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CNN NEWSROOM

Fallout over Trump's Comments About 'Disarming' Clinton's Security; Gunman Killed in Philadelphia; Republicans Join Dems In Demanding Trump Release Taxes; Celebration Of African-American History And Culture; "Games Of Thrones" Most Nominated Program; "Veep" Gets 17 Nominations Including Best Comedy. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired September 17, 2016 - 11:00   ET

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


[11:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you. I'm in the nation's capital because this evening there will be a special opening of the Smithsonian event. Of course there's the congressional black caucus here this weekend, so we've got a full plate for you from the nation's capital.

Good to see you guys and we'll see you again tomorrow morning.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, it is the 11:00 o'clock eastern hour. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, NEWSROOM starts right now.

The presidential race inches closer and the pace intensifies. With Election Day now less than 52 days away. The candidates and their surrogates are scrambling on this Saturday. Next hour, Bernie Sanders goes on the stump for former rival Hillary Clinton. He's in Kent, Ohio. And fellow senator Elizabeth Warren, will also campaign in the key battleground state. She will speak in Columbus, a few hours later.

Hillary Clinton speaks tonight at the congressional black caucus dinner here in the nation's capital. She'll be joined by President Barack Obama.

And, in Texas, Donald Trump attends a luncheon for families of those killed by undocumented immigrants. And he faces blowback over his comments last night that Hillary Clinton's secret service agents should be disarmed and then adding, "Let's see what happens to her."

CNN's Jim Acosta is in Houston for the Trump event, and Chris Frates is here in Washington with a closer look at the Trump fallout.

So, let us begin with Jim. Jim, the focus of this luncheon involving families of people killed by undocumented immigrants, but is it also expected that Trump will follow up on his secret service remarks getting lots of attention?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, those remarks are getting lot of attention. I was there in Miami last night when he made those comments. When he suggested at one point that the weapons from Hillary Clinton's secret service detail be pulled away.

And then, "let's see what happens." Donald Trump obviously trying to make a comment there about Hillary Clinton's position on the second amendment. He's been making the case repeatedly out on the campaign trail that she would do away with the second amendment which is something a President cannot do. That is not something that the President of the United States can do.

But, nevertheless, that is the comment he's been making out on the campaign trail with that latest twist, which is awfully inappropriate. It's a comment that the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security isn't commenting on at this point. But, you can rest assured there are people inside both of those agencies that are probably pretty upset with what Donald Trump had to say last night.

He will be here in a few hours here in Houston to talk to this group which is made up of families of victims who were killed by undocumented criminals.

And so, this will be a chance for Donald Trump to once again talk about his proposal for a wall on the U.S./Mexican border. For his proposal for dealing with the undocumented. But, of course, you know, this comes one day Fredricka after he made that birther reversal in Washington, D.C. where he finally came out and said, acknowledged the reality that President Obama was born in the United States.

So there is a whole slew of issues that we'll be waiting to see if Donald Trump comments on when he comes out and talks to this group here in a few hours. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Jim Acosta, we'll check back with you there in Houston. Thank you so much.

All right, now let's focus on the Trump fallout over his comments of disarming Hillary Clinton's body guards, secret service. Chris Frates is here with me now with a closer look.

So it's his comments to follow, "let's see what happens to her," also eliciting response from Clinton's camp.

CHRIS FRATES, CNN INVESTIGATIONS CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And, first of all so good to see you here in Washington today, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Good to see you too.

FRATES: Very cool. And, you know, Donald Trump has suggested before that Hillary Clinton's security detail should be disarmed. But, last night he went further than ever.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, she's very much against the second amendment. She wants to destroy your second amendment. (CHANTING)

TRUMP: Guns. Guns, guns, right? I think what we should do is she goes around with armed body guards like you have never seen before. I think that her body guards should drop all weapons. They should disarm. Right? Right?

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: I think they should disarm. Immediately. What do you think? Yes? Yes.

