by switching to xfinity x1. rio olympic games show me gymnastics. x1 lets you search by sport, watch nbc's highlights and catch every live event on your tv with nbc sports live extra. i'm getting ready. are you? x1 will change the way you experience nbcuniversal's coverage of the rio olympic games. call or go online today to switch to x1. good morning, everyone i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackpwell. we're live in cleveland, ohio, the site of the republican

national convention. moments ago president obama calling a meeting in the situation room after that bloody coupe attempt in turkey. the airspace over a american base in turkey has been closed off. the reaction from the pentagon in just a moment. the new details in the man behind the truck rampage in the south of france. officials are saying he was rapidly radicalized. >> in about an hour, donald trump makes his official announcement of the number two. he'll introduce his pick for vice president, indiana governor mike pence. we'll bring you that coverage live from new york. you're looking at the stage and we'll bring that to you when it happens. for more on this major blow potentially in the fight against isis, let's get to cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr who

joins us on the phone. what do we know about this meeting? >> good morning, victor and christi. the president calling his team to the white house to get a full briefing on what is happening and what it means for u.s. national security, turkey, a major nato ally. this is a country that is in europe. that is one of the u.s.'s key security partners in the fight against isis. the picture this morning for the u.s. military in turkey, there's about 1,500 troops at a base in southern turkey, conducting isis air strikes. the picture for them quite confused at this hour. the word we have gotten in the last few minutes from defense officials is that the turks have restricted access to this u.s. air base and have closed the air space around there because the turks aren't sure they have full control of the airspace by the

government. the confusion is whether and when the turks will in fact reopen that air space. there seems to be some indication from defense officials, u.s. officials they are not getting clear word on this. as far as we know, right now, u.s. air strikes out of inserlic air base in southern turkey against isis are halted at least for now. the u.s. flies out there to conduct their strikes mainly just across the border into northern syria. u.s. officials say if this does go on for some time, they'll simply try and shift everything to another base that isis should not think the u.s. isn't out there patrolling the skies. at least right now, the operations of the u.s. military against isis are undergoing a shift and a bit of a halt due to this coup in turkey. >> we know that the u.s. and the

global community had waited for so long for turkey to make that base available to get involved in this fight to take on isis. now this at least brief pause which could be extended as they review security there in turkey after that coup attempt. barbara starr there from the pentagon. thank you so much. christi? shutting down the airspace over the air base follows an intense night of bloody fighting as the turkish military battled its own troops trying to carry out the coup. you know parliament is meeting right now to review the situation which is left the country shaken. 161 people died as the revolt was crushed there. nearly 3,000 military officer and troops are now in custody. suspected of being behind the coup attempt. moments ago, secretary of state john kerry addressed the situation. >> we stand by the government of turkey. it is our understanding that things are now calm.

that order is being restored. >> cnn's senior international correspondentne takes us how th unfolded. >> reporter: 11:25 local time the military says it has taken control of the country. 12:26 a.m., saturday. turkish president spoke to the country via a facetime call telling the people to go the streets to fight. the ai 1:50 a.m. gun shots reported at the presidential complex in ankara and reports of helicopters opening fire at the national intelligence headquarters. video and photos posted on social media showed large crowds

marching through the streets and taunting soldiers. some facing off against tanks and armored vehicles. crowds also gathering at istanbul's airport, the site of a terror attack two weeks ago. another flashpoint, the bosphorus bridge connecting europe and asia. >> we heard bombs the past hour and the fighter planes going over us. the last one everyone got up and ran inside. >> reporter: 2:51 a.m. the turkish national intelligence unit claims the coup is over. there are also reports of bombs thrown outside the parliament building in ankara. meanwhile, troops entered tv stations taking over the newsroom of trt and shutting down the network. >> it was a scary moment. my staff, their phones were confiscated. >> reporter: around 3:20 a.m.

