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Paul Ryan Withholds Endorsement of Donald Trump; Kentucky Derby Soon to Commence; Wildfire Spreads Rapidly in Canada; Interview with Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine; President Obama to Deliver Commencement Speech at Howard University; U.S. Nuclear Attack Submarine Profiled. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired May 7, 2016 - 10:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[10:00:02] DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I won't talk about Lindsey Graham. You ever see this guy on television? He is nasty. And then I see him on television knocking me. You're supposed to be coming together.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: I just don't think Donald Trump is a reliable conservative Republican. I don't think he has the temperament and judgment to be commander in chief. A lot of my colleagues will vote for him enthusiastically, some will hold their nose. I just can't go there with Donald.

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is really serious. This is not entertainment. This is not a reality television show.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": If she were to get the nomination would you consider being her vice presidential running mate.

BERNIE SANDERS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Right now we are focused on the next five weeks of winning the Democratic nomination. After that certainly Secretary Clinton and I can sit down and talk and see where we go from there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You remind me of the walking dead where you're going to down the highway and there's just abandoned people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many around the world oppose the rise of Kim Jong- un. But here you won't hear a single person speak badly about their supreme leader, and why would they speak badly about him when he holds absolute power?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the weekend. Welcome to CNN Newsroom. I'm Ana Cabrera in for Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good to have you with us. I'm Victor Blackwell. It's 10:00 here on the East Coast. We're beginning in the nation's capital this morning, Washington,

D.C., at my alma mater, beautiful Howard University. This hour President Obama delivers the commencement address at Howard at the historically black college in Washington, D.C.

CABRERA: These are live pictures where that ceremony will take place. We're about 45 minutes away now. A couple thousand graduates will be walking across that stage today.

BLACKWELL: Today will mark the president's first commencement speech of the season. CNN senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns is standing by. Joe, good morning.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor. There is potential for a legacy moment here for President Obama speaking at a university that sees itself, even calls itself the Mecca of black colleges and universities. It's in Washington D.C., a short drive from the White House. Let's go where other presidents have staked out part of their legacies here, including President Lyndon Johnson. And of course this is President Obama's last year in office. So the big question will be whether he will wade into the chaotic state of American politics and expand on his remarks from yesterday, talking about how this campaign is not a reality show. So a lot to watch for here at your alma mater.

CABRERA: We will be waiting and listening. That's for sure.

JOHNS: Not yours, Ana.

(LAUGHTER)

CABRERA: That's Victor's and many others.

BLACKWELL: Thank you so much. The Kentucky Derby is today, but of course not just a horse race. Our Coy Wire is live at Churchill Downs in Louisville checking out the food and some of the fashion. I see you've got the topper on now.

COY WIRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Trying to be like you, Victor. Twenty horses are going to run in the Derby today in front of about 60,000 people. The winning horse is going to take a prize of about $1.6 million, where that iconic garland, 40 pounds worth of roses, big stakes, big bets, too. Last year nearly $200 million was bet on derby. Earlier in the morning I showed you a $2,500 mint julep. Ana got excited. Well, Ana, I found your one. Woodford Reserve has been selling these and they're looking to add to the nearly half-a-million they've already donated to Equine charities, gold plated cup, gold plated straw, copper dusted pecans. Oh, yes, Ana, Victor, good bourbon for a good cause. And if I didn't spend so much on this derby outfit, I'd buy one and bring you one back.

CABRERA: It's the thought the counts.

BLACKWELL: Copper-dusted pecans, that's new one. All right, Coy, thanks so much. We'll check back with you. CABRERA: A civil war is raging right now within the GOP. On one side supporters of Donald Trump and on the other, those who want to stop him. And it's right in the middle of this divide leaders like House Speaker Paul Ryan who says he is still making up his mind. Here's what Trump said about Ryan at his rally yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Paul Ryan, I don't know what happened. I don't know.