(APPLAUSE) Yes. Take their guns away. She doesn't want guns. Let's see what happens to her. Take their guns away. Okay? It would be very dangerous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRATES: Now, Trump later doubled down on his comments as he often does on twitter. And, it's important to point out here that Trump is really exaggerating Clinton's position. She has never advocated for getting rid of guns or the second amendment for that matter. But, she has called for tightening access to guns.

And, speaking of Clinton, her campaign pounced on Trump's remarks last night saying it's just another example that Trump is unfit to be president.

[11:05:00]

FRATES: In a statement campaign manager Robby Mook said this, he said, "Donald Trump has a pattern of inciting people to violence. It's an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of Commander in Chief. This kind of talk should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate."

So just when Trump seemed to be getting his message back on track here, he was getting back on message Fredricka, we saw the birther controversy explode yesterday. And now this fire storm --

WHITFIELD: Which has absolutely been upstaged.

FRATES: Exactly, by this fire storm over guns. So, this is probably not where the Trump campaign wanted to be.

WHITFIELD: Right, and he had been in this pattern of really sticking to the script but then he just can't seem to help himself that sometimes he departs from it --

FRATES: -- When off that teleprompter --

WHITFIELD: Right, all right. Thank you so much Chris Frates, we'll check back with you. Appreciate it.

All right, let's discuss all of this with CNN's Senior Political Analyst and Senior Editor of the Atlantic, Ron Brownstein. We're also joined by Larry Sabato, he is the Director for the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. All right, good to see both of you.

Okay, so, you know, we're talking about this backlash to Trump's comments. It's been very swift. Former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and husband Mark Kelly put out this statement saying, quoting now "Tonight we have more evidence of just how dangerously unfit Donald Trump is to be president of this great country. He is reckless, irresponsible and unworthy of the office he seeks."

So Ron, you first. This isn't the first time. You know Trump has made these kind of comments. Remember the, you know, second amendment people comment, Chris was reminding us of that. How do you interpret what he did last night and why?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, like many Donald Trump comments they are ambiguous, they point toward one direction but leave enough of a rhetorical out to say now, I didn't really mean what seems to be the plain meaning of what he said. I was not inciting violence.

Look, Fred, the fact is this race has gotten tighter because the events of the past few weeks have highlighted the many doubts that people have around Hillary Clinton. But it is important to note that this comment goes towards the principle vulnerability that Donald Trump and that has not changed in the last few weeks. Consistently --

WHITFIELD: Vulnerability meaning the --

BROWNSTEIN: -- 60% of Americans say he is not qualified to be president. Comparable numbers say he doesn't have the temperament to be president. And roughly 60% say he is racially bias. Even though the overall race is tightening as Clinton's vulnerability has moved to the forefront. None of that has changed about Donald Trump. And, those kinds of comments are exactly why you see those numbers and for that matter you see someone like Robert Gates, the former CIA Director for George H.W. Bush, and Defense Secretary for George W. Bush, join the list of republican elected officials -- republican national security officials who say he's not qualified to be president. So, his problem --

WHITFIELD: -- penning that in the Wall Street Journal --

BROWNSTEIN: -- are precisely routed in the kind of comments we saw.

WHITFIELD: And so Larry, you know Trump justifying, you know, his remarks by saying Clinton wants to destroy the second amendment. You know, let's be very clear as Chris did at the very beginning that there is no evidence of that. There is reform that she has been pushing for, but not the elimination of the second amendment or taking everyone's guns away. So why does Trump continue to push this narrative?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Because it excites his base. And, he feeds off the energy in those rallies. And, the NRA is supporting him strongly.

Look, I've studied the constitutional amendment process. There is zero chance -- and, I do mean zero that the second amendment will ever be struck from the U.S. Constitution. So if anybody's worried about that they need to find something real to worry about.

But, Fred, let me add something here. We just did a little study on my crystal ball website and we found that every time either Clinton or Trump becomes the focus of media coverage he or she drops in the polls.

Well, Hillary Clinton was the focus for the week there because of the lie about her health and the basket of deplorables. Well, guess what Donald Trump just stepped in it, not once, but twice. The birtherism matter which was truly an outrage on Friday. And, then essentially suggesting that harm would come to Hillary Clinton once her secret service agents were disarmed.

