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CNN NEWSROOM

Trump Invited to Chicago; Discussing Colin Kaepernick's Protest; Outer Banks Storm Threats. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired August 30, 2016 - 09:30   ET

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


[09:30:00] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: So far he has not tweeted back. We're still waiting. With me now to talk about all of this, Katrina Rodgers and Apostle Thomas Rodgers, both are Trump supporters and head up the Antioch Road to Glory International Ministries. Also with me is CNN political commentator and former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus and Clinton supporter Angela Rye.

Welcome to all of you.

ANGELA RYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Thank you, Carol.

KATRINA RODGERS, ANTIOCH ROAD TO GLORY INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES: Well, thank you.

COSTELLO: Thanks for being here.

APOSTLE THOMAS RODGERS SR., ANTIOCH ROAD TO GLORY INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES: Thank you very much.

COSTELLO: Pastor, do you think Mr. Trump should accept Rhymfest's invitation?

T. RODGERS: I didn't hear the last part of your question.

COSTELLO: Rhymefest, who's a rapper, he has invited Mr. Trump to walk the streets of Chicago with him through black communities. Do you think he should accept that invitation?

T. RODGERS: I think so. Matter of fact, I think that African- Americans, we don't need to make Mr. Trump our scapegoat. We need to stand up to the -- to the platform and do something for our community. And that's what I come to (ph) him with a vision to help our people to have a better life. And I think all black ministers have turned their backs on their own people. And we look at Washington, D.C., black Congress people --

COSTELLO: Wait a minute, you think all black ministers -- wait a minute, you think all black ministers have turned their backs on their congregations?

T. RODGERS: Yes, most of them have. I'm -- I'm a living witness. Megachurches is for -- only for mostly single parenting women. And they're doing very little for their own community. Let's don't put the (INAUDIBLE) Trump. Let's put it back on all blacks. The NAACP, the Black Political Caucus. I've been in Washington and I see how they walk the streets. (INAUDIBLE) and they're doing absolutely nothing.

COSTELLO: Well, I want to go back -- I want to go back to that -- that point and ask Angela about that because she was the executive -- former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus. Do you feel that way, Angela, that black ministers have turned their backs on their largely African-American congregations and all of the civic organizations have also turned their backs on black Americans?

RYE: Well, let me first address what the apostle said last, which was the Black Political Caucus, which I have no idea what that is. I worked for the Congressional Black Caucus. And I can tell you, having worked for the conscience of the Congress, and they earned that moniker more than 40 years ago for all of the work they've done for black people both here and abroad, so I have no idea whose back they've turned on. I've never -- never heard of the apostle or his daughter or the great work that they may be doing in the North Carolina community. I certainly don't know where they were when William Barber was launching "Moral Mondays" to insure that black people could retain and protect the right to vote.

I also take issue with launching a full on attack on black pastors and black organizations that have protected our rights and have ensured that -- have ensured that our legislators, whether on the state or local or federal level, have also been accountable for protecting black rights, civil rights. Wage parody, mass incarceration issues, criminal justice reform, I don't know where you were, apostle, when these things were happening. Instead, you opt to use this particular platform and the one that you used in your church just recently to have a rally for Donald Trump. Now I know you can do that because you don't have a 501(c)3 status, but your bleeding churches down a very dangerous road because many of them could lose their tax exempt status for doing the same thing you've done.

COSTELLO: Well, I would ask -- I want to ask Angela this question. So Donald Trump is going to go to Detroit later this week and he's going to meet with the very popular black pastor there. That pastor says he's reserving judgment because this is the first time he has met Donald Trump and he needs to talk to him face to face. Angela, have you or your father met Mr. Trump? Have you talked to him face to face?

RYE: Oh, you're talking to Katrina.

COSTELLO: I'm sorry, I'm talking to Katrina.

RYE: Yes.

COSTELLO: I'm sorry, Katrina. Have you or your father met Mr. Trump?

K. RODGERS: Actually, we have. We met with him on August the 18th when he came down to Charlotte, North Carolina, and did his town hall rally there. So we had a chance to go in the back and speak with him. And we had already given him information on some of the things that we would like to see him put on his agenda as it pertains to African-Americans.

COSTELLO: Did he present you with any sort of -- a plan to create jobs in your community or other African-American communities throughout the country?

K. RODGERS: Well, he was very receptive, very warm. He was very present and in that moment. He assured us that he will be working towards cultivating a plan. What we wanted to do was to actually bring him the issues that we would like to see resolved. And so there was no actual plan made. But he made every effort to let us know that this would be an ongoing situation. He will be continuing to dialogue with people from all demographics so that we can come up with an actual plan that we can move forward with.

[09:35:03] COSTELLO: And, pastor, I need to ask you about something, because you have your own plan to create jobs for African-Americans. You talk of dual citizenship. What do you mean by dual citizenship?

T. RODGERS: Well, this -- thank you for the question. Dual citizenship, we African-Americans are the only people in the world do not seek dual citizenship. That's why Chicago gains, California gangs, the krips (ph) and the bloods (ph) and Detroit, Michigan. We have gangs in the street because blacks have no vision. They have no leadership.