(BOOS)

TRUMP: He called me two, three weeks ago. It was a very nice conversation. He was congratulating me. This was before we had the ultimate victory. But he was congratulating me for doing so well. I figured routinely he'd be behind it. And the other day just did a big surprise, because I've had so many endorsements.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: You heard the crowd's response there. This is what Trump is talking about. Listen to what Speaker Paul Ryan told CNN this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN, (R) SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: I'm not there right now. And I hope to, though, and I want to. But I think what is required that we unify this party. And I think the bulk of the burden on unifying the party will have to come from our presumptive nominee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: He's not quite there in being ready to endorse or stand behind Donald Trump. Part of what's stopping the party from the unity behind Trump, his rhetoric. He's now changing his target but not necessarily his tone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[10:05:05] TRUMP: I just learned that crooked Hillary, along with her friend, you know, she's got this goofy friend named Elizabeth Warren, she's on a Twitter rant, she's a goofus. She is a goofus. You ever see her? This woman, she's a basket case.

(BOOS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Oh, boy. Joining us live from Washington, CNN politics reporter Eric Bradner. Eric, there's this meeting planned for Thursday between Ryan and Trump. Should we expect an endorsement from that or more division?

ERIC BRADNER, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: It doesn't seem likely that an endorsement is coming for a couple of reasons. One is Trump's tone doesn't seem to be changing. You just heard him called Elizabeth Warren a basket case. This is a few days after he suggested that Ted Cruz's father might have conspired with Lee Harvey Oswald. Paul Ryan is looking for Trump to change his tone and there's no evidence, even after Ryan sort of rebuked him, that Trump is going to do that.

The other consideration for Paul Ryan here is very practical. He gave cover to a lot of House Republicans who could be facing tough races to get some distance from Trump, and until it look like a smart political bet to get closer to Trump, Paul Ryan is probably not going to give up that distance he's given members of his own conference. Right now Paul Ryan is looking at poll numbers that show Trump about 13 points behind Hillary Clinton. If that gap closes, you could see Ryan and other Republicans who are part of the resistance Trump get a little bit closer. But we'll have to see if that happens over the summer.

CABRERA: All right, Eric Bradner, thank you.

BRADNER: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: So how close can the parties, the elements of the party, come together? Does Donald Trump want to bring the GOP within his ranks or does he not? Joining me now on the phone, Scottie Nell Hughes, national political commentator for USA Radio Networks, also a Donald Trump surrogate. Scottie, good to have you with us.

SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER (via telephone): Good morning.

BLACKWELL: I want you to listen to what a Republican strategist said on our show this morning about he could not support Donald Trump. And, frankly, he isn't alone there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVAN SIEGFRIED, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST, COMMENTATOR: He's going out and he's pushing narratives from the "National Enquirer" about his rivals. When Speaker Ryan said he wasn't ready to get behind him, quote, "right now," he went out and he basically had his chief spokesperson attack and say if you can't do this, you are not prepared to be speaker of the House. And then in the interview you played just now, he's saying the will of the people. I have got news for him. Yes, he got historic votes, but for every two votes for him, three votes were cast against him, 60 percent of the Republicans said we do not want Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So, Scottie, should we be surprised at all that Donald Trump is having some difficulty unifying the party considering that 60 percent of the GOP primary voters voted for someone else?

HUGHES: I have a lot of respect for Evan. But here's the people missing. Of course you're going to look at, we can all skew our numbers, but when you look at them, all these people keep telling us two-thirds voted against him. Well, because there were 17 candidates in the race. That's what the problem with the Republican Party has been all along, they have no strategy. So 60 percent might have voted against him, but in the end you have to look at a majority of the Republican Party, the majority of people who voted, voted for Mr. Trump.

And, yes, that is going to have to be a mountain that Mr. Trump is going to have to climb. Why I think you saw that attack against Elizabeth Warren yesterday, those words not necessarily my choice of words, to be honest with you. But she was on viciously, if you go and look on Elizabeth Warrant's Twitter feed, for hours she had numerous tweets attacking Mr. Trump. That actually helps his cause. That's what all these folks have not figured out, people like President Obama and even people like Paul Ryan and Hillary Clinton, and now you've got Elizabeth Warren unite against Mr. Trump. That solidifies his message and the reason why he's dominating all along.

BLACKWELL: You brought up Hillary Clinton there, and we know that Donald Trump has some work to do in persuading women to support him. He has pretty high unfavorable the latest polls. I want you to listen to what he said yesterday about former president Clinton and former secretary Clinton, and then we'll talk about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Nobody in this country and maybe in the history of the country politically was worse than Bill Clinton with women. He was a disaster.