Ron, I love you. But -- we hardly ever disagree, but I don't think that was ambiguous in the slightest.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ron and Larry, we're going to continue this conversation. Stick with us we're going to talk also about immigration coming up.

And also, to learn more about the candidates' personal lives watch "The Essential" starting tonight at 10:00 eastern. It begins with "Unfinished Business," Hillary Clinton's story. And, that's followed by Trump's "All Business" which starts at midnight. Both airing tonight on CNN. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:12:50]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. As Donald Trump dives head first into a new controversy, he's getting a scathing assessment from former secretary of defense, Robert Gates.

In a new op-ed in the Wall Street Journal Gates says Trump is "beyond repair." And "stubbornly uninformed about the world and how to lead our country and government and temperamentally unsuited to lead our men and women in uniform."

Gates isn't letting Hillary Clinton off the hook. He argues that Clinton still needs to address her trustworthiness with voters. And that neither candidate has done much to give voters confidence.

Let's bring back our Senior Political Analyst, and Senior Editor of The Atlantic, Ron Brownstein. And Director for the Center of Politics at the University of Virginia, Larry Sabato. All right, gentlemen, welcome back.

So, you know Trump was quick to hit back today on twitter, tweeting this, "I never met former defense secretary Robert Gates, he knows nothing about me. But look at the results under his guidance, a total disaster." Robert Gates was very critical of the Obama administration after he, left the pentagon." So Ron, you first. You know, how damaging is this assessment from Gates about the worthiness of Donald Trump, if he were to be in the White House?

BROWNSTEIN: First of all let's explain who we're talking about. We're talking about the head of the CIA under George H.W. Bush, the Defense Secretary under George W. Bush, and the Defense Secretary under Barack Obama, who's served eight Presidents all together, and he continues in a line that extends back to the extraordinary letter from 50 other top Republican national security officials, including several other cabinet secretaries, The Homeland Security Secretaries, Tom Ridge, and Michael Chertoff making the same argument; that Donald Trump is unfit to be president in their view.

And, I thought what made the Gates op-ed particularly, you know, kind of noteworthy, was that as you point out, he is not sparing Hillary Clinton. He, you know, he has lots of criticism about Hillary Clinton. But yet ultimately concludes that in the end, in this choice, Donald Trump cannot be president.

And, I thought that was revealing. Similar to kind of the argument of Michael Bloomberg at the Democratic Convention. There are a lot of swing voters out there who don't think a lot about Hillary Clinton. And, what I thought the Gates argument, like the letter from the 50 republican national security officials, is even though she is a flawed politician, he is at a different order of magnitude of risk in their view.

[11:15:15]

WHITFIELD: So, Larry, what do -- how do you assess the impact of this op-ed by Robert Gates?

SABATO: Well, people who pay attention should pay attention to this. Because he is, as Ron has excellently detailed, one of the most experienced and respected public officials in recent decades.

If you're going to listen to anybody, you should listen to somebody like Bob Gates. He certainly isn't a democrat, I think he's probably more a republican than a democrat. And look, this is part of a pattern, put this all together. There have been now, I guess, 200 to 300 major officials from both democratic and republican administrations who have either come out, mainly come out for Hillary Clinton or who have at least said Donald Trump is unacceptable as president.

So, I realize the Trump base isn't going to listen to any of those awful terrible elites who actually have worked in government and knows what a White House has to do to work. But, for anyone who's reasonable and still undecided or maybe looking at a minor party candidate, they really might want to pay attention to somebody who knows what he's doing.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's pivot for -- oh, yes, go ahead Ron, real quick. BROWNSTEIN: Okay, real quick, just to answer your question, I think

the impact is most with college white men. You know, college white men are republican leaning constituency, republicans have won them by about 20 points in each of the past four elections. Donald Trump is underperforming among those men. And, that's one reason why his dominance among blue collar whites kind of an offset to that for Hillary Clinton. And, they are, democratic pollsters will tell you college white men are probably the biggest consumers of news, the most likely to hear and react to something like this. And, I do think that you are going to see cumulative weight of all these endorsements used by the Clinton forces in appealing to those kind of suburban men in particular in some of the swing states down the road.

