Vercammen, CNN, Hesperia, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Thank you very much, Paul.

And thank you for joining me. I'm Martin Savidge. "Vital Signs" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta is up right after this quick break.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Veteran sideline reporter Craig Sager is probably best known for his vibrant interviews and his colorful outfits during NBA games.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take all this, handkerchief, all that, burn it, OK?

CHRIS SAGER, NBA SIDELINE REPORTER: Something about getting up and being lively.

GUPTA: But the upbeat sportscaster was dealt a devastating blow at a game in 2014.

SAGER: I ran into the doctor for the Mavs, and he looked at me and said, Sager, what's wrong? He said, you have to go to the emergency room.

GUPTA: It was leukemia. Sager needed a bone marrow transplant. His son Craig was a perfect match, but the cancer came back. His son saved his life again.

CRAIG SAGER II, SAGER'S SON: I didn't really even think of it as donating. We were in it together.

GUPTA: Sager recovered just in time for the start of the NBA season.

SAGER: I didn't miss a game. I felt great.

GUPTA: But then in February, another relapse. Even through treatment, Sager never stopped working. He covered the first NBA finals of his career in June.

[14:25:07] SAGER: Just a tremendous night.

GUPTA: Now he's back at the hospital preparing for a rare third transplant from an anonymous donor. Last month, Sager was awarded the Jimmy V. Award for perseverance at the Espy awards.

SAGER: Time is something that cannot be bought. Time is simply how you live your life.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)