(BOOS)

TRUMP: He was a disaster. I mean, there's been anybody like this. And she was a total enabler. She would go after these women and destroy their lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:10:11] BLACKWELL: Is this the way, Scottie, that the Trump campaign will try to win over women across the country by going after former President Clinton and considering Secretary Clinton an enabler? Is that the central part of this strategy.

HUGHES: I think what he was talking about, and this is my assessment from the outside. One thing that Hillary Clinton is having a problem with in her own party our millennials and women. First of all, you're looking at the Democrats who are supposed the party for women, yet Hillary Clinton still has a very high unfavorable number, maybe not as high as Mr. Trump, but within her own party it's still extremely high. And for a woman, female president on that ticket, it should be incredibly low.

And the other issue she has is with millennials. These are folks that were not around for Bill Clinton and did now know that story. So what he's going to do is bring that up, and he's going to bring up the multiple stories that it's not just one person but several. So obviously there is a strategy to this to start bringing that up. But I think in the end, his reason for doing this is he wants to take out this gender card that we have seen played by Hillary almost every day, almost every speech she gives. She brought it up against Bernie Sanders back in October, calling him sexist. I think he's wanting to eliminate that emotional baggage, that emotional shield right now. But when it actually comes to it and they're both the party nominees, they can talk about policy and what they want to do for America in the future.

BLACKWELL: Scottie Nell Hughes, thanks for calling in.

HUGHES: Thank you.

CABRERA: Still ahead, we'll turn to the Democrats. Bernie Sanders vowing to remain in the race, also leaving the door open for a V.P. spot on the ticket with Hillary Clinton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like a scene out of a movie. It reminded me of the TV show "Walking Dead," where you're going down the highway and there's just abandoned people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Still ahead, this massive wildfire raging out of control in Canada could double in size by the end of today. We'll have a live report there on the devastation.

And you're looking at images from the capture takedown yesterday of a federal law enforcement officer now accused of several deadly shootings in Maryland. New details about one of the victims coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:15:50] CABRERA: "Hell," "Armageddon," "The Walking Dead," people in Canada characterizing a massive wildfire burning through Fort McMurray right now, and it could double in size by tonight. Firefighters are battling huge flames. They're dealing with very high temperatures and no chance of rain for the next several days. The fire is so powerful it's creating its own storm systems.

And to give you some more perspective here, this fire is already larger than New York City. The flames have wiped out 1,600 homes and businesses, 90,000 people have had to flee. Another 7,500 people were initially trapped. They've been rescued.

And CNN correspondent Paul Vercammen is joining live now from Edmonton where some of those evacuees are now going. And Paul we were just talking about how brutally dry it has been there. Any reprieve in sight from Mother Nature? We are having some difficulty with Paul Vercammen's connection it sounds like. We will try to link back up with him to get the latest again on this humongous firefighter that authorities have under way right now in Canada. I believe we have Paul Vercammen now with us. Paul, talk about the challenges that firefighters and residents there are up against. PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the weather for one. It's

extremely dry, especially for May here in Canada, and the temperatures were elevated. And then you get those gusty winds. So it's almost the devils pitch fork of circumstances. They do say we might get a little bit of rain tomorrow and possibly on Monday, certainly not enough to end this event. And then they're battling multiples fires which stretches resources. You have got 40 of them burning, five are still out of control. It's almost as if all of North America, but especially Canada with their eyes on these fires. Let's listen to Canada's prime minister.

Well, we don't have that for right now, but we can just characterize what he said. Of course, everyone is concerned here. And what are they concerned about? The people, how this has affected them. So many of the evacuees have come here to Edmonton and this Expo Center. And we were speaking with one woman who for here it was really just absolutely stunning it seems that twice in her life she finds herself being refugee.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's heartbreaking. I don't know if I have anything to go back to. I really don't know. When I was seven years old, I went through the fencing, I left the Congo to come here. So it brings back those memories so bad. The last few nights for me, I haven't slept. I'm up all night. I realize I'm a refugee again in a country that I thought I wouldn't be a refugee. So it's so heartbreaking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: Thousands of those evacuees staying here, staying on cots. Most of them did not get out much at all as the fire came through Fort McMurray so quickly. Many of them having just a driver's license or a passport, their medicine, and perhaps a bag of clothes. And it just is, you know, something to hear them tell those individual tales of survival, Ana.