WHITIFELD: So, let's pivot for a moment today. Because Donald Trump will be in Houston today. You've seen Jim Acosta there. And he'll be -- Donald Trump will be talking to families of loved ones killed by undocumented immigrants. And, we know immigration is the cornerstone or has been of his campaign.

So, he certainly has evolved shall we say on immigration. Here are some of the things that Donald Trump has said fairly recently.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They're sending people that have lots of problems. And they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists.

You look at the statistics on rape, on crime, on everything coming in illegally into this country. They're mind boggling.

We bring them back and they push them out. Mexico pushes back people across border that are criminals, that are drug dealers.

First, of all, I want to build a wall. A wall that works. So important. And it's a big part of it. Second of all, we have a lot of really bad dudes in this country from outside.

I am going to create a new special deportation task force focused on identifying and quickly removing the most dangerous criminal illegal immigrants in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So this has been Donald Trump on immigration since announcing his candidacy June 2015.

So, you know, Larry, you know, alongside family members whose family members were killed by illegal immigrants, undocumented immigrants, will his message likely be any different or is this a moment to underscore some of the changes in his speak over the last year?

SABATO: Fred, who knows what he'll say. He has jumped on both sides of so many issues, not just immigration. I believe just last night he switched 180 degrees on his policy toward Cuba. At first he was totally in favor of the new opening to Cuba. Now he's very opposed to it.

So, we'll have to see what he says. But, Fred, all he has to do is mention immigration and that stokes the enthusiasm of his white blue collar base. And, if he says anything vaguely moderate, they're going to assume that it's a nudge, nudge, wink, wink from Donald Trump. They believe that he is strongly anti-immigration. And that is what he is going to carry out if he should become president.

WHITFIELD: And, Ron, is this a moment of clarity or potentially more confusion?

BROWNSTEIN: I think ultimately there is -- I think ultimately there's clarity in kind of the division in the electorate if not necessarily in the positions. This is an election that is defined much more by culture than class. That is the fundamental dividing line between the parties, has been increasingly over the past two decades but is reaching a new height in this election.

[11:20:08]

BROWNSTEIN: That, Donald Trump is mobilizing a coalition that is most uneasy with the demographic and cultural changes, reshaping America. He is posting very big numbers among the key groups in that coalition particularly non-urban and blue collar whites. And Hillary Clinton is relying on the voters who are most comfortable with the changes and that's millennials, minorities, and socially liberal whites. Dominating -- concentrated in cities. And really, immigration is one of the key symbolic issues along for that matter, with this birther debate that divides those two coalitions.

WHITFIELD: Which remarkably has been upstaged by all that has transpired within the last 24 hours. Right, because that was the big news yesterday of his -- in a reversal on the birther movement. But --

BROWNSTEIN: It did set up an obvious question for the first debate, right? Though, it did set up an obvious question for the first debate. What changed your view? Since he was questioning the birth certificate even after it was released. Yes, what has changed between then, and now, that you now accept it? I think it's an obvious question that he will likely be asked in one of the debates.

WHITFIELD: Right that first debate less than two weeks away. All right, thank you so much. Gentlemen, appreciate it. Ron Brownstein, Larry Sabato, thanks so much.

All right, tomorrow, Hillary Clinton's running mate, Senator Tim Kaine will be on "State of the Union" with Jake Tapper. That airs 9:00 a.m. eastern right here on CNN and we'll of course be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:25:04]

WHITIFELD: Welcome back, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Washington D.C. today.

So, we're following breaking news out of Philadelphia.

A gunman with an open hatred for police opens fire killing a woman sitting in a car and injuring at least five other people, including two officers. The gunman is dead. Philadelphia's Police Commissioner says the shooter left behind an envelope with the word doomed written on it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD ROSS JR., PHILADELPHIA POLICE COMMISSIONER: I Don't know what his ideology is or thinking, so I'm not even going there. But it's just a hatred of police officers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So there was no mention of religious --

ROSS JR: Nothing like that. We have no reason at this point to believe that it's related to any beliefs of a religious nature or anything like that. Just his feelings about police departments and police officers in general and probation officers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Nick Valencia is following this story for us. So, Nick, what more are you learning?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Fredricka. I think the police commissioner was addressing those questions about ideology because this is incredibly reminiscent of another police ambush there in west Philadelphia in January. In that instance the gunman did say that he was inspired by ISIS.