turkish president's plane lands at istanbul's airport. he said law enforcement has started arresting military officers at various ranks. turkey's deputy prime minister talks to cnn on the phone. >> who is in control now in turkey? >> well, there has been a failed coup attempt. government is in full control. there is still some rogaircraft over ankara. >> reporter: 6:30 a.m. at dawn on saturday, the president addresses a large crowd. he calls the coup attempt treason. and says his government is in control. >> we will stand firm, we are not going to compromise. >> reporter: daylight brings clear pictures of the aftermath. these incredible scenes from istanbul's bosphorus bridge have

soldiers surrendering. pictures of serious damage to the turkish parliament. thank you, as we told you in about 20 minutes president obama will meet with his national security and foreign policy team about the situation in turkey. we're following another developing story this morning, new details about the man behind the truck rampage in southern france. there are reports that investigators are probing phone logs between that man and a potential terrorist. we'll talk about that. isis says he was a soldier for its cause. and a lot of people watching new york at the top of the hour, donald trump is expected to make it official, his choice for running mate governor pence of indiana. coverage with that begins with wolf blitzer in jmt. u. st. . a . m. . . . . . . .

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here in new york in just about an hour from now. this really seemed to go down to the wire, victor. thursday evening trump telling another network he still had not made a final decision. pence had until friday as you know to withdraw his papers to run for reelection. trump officially offered pence the position on thursday. we're told trump's children was heavily involved in the decision making process. some feel it was the right choice. cameras caught up with him after he got the official word on friday. >> i'm excited. i'm excited to be joining the ticket tomorrow with donald trump. i think he'll be a great president and i look forward to carrying his message all across the country in the months ahead and serving with him in the next administration. >> the feeling among some gop insiders is that pence brings balance to the ticket by appealing to social conservatives. tea partiers and evangelicals,

the 56-year-old governor was a catholic until becoming a born again christian in the 70's. pence called trump's plan to ban muslims unconstitutional. pence voted to support the war in iraq. trump was against it. and has criticized hillary clinton for supporting it. pence endorsed ted cruz during the primaries. a senior advisor to mitt romney's presidential campaign saying pence used to be a real trump critic. senior tweeting it's disorienting to have commiserated with someone regarding trump about how he was unacceptable and then to see that someone become trump's vp. a little bit more about pence, he was elected as indiana's governor back in 2012. he served in congress for 12 years. in the 90s he hosted a radio show called the mike pence show. he gained some notoriety for his role in that indiana religious freedom restoration act.

critics said that measure essentially legalized discrimination against gays. pence later amended it, but in the end, few on either side of the debate were happy about it. he'll be returning to indiana later today for that welcome home rally. victor? >> all right. jason carol for us. the announcement first in new york. thanks so much. let's bring in our national politics reporter m.j. lee. we just got essentially donald trump's resume here and good background from jason carol. what are you hearing about the reasoning behind this choice overall? >> christi this is an example of donald trump listening to his advisors. what we know is that those in trump's inner circle, including some of his children have been urging donald trump for a while now to go with mike pence. now, why did they want him to pick pence? it boils down to they believed he was the safest pick.

jason touched on some of this, but a lot of people believe that mike pence is a true conservative. and that he brings those credentials and can appease the right, especially republicans who are a little skeptical about whether donald trump is a real conservative. they also know that mike pence understands washington and knows washington. he has relationships on capitol hill. and donald trump himself has said all along, he wants someone who can help him really understand and navigate the legislative process. i think another huge factor was simply mike pence's temperment. he's in a lot of ways the opposite of donald trump. he has a steady and calm demeanor. and i think that those in trump's inner circle thought he could sort of balance out donald trump's volatile style. of course mike pence is about to have his first audition in a a little bit in new york. i think even more interesting thing to watch will be his first solo audition, that's going to