I understand that black groups of color --

COSTELLO: Well, what do you mean by dual citizenship? Because you've also talked about building a road back to Africa. Can you explain that for us?

T. RODGERS: Yes, I can. Thank you for the question. As a matter of fact, where our ancestors came from, from the Indian Ocean, all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, that is 4,000 miles. And we wanted to go back and help build highways all across, to create jobs, train rails, pipelines, oil, petroleum, to create jobs for young people who can't find jobs here, that the Democrats had not did. And I think it will give young people in prison, just like Great Britain did. And I was in Great Britain a few years ago and they use --

COSTELLO: So -- so what you're suggesting -- just -- just so I can be clear, what you're suggesting is that African-Americans living here who are in trouble should go back to Africa perhaps to find jobs?

T. RODGERS: Not to go back to -- well, I'm saying return. It's a -- it's a clause in the United Nation's charter, a right to return, to help build infrastructure, to give young people something to do (ph). Everybody want to stay here. We are skilled people. We helped President Jefferson --

COSTELLO: So, Angela --

T. RODGERS: I'm sorry.

COSTELLO: I'm sorry. I just wanted to get Angela's take on your idea to create jobs.

RYE: So I guess I'm confused. I'm not sure if you're talking about building a literal bridge back to Africa or you're talking about working on actual infrastructure to build roads in Africa. If you're talking about building a bridge back to Africa, I think that's probably impossible. I apologize for laughing, but I'm not quite sure --

T. RODGERS: Yes, it is impossible.

RYE: Which engineers you've tasked that with. But, I'm sorry. OK. So in terms of, you know, creating jobs in Africa, I think that's admirable. I just would encourage you to talk to candidates that actually have legitimate ideas as opposed to the one you've endorsed, Donald Trump.

T. RODGERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: OK, well, I have to -- I have to leave it there. Angela Rye, Katrina Rodgers and Apostle Thomas Rodgers, thanks to all of you for being with me.

T. RODGERS: Thank you, Carol.

K. RODGERS: Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, growing fallout over Kaepernick's protest during the national anthem. We'll talk about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:42:02] CUOMO: Growing fallout over Colin Kaepernick's protest during the national anthem. Politics are speaking out. The White House has commented. And he's also seeing backlash from sports figures who he's worked with, including his former coach, Jim Harbaugh.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM HARBAUGH, FORMER COACH, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: I acknowledge his right to do that, but I don't respect the motivation or the action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Although it wasn't so long after those comments that Harbaugh, now the coach at Michigan, walked back his comments on Twitter saying, quote, "I apologize for misspeaking my true sentiments. To clarify, I support Colin's motivation. It's his method of action that I take exception to."

Now there's speculation that Colin Kaepernick could lose his job as the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback. The fallout is something our next guest knows all too well. Chris Kluwe is a former NFL player who spoke out about sensitive issues, like gay rights and same-sex marriage.

Welcome.

CHRIS KLUWE, RETIRED NFL PLAYER: Hey, how's it going?

COSTELLO: Good. What do you think that Colin Kaepernick is going through now?

KLUWE: I think he's going through a pretty rough patch in that he wants to do the right thing and he knows that doing the right thing is going to be very difficult because a lot of people won't understand, which we're seeing in the media and from responses on social media. And, you know, he's probably right now wondering, is he ever going to play football again.

COSTELLO: What do you suppose his coaches and managers are saying behind the scenes?

KLUWE: Well, I would -- I think they're probably saying, you know, hey, if you do this -- well, hopefully they have this discussion before he actually said anything, because you should approach these matters knowing, you know, what are the -- what are the potential consequences. That's at least what I did. And, you know, hopefully they -- they were saying, you know, if you do this, there is a chance that you don't play football again because the NFL is a very corporate environment. And while they may like their athletes speaking out on endorsements and football issues, they really don't like athletes speaking out on social issues.

COSTELLO: Is there a place within the football world for, you know, for standing up for issues? Or should that be left for after the game is over? You know, where you can protest anything you want without causing a ripple effect across the whole league?

KLUWE: I definitely think there's a place within the football world for social issues because football players are human beings and members of society, just like everyone else. And I would argue that it's actually our civic duty as Americans to care about what our society consists of and that Colin, being aware of these issues and actually bringing attention to them does far more good in the long- term than any amount of his ability throwing or running a football.

COSTELLO: Is there some other way than not standing for the national anthem to do that?

KLUWE: I mean he could tear up the draft card like Ali. That would --

COSTELLO: I guess -- I guess I wonder if other players will follow him. Because surely within the football community there are many players who feel passionately about the issue that Colin Kaepernick feels passionate about.

[09:45:12] KLUWE: I think there will be. I saw a report. I think there was a rookie linebacker who said he's not going to stand as well because, you know, he realized from Colin's actions that he has the stage and he can do something with it. And, yes, hopefully there will be more guys because this is a chance for players in the NFL to make a definitive statement on the issue of racial relations in the United States. And it's a problem we've been wrestling with since the civil war. I mean we still haven't figured this out and we need to because people are dying in the streets and people aren't being held accountable for their actions. At the end of the day, that's -- I think that's all Colin is asking for is for people to be held accountable for their actions.