In this case here, the shooting that happened last night at about 11:30 p.m. in west Philadelphia, there's no indication this was inspired by religious ideology. You heard the police commissioner say there. But, here's what we do know happened. Is that this gunman, without saying a word, approached a police officer sitting in her vehicle, opened fire. Hitting her in the left arm as well as in the protective vest.

He went on to carry out his rampage indiscriminating open fire on a bar. He injured another police officer as well as four other civilians. In all six people were shot in addition to those two police officers. They are listed in stable condition. Two civilians listed in critical condition. And we just got this a little while ago confirmed from our national desk, that one of those civilians who he used as a human shield was shot seven times and is now pronounced dead.

We're working on getting more information on this gunman, this suspect, but right now the working theory is that he had this note on him where he expressed hatred towards police officers as well as probation officers. Police saying their confident that officers were targeted in this shooting. Fredricka?

WHITIFLED: All right, Nick Valencia, thank you so much. Keep us posted as you learn any new information.

VALENCIA: You bet.

WHITIFELD: All right, we're also following breaking news on a shooting in Orlando that killed one person and injured six others.

The shooting happened in front of a closed pool hall around 3:30 this morning. Orlando Police tells CNN that one person was shot to death as patrons were leaving the building. Police are still looking for the shooter, we'll continue to follow this story. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:31:03] WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Donald Trump is refusing to release his tax returns until after an audit is complete. But where's the proof? Here's CNN's Kyung Lah.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You've heard it throughout his campaign. Why Donald Trump won't release his taxes?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can't give them. Nobody would let you give them when you're under audit. I'm releasing when we're finished with the audit. As far as the tax returns, as soon as the audit is complete.

LAH: But that's not what he promised to an Irish TV network in May 2014.

TRUMP: If I decide to run for office, I'll produce my tax returns, absolutely and I would love to do that.

LAH: This week, pressure mounting not just from protesters, but from Trump's own party, Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan.

REPRESENTATIVE PAUL RYAN (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: I released mine. I think that he should release his.

LAH: Trump's campaign did issue this later from Trump's own attorneys but not from the IRS. Saying an IRS audit of his returns from 2009 and forward are ongoing. That's as far the campaign will go says Trump's campaign manager.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Will Donald Trump release anything from the IRS proving that he's under audit?

KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN MANAGER: I don't know, why? Are you telling him a liar?

CAMEROTA: We're taking his word for it.

LAH: So is there real harm during an audit to release tax forms or any letters from the IRS? Igor Drabkin was an IRS attorney for six years and now represents taxpayers against the IRS.

(on camera): There's always a letter informing the taxpayer. IGOR DRABKIN, FORMER IRS ATTORNEY: There is always a letter informing the taxpayer of the initiation of tax examination.

LAH (voice-over): That letter doesn't usually have any detailed private information. As far as the audited tax returns themselves, he says while he would not recommend Trump release every page, he could release the first two pages simply showing income and taxes paid.

(on camera): Given all the heat that he's getting, would you advise him as his tax attorney to release the first couple of pages?

DRABKIN: I think if he feels it's a matter of public disclosure, transparency, then I don't see much harm in releasing the first two pages.

LAH: You used the word transparency, is that important to you?

DRABKIN: I think it's important in our public discussion of potential presidential candidates.

LAH (voice-over): The IRS says under current privacy laws it cannot comment on individuals. Legislation introduced just yesterday aims to change that. House Representative Jared Huffman, a Democrat from California calls it closing the, quote, "liar's loophole."