happen later this afternoon in indiana. >> we just saw that lit an antebetween donald trump and pence. any indication we'll hear more about that, even from donald trump and how they plan to reconcile it? >> right, i mean it's not unusual for a nominee and their running mate to have differences in opinion. trump and pence have significant differences some of which jason laid out on the muslim ban for example. on trade. that's another big issue that trump has been talking about a lot. so i think -- i can guarantee you on the trump campaign there are aides right now who are devising up ways for trump to answer questions about the different things he's said, differences between himself and trump on policy. because he is going to get asked these questions over and over again. heading into the general

election. >> all right. m.j. lee, thank you so much. we have heard from republicans about this choice, how are you democrats reacting to trump's pick of a running mate? chris frates has that part of the story. what's been the reaction? >> good morning, i can tell you that clinton's campaign beat trump to the punch of the roll out of his own vp. minutes after announcing he was his choice. the democrats unloaded on the g governor. with things like this video. >> i long for the day that roe versus wade is sent to the ash heap of history. the american people don't want comprehensive immigration reform. >> clinton rolled out her anti-pence campaign before trump posted his own video announcement or sent out a single fund raising pitch.

missing opportunities to put that choice in a positive light before clinton spun it the other way. clinton was biusy hashing out hr vice presidential choices. elizabeth warren, and housing and urban development secretary julian castro were a few of the veep stakes contestants who met with clinton on friday. clinton is leaning towards an s announcing her choice towards the end of the republican convention. that's a move that could help stoke some drama and help clinton control the new cycle for a couple days. >> all the. certainly could. chris frates for us in washington. thanks. new this morning, isis is claiming that the nice attacker is one of its soldiers. getting different information from french -- from the french authorities who say they can't make that link. we're going to talk more about it.

♪ secretary of state john kerry there at a memorial in

nice along the promenade where 84 people were killed when that driver drove a truck down that road just along the french riviera on bastille day. you see him placing flowers at the memorial. we're learning now more about the man who killed all those people. >> we are. in fact, investigators discovered a phone link between the nice attacker and a terror suspect who fled to syria from that area. they're looking into how the two might be connected. isis meanwhile is calling the attacker a quote, soldier who targeted nationals of the coalition countries fighting isis and the prosecutors office says five people, including the attacker's exwife are now in custody. will ripley is live there. what are you learning this morning? >> reporter: certainly there are a lot of elements of the investigation. we don't know much about the men that were taken into custody. we don't know if they're friends, relatives or associates

of the attackers. we know his estranged wife is being taken into custody. there is that intelligenpossibi relationship between the attacker and a terror suspect. what is clear, is the tragedy that has occurred here along the promenade, the iconic spot on the french riviera. the scene of so much tragedy. these flowers are everywhere. they somewhat conceal the stains that linger on the pavement. everywhere you stand someone was injured or killed. we spoke with man who was staying at this hotel on the f fifth floor. he was watching it from his balcony and he described what he saw. >> what we saw, was bodies everywhere. people limping. straight after people ran every direction. there was pandemonium. they cleared out and it was

bodies on the ground and a few people helping. it took an hour, paramedics an hour later to tend to these people. then the bodies stood her -- laid here till 12:00 the next day. >> reporter: all those bodies laying here, now for the first time since the attack, the beaches are back open. people are out there enjoying the sunshine, i mean, it really is a picture perfect day by all appearances. things at least look like they're back to normal. as you walk along here and think about the fact that people were huddling in between the chairs hoping this would shield them from the truck and you look at the all the kraichairs the trucs swerving around. they're everywhere. look at that flowers there, someone else died right there. it people are out, the tourists are back out. but life just feels different. >> will, it's victor. and you know, after the brussels

attack that airport was shutdown for some time. we saw in istanbul the airport was open the next day and to see people on the beach and people walking along the promenade, i find it shocking, maybe i shouldn't be shocked. but is there some reverence people are walking down this road with? >> reporter: people are stopping and they're pausing and taking a look at these flowers, if you go over here, you can see those women down there, they're looking at an area where there was a candy shop where a group of children were hit and killed, victor. the police said they reopened as quickly as possible because they wanted to make nice feel more normal again automatclearly it . >> will, thank you so much. that's it for us, don't go anywhere. >> wolf blitzer is picking up live coverage. donald trump introduces us to his new running mate, indiana governor mike pence. that begins after this quick break. have a great day. to severe plaque psoriasis.