CABRERA: And you look at the images, it's amazing that people made it out. Still no injuries, no deaths, is that correct?

VERCAMMEN: From what we understand, I have not independently heard or confirmed any serious injuries or death. So they were very successful in getting people out of there. But a lot of close calls. I interviewed, for example, one young man who shot that just unfathomable dash board camera from his truck. And he said that the walls of flame, and you can see in the video, they were unbelievably tall, 20, 30, 40, 50 feet arching into the air. Talk about close calls, it makes you shake your head, almost.

CABRERA: No kidding. Paul Vercammen, thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: Much more ahead on newsroom.

[10:20:00] Hillary Clinton calls on Democratic voters to protect President Obama's legacy from falling to Donald Trump. Will her strategy work?

Plus, Bernie Sanders maintains he has a path to the nomination. But does he leave the door open to potentially running on the Clinton ticket?

CABRERA: And Coy Wire is live at Churchill Downs. And 20 top notch thoroughbred horses, elaborate hats, and high stakes. Coy?

WIRE: Ana, Victor, horses dashing, yes, but flashy fashion is what the derby is all about. We sought out one of the best hat makers in the entire world right here in Louisville to show us how it's dome. And coming up, we're going to show you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Just minutes from now President Obama is expected to deliver a commencement address at Howard University in Washington, D.C. This is a historically black university, your alma mater. You must feel proud this morning.

BLACKWELL: I do.

CABRERA: Today marks the first graduation speech for the president of the season. And the president expected to deliver words of encouragement as students say goodbye to the classroom and they walk towards a new chapter. Of course all this happening as the president tries to cement his legacy during his final months in office. And according to a new CNN/ORC poll 51 percent of Americans now say they approve of the president's performance.

[10:25:02] With me now, Hillary Clinton supporter and Mayor of Miami Beach Philip Levine who says a good approval rating for Obama is the key to propelling Hillary Clinton to a win come election day. Thanks for being here.

MAYOR PHILIP LEVINE, CLINTON SUPPORTER: Thank you.

CABRERA: Mayor, I want to play something Hillary Clinton said this week, and we'll talk on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm running to build on the progress that President Obama has made. I am proud of that progress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: So she's obviously not staying away from President Obama and says she wants to be part of that legacy and build on it. How important is it for her to tie herself to President Obama? We've seen approval ratings go up and down.

LEVINE: Well, President Obama we believe is very, very popular. Look at the great things he's done. Number one, he took office, unemployment was over 10 percent, created so many jobs. Now it's under five percent. He's created -- millions and millions of people now have health insurance that didn't have health insurance before. Number three, he is the first president to put together an international climate change pact to fight back against climate change and stop sea level right which affects our city in Miami Beach. So when you have a president like this who is so charismatic, who is popular, who can really drive out the base, who wouldn't want to run with President Obama?

CABRERA: Today is a big day for President Obama, the president getting ready to deliver his graduation speech at Howard University. I want to read you something from the "Washington Post," quote, "The hard truth is this year's graduates will enter an America that is politically fractured and polarized by forces once thought to be on the path to extinction, forces epitomized by Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee who ascended to leader of his party by playing racial politics and catering to bigotry against immigrants, Muslims, Hispanics, women, blacks, and Jews." So Philip, how do you think the current race will impact what we hear from the president today?

LEVINE: I think President Obama understands that I think the country is really realizing that the Republican Party today, they have created Frankenstein, AKA Donald Trump, and he's coming to a village near you. And of course President Obama has worked for almost eight years to unify our country. That is Secretary Clinton's message. It's Senator Sanders' message. And you have Donald Trump of the Republican Party who is out there building a wall around the Republican Party, and outside that party are African-Americans, Hispanics, and women, and it's really not the American way. And I think President Obama understands that and I think he's going to make that very clear to our country.

CABRERA: But Trump is turning people out to vote who may not have participated in past election cycles, so he does have passionate supporters on his side. And yet there are some we've now heard trying to break away from that Trump position, we know Senator Lindsey Graham has spoken out, saying not voting, Mitt Romney not voting for Trump, Jeb Bush saying he's not going to vote for Trump. Hillary Clinton has seized this moment to try to gain support from those Republicans who are anti-Trump. Yet how can she win those people over is she stays so tied to the president's legacy on the campaign trail.