REPRESENTATIVE JARED HUFFMAN (D), CALIFORNIA: It's the perfect lie if someone has the depravity to look the American people in the eye and just lie about a pending audit. The IRS can't say anything either way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH: This legislation doesn't have much of a chance of making it through the Republican-controlled House. We did reach out to the Trump campaign to see if they had any statement about those taxes and the audit and what they did say is something we've heard multiple times. A statement we received is that he is under a routine audit and the tax returns will be released once the audit is complete. Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Kyung.

Up next, I'll take you inside the bronze lake-like building which is Washington's newest Smithsonian Museum on African-American History and Culture.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Throughout the museum, there are interactive displays like this table, a collage of imagery. You simply tap on an image and pull it down. This is one is called "Peace of Mind Abroad." This is out of Germany.

Charles Berry, a serviceman saying it's a funny thing you stay in the America, which is your home and yet you have to go out of your country to get some peace of mind. Then when you get to the foreign country, you still got the American culture and hatred and prejudice to contend with. It got better, things got better. Really profound images and statements of past and present.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:38:13]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. It's being called a miracle of a museum. I'm talking about the new Smithsonian Museum, African- American History and Culture. It's a multilevel tiered building. It's extraordinary.

It seems to simply blossom out of the grassy expanse of the national mall there. It showcases joy and heartache, pride and pain. The new museum opens to the public one week from today. But tonight, a star studded preview here in the nation's capital. This is some of what everyone will experience.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): Near the foot of the Lincoln Memorial's Reflecting Pool and the shadows of the Washington Monument and White House, this mammoth cube, the newest bronze crown jewel among the Smithsonian's Institute's 19 museums.

KINSHASHA HOLMAN CONWILL, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN- AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE: It puts us in the monumental core of Washington, D.C. where the most important buildings that are literally the foundation of American democracy reside.

WHITFIELD: Kinshasha Holman Conwill is the museum's deputy director.

CONWILL: We're on grounds that where human lives were once traded, where Africans were traded as in slave. And I hope and believe that those folks who have gone on who were once treated (inaudible) are in some way vindicated, validated and honored by the museum and by its desire to make sure that no one ever forgets the impact of these people and this culture. This culture is so rich and I get almost giddy when I think about it.

WHITFIELD: And this is what the world will see inside that striking exterior lace.

(on camera): My goodness, OK, where are we now?

CONWILL: So this tells us about some of the pioneers of music in different venues and genres. Can you imagine? Here we have in Toledo, Ohio.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): Holman Conwill has been here every step of the way, helping to intake, select and arrange nearly 40,000 valued artifacts in the 13 years since President George W. Bush signed legislation to get this $540 million project going.

(on camera): How much of that has been federal money? How much of it has been private donations? CONWILL: It's been half, one half of each. What's been great about that is that each leveraged the other. That really was something that broke all records of support at the smallest level of membership all the way up to the largest gift from Oprah Winfrey.

WHITFIELD: It's $21 million from Oprah Winfrey.

CONWILL: Yes. And I think that Oprah Winfrey is also an exemplar of the kind of people that you will see in this museum. People who as one of our exhibition says made way out of no way.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): On full display, incased and out in the open like the landing of this iconic out of this world symbol band "Funkadelic."

(on camera): This is the mother ship.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is.

WHITFIELD: You got Bootsy Collins here, George Clinton, and just as a reminder to a lot of people this would transport you to a place free of racism.

CONWILL: That's true. That's true. The variety is what I love about this gallery. So you've got something like this and then you've got somebody like Diana Washington.

WHITFIELD: And Michael Jackson.

CONWILL: Michael Jackson is on the same screen that where you will then see Marion Anderson and her historic concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. We have one of the gold records won by Gladys Night and the Pips. We have the shoes, the tap shoes of Sammy Davis when he was with the Will Mastin Trio.

WHITFIELD: So it sounded like it was easy to get people to donate their artifacts, their memorabilia, things that they have been holding on to for a very long time.

CONWILL: It sounds easier than it actually was. But what was interesting, was the power of persuasion because what was interesting is that people were still holding on to these. So they hadn't decided what they were going to do. Chuck Berry hadn't decided what he was going to do with his Cadillac.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): Wear your walking shoe and pace yourself to cover 400,000 square feet, spanning the celebratory to the controversial. The inclusion of some of event and history makers undebatable.