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hello i'm wolf blitzer in washington. we're following cnn's special coverage of the republican choice for vice president of the united states. in just minutes donald trump will make it official and introduce the indiana governor, mike pence as his running mate. these are live pictures coming in from the new york hilton hotel. this is where donald trump and

mike pence will be appearing momentarily. they billed it as a news conference. they will make statements, we'll see if they answer reporters' questions at the same time. this is the first time trump and pence have taken the podium together since the presumptive nominee announced his discussion on twitter just before 11:00 a.m. eastern yesterday. the revelation came after weeks of dropping hints and very dramatic plot twists. there was even talk of a last minute change of heart. sources telling cnn that trump didn't go with his gut on this one, instead choosing political pragmatism and hopes for a unified republican party in selecting the indiana governor, mike pence. we have team coverage standing by for this major announcement. let begin with our senior white house correspondent jim acosta. he's covering trump he's at the new york hilton hotel. set the scene for us. >> reporter: that's right. in about 30 minutes from now we're scheduled to hear from the gop ticket, really for the first

time together on stage. as running mates. and donald trump and mike pence we've been talking about this over the last couple of days, they're a political odd couple. donald trump the sometimes bombastic very unconventional pru presumptive nominee. mike pence is very different. he's a low key, midwestern nice guy everyone seems to like in the republican party. donald trump is getting rave reviews across nearly every part of the republican party frump t -- these two candidates running mates partners here they do have their differences. donald trump was a critic of the iraq war. mike pence voted in favor of the iraq war. donald trump is come out very

strongly against obamacare. mike pence as governor of indiana expanded medicaid as part of obamacare as governor of indiana. there are lots of other differences, whether or not we'll be able to ask about those differences remains to be seen. from standing in this room even though donald trump tweeted out this was going to be a news conference, the press is set up behind some barricades behind several rows of chairs for guests here. it appears this is not going to be a news conference after all. but getting back to some of the differences between mike pence and donald trump, you know, mike pence himself has taken exception to some of the policies that donald trump has proposed as a candidate in this race. you recall donald trump's initial urging for a temporary ban on muslims entering the united states. the campaign says it's different. they're talking about banning potentially muslims coming from countries that have known terrorism links. back in december mike pence put out a tweet, we'll put it up on

the screen. calls to ban muslims from entering the u.s. is unconstitutional. that was a tweet from pence on december 8th. now that mike pence is on the ticket, last night, the indiana governor was walking that back saying perhaps something has to be changed when it comes to muslims coming binto the united states. here's what he had to say last night. >> i'm very supportive of donald trump's call to temporarily suspend immigration from countries where terrorists influence and impact represents a threat to the united states. >> was it a wording difference? >> well, i think, you know, i've never hesitated to take issue with fellow republicans. yo i don't think things came out quite how i would have done it. i want folks to know i strongly agree with donald trump's call we've got to do something different. >> reporter: now, speaking of

tweets, we should point out that earlier this morning donald trump posted a tweet that said that mike pence was his first choice. that appears to be some kind of response or comment on these reports we've been hearing over the last 24 hours including one from dana bash that donald trump was second guessing himself and wondering whether or not he could get out of this election of mike pence as his running mate. i can tell you from talking to sources inside the campaign they're pushing back on that very strongly. donald trump jr. the son of the presumptive gop nominee told me in a message last night it was nonsense and there are people inside the trump campaign who are very furious with the new jersey governor chris christie. they feel like he is the source or his people may be the source of a lot of those comments that were swirling around yesterday that donald trump was somehow wavering in the selection of mike pence. >> thanks very much. jim acosta we'll get back to you. we'll see if in fact donald trump and mike pence wind up