LEVINE: I think it's happening right now. As a matter of fact, my phone has been ringing off the hook of how many people in Miami that are prominent Republicans that will not stand behind Donald Trump. They won't vote for Donald Trump, they won't financially support Donald Trump, and they're going over to Secretary Clinton's campaign. I'm hearing it every day from very, very prominent people. So I'm sure it's happening all over the country, not just in south Florida.

Remember something -- Republicans love their party, but there's one thing that they love more than their party and that's their country. And they look at dangerous Donald as a tremendous danger to our nation, and they will not support him. It's happening more and more and it's happening across the country.

CABRERA: Mayor Philip Levine from Miami, thank you so much for joining us this morning.

LEVINE: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: We've got some live pictures, and we're going to take you to Dover, Delaware, here, where Vice President Biden will soon deliver the commencement address at Delaware State University. You see here the board of trustees, the university president, and the rest going up to the stage as the commencement ceremonies begin here. Of course this is commencement season. We're waiting, Vice President Joe Biden speaking at Delaware State, of course his home state of Delaware. And in just a few moments President Obama will be delivering the commencement address at Howard University in Washington, D.C., a live picture here from the campus of Howard University. We'll bring that to you live.

Also ahead this morning, new details in the death investigation of Prince, why a probate court is authorizing testing of the singer's blood and what this means for his estimated $300 million estate.

[10:30:06] But first, meet another CNN top hero this year, a man whose organization planted it one millionth tree, part of the campaign to clean up the nation's waterways, especially the Mississippi. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHAD PREGRACKE, CNN HERO: I started a million trees program just from being out here on the islands of the Mississippi River. We started planting these trees to create more food for wildlife. They hold back the banks of the river, it helps air quality. The roots actually filter the water. Trees are a great thing, and I really like trees. What I love about it is has a lasting impact. One tree is really good, but I think a million is even better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: You can watch the full story at CNNHeroes.com. And then check out all of this year's top 10 and vote for your favorite to become CNN Hero of the year. You can vote once a day at CNNHeroes.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Live pictures here from the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C., where any moment now President Obama will be speaking at the nation's capital. Here he is delivering the commencement speech at the event today. You see here President Obama coming to the center of the screen. On his left, the president of Howard University, Dr. A.I. Wayne Frederick. To his right is Vernon Jordan who will present him today with an honorary degree from the university, a doctor of science.

CABRERA: And Mr. Obama now the sixth sitting U.S. president to deliver a key note address at Howard University. There's a lot of expectations on him today given his historic position of being the first African-American president of the United States, again talking to the crowd at this historically black college. We'll continue to watch this, and when he comes to speak, we will dip in.

BLACKWELL: Let's turn to another big event today. It's called the greatest two minutes in sports, the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby. That's today.

[10:35:07] But there of course is more than the two minutes of the horse race. Coy Wire joins us now live from Churchill Downs in Louisville. This is your first derby, Coy. How does it feel?

WIRE: It feels so good, Victor. The pomp, the circumstance, the passion for fashion, all off the charts. And good thing they sent me to cover Derby and not Victor, he'd be living it up. We'd never get any reporting done.

We sought out one of the best hat makers in the world right here in Louisville. Meet the owner of Forme Millinery. She's been making Derby fans and celebrities ready to be the best in show. Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNY PFANENSTIEL, OWNER FORME MILLINERY: I'm Jenny Pfanenstiel, the owner of Forme Millinery here in Louisville, Kentucky. One of the main reasons that drew me to making hats is I've always loved hats. I've been dressing up in hats since I was a little girl.

The process of making a handmade, one of a kind hat, it's a three to four-day process depending on the type of hat I'm making. It's all done from scratch through a process used for over 100 years called blocking. I'm very fortunate to have made hats for First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey. The Kentucky Derby probably brings about 50 percent to 60 percent of my business during the year. It was said that to wear a hat brought good luck to the races. So when you bet, hopefully you won some money on those horses.

The key to a great Kentucky Derby hat can be many things. Sometimes people like that traditional, big-brimmed hats. A lot of people are branching out to what's called a fascinator or a hatinator, which is kind of a new tradition. This is an opportunity for people to really get out of their comfort zone and wear something that maybe they haven't worn before. It's not just wearing a hat. It the whole experience. People are finding that perfect outfit with the perfect accessory that that hat to match. For those that want to stand out and have something made that's one of a kind, that when they can come to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: A wonderful story as part of it all, the fashion, the mint juleps, the roses. We're going to keep you posted guys as the day goes along, the fashion and the favorites for the Kentucky Derby.