But what to do about figures like Bill Cosby, whose marker under an image of him as an younger men both praises him as a game changer in entertainment and reminds of sexual abuse allegations.

(on camera): How did you as a committee come to terms about how, when, who to include? CONWILL: The hours and hours that we've used to pore over these questions is extraordinary. That's one of the quite frankly, invigorating parts of this work. One of the things we kept in mind and great inspirations for all our work was Dr. John Hope Franklin.

One of the things he warned against was the erasure of history because African-American's history has been erased for a very long time. So in all of its complexity, in some of its controversy, we must tell that story.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): So much in one place.

(on camera): Do you have a favorite exhibit?

CONWILL: Oh, gosh. I keep coming back to the Harriet Tubman objects, her shawl, her hymnal.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): Slavery, movements, culture.

CONWILL: There are certain figures that recur so many places like where do you put James Baldwin? One of our greatest American writers, but also deeply involved in the civil rights movements.

WHITFIELD: Sports and politics.

(on camera): You made this conscientious decision about Muhammad Ali, prior to his passing?

CONWILL: That's correct because we knew that his legacy was absolutely in place while he was still alive.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): And this American led protest on the Olympic world stage still resonates.

(on camera): Taking a stand, John Carlos, Tommy Smith, for human rights.

CONWILL: That's right.

WHITFIELD: That's 1968 in Mexico City Olympic Games.

CONWILL: Yes, the fact this became really a permanent symbol of courage and commitment to one's beliefs.

WHITFIELD: There is such a variation of stories. My dad, we're very honored THAT he's among those who you have on display here, but why?

CONWILL: Well, it helps when someone like your dad won a lot of medals. That helps.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): Five medals in 1948 and '52. A Tuskegee airman, becoming the first active duty American service member to medal in an Olympic games. Later becoming an American diplomat. The Whitfield Foundation donating his original flight suit, a pair of his medal-winning spike shoes and jersey among other things. Several Olympian generously gifting too. [11:45:08]CONWILL: Carl Lewis who gave us every medal, but the one he buried with his father. Gabby Douglas, a newer star Jesse Owens.

WHITFIELD (on camera): I can't imagine what it's going to be like for my family or other families to see these exhibits for the first time. I know it's going to be a very emotional experience.

CONWILL: Sometimes people will be crying because they're sad and crying because they're so happy. I'm looking forward to crying if that's not too odd.

WHITFIELD: I am too. I'm looking forward to both.

(voice-over): And looking forward to seeing upwards of 10,000 people a day visiting the country's newest treasure chest of American history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: It's extraordinary. I think there are bigger words to use, but that's the one I come up for now. Lonnie Bunch is a historian and the director of this new spectacular museum. He's joining me now right now. Welcome and congratulations.

LONNIE BUNCH, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY: I am so pleased.

WHITFIELD: I know you're feeling relieved too because what a magnificent journey this has been.

BUNCH: For 11 years we've carried the weight of history. We recognized that this was not something about us. It was really about helping America remember the rich history of the African-American in a way that will make America better.

WHITFIELD: You had to make some tough choices, didn't you, because it's a huge story to tell and there isn't one story of the black American experience.

BUNCH: Well, the challenge is that we basically could have used four buildings to be able to tell all these stories and what we did is we actually spent a lot of time traveling around the country talking to people.

What do you know, what do you want to know, and we got that gathered information and set down with the best scholars of the world and said what do you think. We sat down and we got great ideas and have no stuff.

WHITFIELD: How do you get the stuff?

BUNCH: Yes, so you know, we basically figured out -- we hoped that everything was still in basements, trunks and attics. That's proven to be the case, 80 percent of what we had people were waiting for this museum. So once we got the word out, people came and they said, are you interested? Every time it happened we cried. We cried. WHITFIELD: Wow. Help me with the discrepancy because I've seen 60 percent to 80 percent of the 40,000 items are donated by private collections, families, et cetera. Is there a closer number?

BUNCH: I'd say 70 percent.

WHITFIELD: In the middle, yes.