answering reporters' questions or simply make statements making it very, very official, very public. i want to bring in our panel here in washington. gloria borger our chief political analyst, dana bash is here. malika henderson is with us. gloria, the differences between a presidential nominee, a presumptive nominee vice presidential. it looks like mike pence is moving away from his positions from a host of issues to try to coordinate with the presidential nominee. >> this is an arranged marriage. there is nothing sort of compatible in terms of policy or even temperment. that may be why it will work. and that is exactly why donald trump chose him. there are differences and i fully expect mike pence to have a campaign conversion as we just saw which is having on the

muslim ban, et cetera. but what donald trump is trying to do with mike pence is to lead some skeptical republicans to believe he is serious about governing. and that has been a problem for him. you know, mitt romney who lost had over 90% of support among republicans. right now, donald trump has about 2/3 of republicans with him. so he's got to continue to consolidate that base of republicans, if he's going to beat hillary clinton and make sure they don't stay home. that's exactly what he believes that mike pence will start doing for him. yes, they have differences. but yes, what donald trump is doing with his choice is reaching out to the establishment with whom he has never been close. and doesn't particularly like. but say, look, i am serious about winning and pence, they believe, inside the campaign, can help him get over that finish line. so that's what -- it's clear what donald trump is doing here.

>> you had a major report yesterday reporting there was some second thoughts, even close to midnight that donald trump had should he go after all with mike pence even though he told him he was going to be the nominee. he flew to new york from indiana. even at that late moment, he was beginning to wonder if he was doing the right thing. you heard jim acosta say some trump supporters are saying all of this came from chris christie sources if you will. >> look, let's just talk about why donald trump seemed to have -- we stand by our reporting -- seemed to have second thoughts and was not really 100% sure about that. it's exactly what gloria pointed out. he's never operated in politics before. never mind this kind of level and had to make a decision that was not based on what he felt right here. and especially with something so personal and so high profile. he has said time and time again, publicly that he became donald

trump because he follows his gut. and he goes with what he thinks is right. and, you know, let's face it, he did that and he became the republican nominee against every single odd you can imagine. so this is a first time that he is choosing somebody who is the ying to his yang in every single way in terms of personality, in terms of where he comes from, in terms of his cultural background. and, you know, maybe it's going to work and he's rolling the dice. >> he certainly is. and these are two men not only with very different personalities different styles. as jim acosta pointed out on some very important issues to donald trump they disagree whether they vote in favor of going to war against saddam hussein in iraq. whether the transpacific partnership, a ban on muslims coming into the united states. there was significant disagreements. these are issues very at the forefront of donald trump's

campaign. >> that's right. you know, today people will be looking for the kind of chemistry they have, just standing next to each other. are they more like batman and robin in the way we've seen from other v.p. and presidential packages. that will be something people look for today. what was interesting about this choice the republicans i heard from they like this choice and the democrats like this choice. there is something i think for democrats in pence's record where they think they can continue to pull away moderate republicans, particularly college educated women. you mentioned that romney had pretty much consolidated the party by this time. the voters that trump is having proble problems aren't conservative voters they're moderate voters like the democrats feel like they have a shot with and they feel like pence's record on issues like abortion will help them make that case to that segment of republican voters. >> speaking of democrats i want

to bring in the democratic strategist who is joining us from cleveland. he's a hillary clinton supporter and is involved in a pro hillary clinton super pack. what's your reaction to the decision by donald trump to pick mike pence? >> well, first it's -- dana's reporting has been what's stunning. donald trump's calling card is his leadership as a businessman. i'm a decisive strong leader. and now we find out that he couldn't make this decision. the first presidential decision he made and he didn't trust his instincts, he wasn't happy with him, he was looking for a way to crawfish out of it at the last minute. i find that remarkable from a personal point of view. it gives you a window into trump there may be more bluster than reality. as a strategist nia is right. i like mike pence, he's a good guy. he doesn't help you with them. he has extreme rights on women's