BLACKWELL: Looking forward to it, Coy Wire, thanks so much.

President Obama, let's take that live look if we can, set to deliver the keynote address here at Howard University just minutes away. He will of course address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the graduates of this university, and we could expect him to address the presidential race. Stay with us for that. We'll bring it to you live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:41:22] BLACKWELL: Live pictures here of President Obama at Howard University just moments away from his delivery of the commencement address at the university in Washington D.C., his first commencement address of the season. We'll stand by for potentially comments about the president's legacy, his work over the last several years, and the presidential race looking forward to the general election in November.

CABRERA: There's definitely a lot of interest in this commencement address, a lot of people in the articles I've been reading, Victor, have talked about the 1965 commencement address given at Howard University by then president Lyndon Johnson during the time of the civil rights movement. And so being the first African-American president of the United States, a lot of discussion about how far this nation has come, and yet some of the rhetoric in this year's presidential race is a sign of what has been in the past for America.

I want to bring in Fredricka Whitfield who is here with us, because I know both of you are alumni of Howard University. Fredricka, what do you think this moment means?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It's a remarkable moment. You made the reference for 1965, but it was then senator Barack Obama who was on Howard University's campus back in 2007 who said while it is remarkable to think about how far we have come, he said his candidacy for president was not about making history but instead it was really about impressing how important it is for this generation to make its mark.

So it will be interesting to hear whether he is challenging this generation of the class of 2016 to make its mark. While of course this is a university, the cornerstone of integrity, of excellence, of inclusivity, his message speaks more not just to the graduates of Howard University but, of course, as sitting president of the United States, it is a global message. And this is a university that prides itself on the global inclusivity of that campus. So I think everyone is anxious to hear what this president has to say, not just to the graduates but to everyone.

BLACKWELL: It will be interesting to see if the president addresses the Black Lives Matter movement in his remarks today. Of course this is a university where students have been over many decades involved in fighting segregation, the apartheid in South Africa. So we'll see if the president addresses that today, something I know is close to the heart of many of the students there.

And you mentioned back in 2007, the president, who was then a senator, starting to campaign in October of 2007 spoke at the opening convocation. So it is fitting that he bookends his time in Washington by starting with the opening convocation before he took the oath, and then finishing his administration with a commencement here on this day at Howard University. We will again bring that to you live.

WHITFIELD: And it is the continuation of a tradition. This is a federally funded university. This isn't the first president. This is remarkable because it is the first African-American president, but this is the sixth U.S. president to have a speech, to be invited, you know, for a commencement ceremony of this magnitude.

CABRERA: And it the president's first commencement address of the season.

WHITFIELD: All while his vice president is just down the road in Delaware. So it is a big day as it pertains to the class of 2016.

[14:45:01] CABRERA: And we will be bringing you, as Fredricka mentioned, the global message that expect to hear from the president once he does take the podium to deliver those remarks, so do stay with us. We'll be sure to dip in as soon as he talks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: CNN gets exclusive underwater access to a cutting edge nuclear attack submarine. Now, the primary mission right now is to keep a close watch on Russia, and, of course, other adversaries.

CABRERA: And as CNN's chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto explains, while the cold war might be over, tensions are still bubbling beneath the surface.

JIM SCIUTTO: Victor and Ana, we've seen this play confrontation in between the U.S. and Russia play out in the air. You have these close fly-bys of U.S. and NATO aircraft by Russian planes, fly-bys of U.S. and NATO warships on the water, public disagreements over Ukraine and Russia. What we haven't seen is what's taking place underwater, a real arms race there, you can say, and we got a rare view inside.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[10:00:50] SCIUTTO: The crew of the USS Missouri nuclear attack submarine training for war. They simulate firing torpedoes and cruise missiles from deck towards targets on sea and land. And they are constantly testing the sub's enormous speed and maneuverability.

We're in the midst of another steep ascent. You're hearing that alarm as we approach 20 degrees. We're going to get to a 25 degree angle. Keep in mind, I'm standing up straight now, but as I'm leaning forward, that's keeping me to the ground in relation to the ground the angle of ascent gets sharper.