BUNCH: Because I think that's what really hit me because I was worried. That was my biggest worry. Everybody was worried about raising money. I understood that.

My worry was if the Smithsonian doesn't have the rich artifacts of history it will fail because people come to see the right fire or the ruby slip so that was my biggest worry.

When these things started to come to us, I was stunned, and now when I walk through the building and say we got that, have that. I'm so pleased.

WHITFIELD: Do you cry?

BUNCH: We just give boxes of Kleenexes to each other. This isn't about an artifact. It's about people's lives, people's culture. They said we trust you. We put this in your hands to make accessible for the world. That's an amazing responsibility. That's what I tell my staff. That's our job.

WHITFIELD: Do you have a favorite? Do you have a favorite exhibit or artifact? Maybe that's not fair because we're talking about a colossal number. But perhaps is there something that moved you particularly over some of your other items?

BUNCH: Sure. I mean, I think that the fact that we have the freedom papers from Joseph Tremble, somebody who became free in the 1850s and he realized that those papers were the key to his future. So he built the tin wallet that he would put in so when he was working they wouldn't get damaged.

And then every night he would come home and take it out and tell the family that this is the symbol of our freedom. Then the family kept it for generations and gave it to us. What it allows us to do is personalize the story.

It's not the story of freedom, the story of the free community or slave community. It's his story and we help people humanize and understand these stories. Whenever I see that one, I pause.

WHITFIELD: Lonnie Bunch, congratulations.

BUNCH: My pleasure.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and people, I mean it, walking shoes. You have to do this in small doses because it is just such an emotional commitment. Physical commitment when you walk through the doors. You got to spread it out over a few days, years, whatever it takes. BUNCH: Just keep coming back.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you so much. I look forward to this evening. This evening, by the way, is a great opening for family members, people who have donated.

BUNCH: That's right.

WHITFIELD: It's going to be extraordinary.

BUNCH: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Yes, so I know the clock is ticking. You're like hurry up I got to get out of here. I got work to do. All right, thanks again.

BUNCH: My pleasure.

WHITFIELD: The museum opens to the general public September 24th. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:53:34]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. It's that time of year again. Award season, TVs biggest stars gathering in Los Angeles Sunday night for the 68th Emmy Awards. "Game of Thrones" is the most nominated show. There will be newcomers too that offer tough competition. Here is CNN's Stephanie Elam.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dragon -- and elections and O.J. The Emmy Awards celebrate the year's biggest achievements in television. This year's nominees couldn't be more varied. All eyes are on "Game of Thrones." The HBO saga is the most nominated program of the night with 23 total noms.

MICHAEL O'CONNELL, SENIOR WRITER, "THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER": It is the conclusion they are going to reign supreme on Emmy night.

ELAM: Throne's second consecutive best drama series win facing off against "The Americans," "Better Call Saul," "Downtown Abbey," "Homeland," "House of Cards," and newcomer, "Mr. Robot."

In an election year, perhaps it's no coincidence the White House hijinks (inaudible) are ruling the comedy side. The Julia Louie Dreyfuss-led show have 17 nominations.

O'CONNELL: Everyone loved the last season. I think it's a favorite to win comedy.

ELAM: But "Veep" has tough competition for best comedy series with "Blackish," "Modern Family," "Silicon Valley," "Transparent," and Netflix favorites "Master of None" and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." With 22 nominations, "The People Versus O.J. Simpson" is the one to watch in the limited series category. The politically acclaimed drama stars Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. as the trouble plagued former athlete.

O'CONNELL: I honestly think the Emmys will be like the formal coronation for "The People Versus O.J. Simpson." No show has been more talked about, more universally praised.

For the second time as emcee, Jimmy Kimmel, will host the small screen's biggest night. Expect the late night comedian to let the zingers fly.

O'CONNELL: I think that everyone is fair game and people will be mercifully mocked.

ELAM: We'll find out who has the last laugh at the 68th prime time Emmy Awards. Stephanie Elam, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Hello, again, everyone. Thanks for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Washington, D.C. today. The clock ticks down. The campaign trail heats up.