COSTELLO: There have been conflicting reports out there. Do you believe that your -- your standing up for gay rights affected your football career?

KLUWE: I do because when I look at the numbers, I was entering -- I would have been entering my ninth year in the NFL and most punters who make it past three or four years tend to last for about 13 or 14. I wasn't over paid considered the other punters at my -- who were my equivalent skill level and that my stats were exactly in line, as they had been the previous seven years, which had been good enough for the team. So if I look at all these sets in the equation and only one thing has changed, then I don't think it's unreasonable to think that the one thing that changed, me speaking out on social issues, is what caused me to not play in the NFL any more.

COSTELLO: Do you wish you hadn't spoken out?

KLUWE: No, not at all. That was -- that was one of the things I weighed before I spoke out was, will I be happy with myself if the worst happens, if I don't play in the NFL anymore? If this is my last year ever? And I said, yes, I'll be fine with that because, at the end of the day, I think it is more important to live in a society that values people and doesn't discriminate against its own citizens, rather than make a bit more money playing a game that children play in the park.

COSTELLO: Do you think that what you did made a difference?

KLUWE: I hope so. I mean I know we were the first state in Minnesota to defeat that constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. And, you know, I think it takes not just one person. It takes a lot of people working. That one person can provide an impact by making other people aware due to their platform or their ability to be seen. And I think it's a combination of both. I mean it's a combination of society wanting to change and then also having visible symbols that they can rally behind and move towards and then everyone works together to make that change happen.

COSTELLO: Chris Kluwe, thanks for your thoughts this morning. I appreciate it.

KLUWE: Yes. Thank you for having me.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, it was a sexual assault case that sparked a firestorm. Now as a former Stanford swimmer is about to be released from jail, California lawmakers scramble to pass a tough new law.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:52:20] COSTELLO: Checking some top stories at 52 minutes past. Harrowing images of a rescue off the coast of Libya. Doctors Without Borders posting this image of a five-day-old baby that was saved, along with his twin. About 6,500 other refugees and migrants were trying to make it across the Mediterranean Sea. Most of the migrants came from the Sub Saharan Africa and were heading to Europe.

Brock Turner is set to be released from jail this week. The former Stanford swimmer was convicted of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old unconscious woman. Even though prosecutors asked for a six-year prison sentence, Turner got six months in jail and only served half that sentence. Now a new law is awaiting the California governor's signature. It call for mandatory prison sentence for anyone convicted of sexual assaulting an unconscious person or someone too intoxicated to give consent.

Talk about a whopper of a tax bill for Apple. The European Union says Ireland must collect $14.6 billion from the tech giant after allowing it to avoid almost all corporate taxes for 20 years. This could have a big impact on how Europe treats U.S. companies. But both Apple and Ireland plan to appeal the decision.

Not one but two weather systems are threatening the coastal U.S. One setting its sights on northern Florida, the other on the outer banks of North Carolina. Residents now bracing themselves for heavy rain and possible flash flooding. Meteorologist Chad Myers is here.

Hi, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Carol.

They're not even strong enough to get names yet. But hopefully later on today, as they start to move away from land, they'll get their act together. We don't want anything to be hitting land as a big storm. All we're going to get from number eight is a rip current situation. That will be for North Carolina. And for some of them they will be happy about these rip currents because they'll be able to -- at least the waves, they'll be able to go surf in them. But, please, be careful. This is not a day to be out there if you are not an expert swimmer or a lifeguard or whatever else you're doing out there because this is going to make those rip currents -- you can be taken out to sea by this stuff. Big waves, sure, but not big fun if you're in that.

Now the bigger story I think, which is into the Gulf of Mexico, as this storm, number eight, pulls away. It could be Hermine. It could be Ian. We're kind of seeing which one is going to be the earliest to develop a name. This is looking a little bit more sinister today. This purple area here is what moved across Cuba into the Gulf of Mexico and will eventually make a big right-hand turn and try to run back at Florida. Run back at Florida as something probably stronger than the one up in North Carolina, making some storm surge of up to about three feet, making wind, probably, more importantly, making some -- the potential for inland flooding. The same kind of flooding that we saw in Louisiana just a couple of weeks ago. It's possible when you get 10 to 12 inches of rainfall all at one time, especially all in just a couple of hours.

[09:55:09] Now back out to the west. Who's going to Hawaii? I'm not. But the president is. And, yes, we have two hurricanes potentially rolling toward Hawaii over the next couple of days. And the cone is over Hilo, both of the cones are over Hilo, crisscrossing there across the Hawaiian islands. Maybe the president will get a wind event there to deal with. We'll have to see if he changes plans or not. But if you're going to Hawaii, keep your eye on this.

Carol.

COSTELLO: We'll do. Chad Myers, thank you so much.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:04] COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

Race and ugly rhetoric casting a large shadow on the presidential showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.