rights, guy rights, none of which who are going to appeal to college educated women. he's doubling down on christian evangelicals where he's getting an enormous share of the vote. he's earned it. i don't see strategically mike pence brings very much. i think it shines a light on unattractive leadership qualities in donald trump. >> i want to get a different perspective. we have a cnn political contributor, donald trump supporter. ka cayly i want you to respond to what we just heard. >> i disagree that mike pence doesn't appeal to college age women. it's a myth that all we care about is abortion. most millennials don't have jobs. this is someone who has a reagan like record. indiana is the fifth highest job growing state. he has a $200 million surplus

despite having the biggest tax increase in state history. this is someone who can make job and bring jobs to the country who has done it in a government capacity. donald trump has done it in a business capacity. i disagree this is a bad pick, this is an excellent pick. >> you've been speaking to a lot of republicans over there, david what's the reaction you're getting from rank and file republicans to this mike pence selection? >> you're hearing a lot of relief from the sort of establishment wing of the republican party. the elected official types the capitol hill aides the folks who work in the states. these are the folks who have been somewhat reluctant or wary of the donald trump candidacy. what you are hearing now okay there's a guy we know who has an access point we can talk to that speaks our language and so

you're hearing a real sense of relief in that way that donald trump did not decide to sort of double down on just the fire brand but actually wanted to bring someone on board who can talk to the portion of the party that has been reluctant to come on board enthusiastically. >> we know, david, a lot of high profile republicans, members of the senate and house, governors they're boycotting they're avoiding going to where you are in cleveland. they don't want to be there. there's been some suggestions or maybe mike pence can force them to reconsider, it's a good idea to show up. are you hearing of anyone who hadn't planned on coming that all of a sudden they're going to be there? >> i've not seen a major change in a high profile republican's schedule yet i'm aware of. whether or not they show up at the convention in cleveland i do

believe that mike pence is going to be the conduit for the mitch mcconnells and paul ryan's of the world. those two will be here in cleveland. but i think he'll be the conduit into the trump campaign for a lot of people. john kasich who is not on board with trump at all, his statement about the pence pick was made it clear he is still not on board with the ticket. you can imagine a conversation between these governors if one needed to take place. that's the kind of inside happening that's going on. >> these are live pictures from the new york hilton hotel. that's where donald trump will officially making his statement, and jointly appearing with the indiana governor mike pence. they'll be making joint statements. they'll kick off their campaign in advance of the republican convention in cleveland.

we'll take a closer look at governor pence's similarities with donald trump and their are some very stark differences as well. this as we await for donald trump to announce pence as his running mate. you'll see it live moments from now. i'm excited. i'm excited to be joining the ticket. and i look forward to carrying his message all across this country in the months ahead and serving with him in the next administration. at clorox 2 we've turned removing stains into a science. now pre-treat with clorox 2! watch stains disappear right before your eyes. remove 4 times more stains than detergent alone.

who do you talk to for military advice right now? i'm hillary clinton and i approved this message. well, i watch the shows. i mean i really see a lot of great - you know, when you watch your show and all of the other shows... while donald trump watched tv, as secretary of state, hillary clinton negotiated a cease fire in gaza. a reduction in nuclear weapons... took on vladimir putin... and stood up against the trafficking of human beings. a steady leader in an unsteady world.

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just moments away from donald trump making it not only official but public the announcement that governor mark pence is his vice presidential running mate. trump said he wanted a political insider as his vp. mark pence fits that description. the indiana governor former congressman has lots of washington experience. republican party connections that trump doesn't necessarily have. >> i'm supporting donald trump because we need change in this country. >> reporter: indiana governor mark pence. a veteran washington insider. >> i'm prepared to make that case anywhere across indiana and across this country that donald trump would want me to. >> reporter: bringing that expertise and executive experience, noted for message discipline while bringing social conservatism to the ticket. it was pence who signed