These are just exercises, but the Missouri, the "Mighty Mo" to its crew, has repeatedly come nose to nose with real world threats. When Russia annexed Crimea, launched military action in Syria, the Missouri was deployed nearby, and when a Russian sub turned up off the coast of Florida in 2012, it was the USS Missouri called into action to track it.

They're showing where they can go?

COMMANDER FRASER HUDSON, USS MISSOURI: Honestly, I think it's operational experience. If anything were to ever happen, they have experience. They know those waters. I don't think it's a political statement.

SCIUTTO: Russia is deploying attack submarines in numbers and with aggressiveness in advances in technology not seen since the cold war. And now China, North Korea, Vietnam, India, and others are joining a new arms race under the sea. Commodore Ollie Lewis commands a squadron of 10 Atlantic based subs including the Missouri.

COMMODORE OLLIE LEWIS, COMMANDER, SUBMARINE SQUADRON 12: We were operating in places where we didn't have to rely on an adversary being there to challenge us. That's changing. We're back to the point now where we have to consider that there's an adversary ready to challenge us in the undersea domain and that undersea superiority is not guaranteed.

SCIUTTO: The Missouri's greatest asset may be its silence, invisible to satellites, virtually inaudible to other ships and subs, giving the U.S. the element of surprise.

HUDSON: Whether there is a submarine there or not, they don't know. And they have to take that into their calculus when they make decisions to do bad things.

SCIUTTO: And so underwater is where these boats and their crews spend nearly 90 percent of their time deployed.

So the USS Missouri is coming into port now in Jacksonville, Florida, and that's not something if you're a submariner they you do very often. Their most recent deployment, they were out for 181 days, 163 days were at sea. That is the life of a submariner.

That is a call to action the U.S. Navy 70 submarines are getting more and more often.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Live pictures here from Washington, D.C. You see at the center of your screen, President Barack Obama just moments before he delivers the commencement address at the events here at Howard University. We of course will bring those to you live. Mr. Obama is the sixth sitting U.S. president to deliver the keynote address. Of course we expect him to discuss his work over the last eight years and possibly, probably, the upcoming general election.

CABRERA: We'll go ahead and bring in Joe Johns standing by in Washington for us. Joe, we know this is the first of three commencement speeches the president will be giving in this graduation season here, and then Rutgers, and will end at the Air Force Academy. He gets dozens of requests from universities to speak every year. What's the significance here? JOHNS: Well, I think there's a big significance in the fact this is

considered the Mecca of historically black universities in the United States, and this is an opportunity for the president to stake part of his legacy on a speech, as some other presidents have, notably Lyndon Johnson. This is an opportunity for the president of the United States, if he wants to, to weigh in on the state of national politics. He just did weigh in yesterday on the state of national politics, the first time since Donald Trump became the presumptive GOP nominee, talking about the president's view that this is not a reality show, this campaign. The job is a very important job.

And the question now is the extent to which he might want to weigh into national politics in this which is an apolitical setting, of course, but as an outgoing president of the United States at a school like Howard University, where he is very presumably very popular, he can do just about anything he wants. So we're waiting to see what the president has to say. He's going to receive an honorary degree here from Howard University which will be president to him from Washington inside Vernon Jordan. You see him sitting there to the president's right. And then the president is going to give a speech.

BLACKWELL: Vernon Jordan also a member of Howard University's board of trustee. Joe, in addition to discussing national politics, which we should expect any time a president or former president delivers a commencement address, this is also a university where there has been and will continue to be a sense of social justice, social responsibility. Any expectation that the president will discuss that as well?

JOHNS: Absolutely. There is an expectation that he's going to discuss the social responsibility at Howard University as well, highly likely we hear from the White House press secretary that he is going to talk just a little bit about the state of historically black colleges and universities. And there's a big question, of course, about funding for many of these schools because some more than others having financial problems around the country, and something of a commitment from this administration to try to continue funding to help those universities survive. So an opportunity for the president to talk a little bit about his budget plans, and that's something that educators particularly at schools like Howard will be listening very closely for.

[10:00:02] CABRERA: We will be watching and waiting. We see the president sitting there right in the middle and about to deliver those remarks in the next few minutes.