indiana's religious freedom bill which says businesses have the right to decline participating in same-sex marriages. opponents cried discrimination, and pence backed down and amending the law. his approval ratings took a hit across the state. the recent dust up hasn't seemed to sour trump on pence. >> you have a good governor here. you have a nice guy and he's a good governor. >> reporter: pence hasn't always been aligned with team trump. during the gop primary, he endorsed trump's opponent senator ted cruz. >> i'm not against anybody but i will be voting for ted cruz in the upcoming republican primary. >> reporter: he also singled out and praised donald trump. >> i particularly want to commend donald trump who i think has given voice to the frustration of millions of working americans with lack of progress in washington, d.c. >> reporter: the endorsement of cruz was seem as look warm as best. >> i'm going to work my heart

out to make sure we elect a republican president in the fall of 2016. >> even if it's donald trump. >> indiana needs a partner in washington, d.c. >> reporter: even marked by his future running mate. >> it was the weakest endorsement anyone has seen. >> reporter: there have been times when governor pence has also been critical of donald trump. calling trump out over his attacks on the ethnicity of the judge overseeing the trump university case. >> of course, i think those comments were inappropriate. i don't think it's ever appropriate to question the partiality of a judge based on their ethnic background. >> reporter: and splitting with the gop nominee over his call during the primary to ban muslims from entering the u.s. pence calling trump's proposal offensive and unconstitutional. criticism that pence has tried to downplay in recent weeks. >> i'm supporting donald trump not because i have agreed with

everything he's ever said. i've occasionally taken issue with things he said myself. and republicans have every right to do that. i think at the end of the day it's important we come together around our nominee. >> reporter: pence served as a two term congressman in the u.s. he took off top house leadership positions. a role that could help pence now as he works to unite the republican party. cnn, washington. >> thank you for that report. while we await for the formal announcement from new york we'll show you live pictures from the new york hilton hotel. donald trump, mark pence are going to be walking out there momentarily. we'll hear from trump, we'll hear from pence. this is one of the biggest moments in donald trump's presidential campaign. we've got the best political team here to talk about all that. i want to go out to cleveland to mike shields.

i take it the never trump element in the republican party among the delegates committee, the rules committee, that is basically ended, it's over with. there's no hope for those never trump people? >> yeah, that's right. the rules committee met on thursday and it was really a drought, the trump campaign was actually very well-organized and there wasn't any movement that could really gel itself to fight the never trump, the free the delegates fight in the rules committee. that's been decided now. you could have something that might try to happen over the weekend. i don't see any energy behind that. i think that the trump campaign what this move is doing something that's really going to speak to a lot of the delegates. some of the energy behind the never trump campaign is they were worried about his conservative credentials. we're talking about the differences between trump and pence. i think the differences actually benefit donald trump that mike pence has those differences because he's going to speak to those delegates that are going

to be conservatives that are going to be on the floor next week nominating. i think all of this is adding momentum to him bringing the party together and helping him with the delegates. >> cnn politics reporter eric bradner is with us right now he's at the republican convention in cleveland as well. eric, as far as the platform is concerned that draft platform, it basically is very conservative, some argue more conservative than four years ago. is that right? >> that's right, wolf. so this actually is fascinating given the choice of mark pence as donald trump's running mate. the two of them have quite a few differences of opinion on social issues and on issues of conservative orthodoxy like trade. and so that rips open these policy differences that might have been settled otherwise had trump gone with someone sort of more of his ilk in terms of

policy. the big question now is are democrats going to be able to drive open some of these rifts now that pence and trump are sharing the ticket? >> they certainly are. the democrats will certainly try. stay with us, everyone stay with us. momentarily donald trump will take the stage at the new york hilton together with his vice presidential running mate mark pence, stay with us we'll be right back. you don't let anything keep you sidelined.

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welcome back. i want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer in washington. we're continuing our special live coverage of the republican choice for vice president of the united states. any moment now donald trump will formally introduce indiana governor mark pence as his running mate. we're following the dramatic events in turkey that are unfolding. president obama has called a meeting of his top security advisors, they're meeting in the white house situation room right now. overnight and into the morning a military coup was unsuccessful in taking over the government but left hundreds of people dead and wounded in istanbul and