>> jeff zeleny you cover the democratic side closely, scale of one to ten, how much is hillary in the general election and how focussed is she on bernie sanders? >> 11. she has moved beyond bernie sanders at least six days a week but these two tuesdays, these pesky tuesdays when there are election days she suddenly is reminded that gosh, bernie sanders is still hanging around, so again, on this tuesday, when voters in kentucky and oregon have their say in this, she is likely to not win both of those states. they're fighting hard in kentucky. hillary clinton is in louisville, kentucky, this morning and campaigning there today and tomorrow. they added that to her schedule. they believe kentucky can win, it's a closed democratic primary. she's done better where independents can't vote. the clinton campaign shifted almost entirely to donald trump but they do not want to finish these 11 contests, which are eight states and three territories, the district of columbia, puerto rico and the virgin islands. they don't want to finish this 0 for 11. they want to win some. they think they can win

>> jeff zeleny, thanks.rump the only republican still running for president winning oregon's primary, as expected. this as trump moves to unify the republican party under his control with a deal that will have trump raising money for down ballot gop candidates. the presumptive nominee raising some eyebrows, too, with these new comments over north korea and its nuclear program. cnn's jim acosta has more from trump tower in new york. >> reporter: as he's closing in on clinching the gop nomination, donald trump is assuming more control over the republican party. trump and the rnc announced joint fundraising agreements that's night that will allow the real estate tycoon to raise money for other gop candidates, but trump is still capable of stirring up controversy. the latest example, his comments to reuters that he would speak with north korean leader kim jong-un. those remarks set the stage for a big foreign policy meeting trump will have later today with former secretary of state henry kissinger. the other big

miguel. >> jeff zeleny for us. thank you.linton looking past bernie sanders to the general. she is campaigning not in indiana, but in west virginia. clinton felt the wrath of coal miners angry over her fast remarks that she would quote, put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business as part of her clean energy plan. >> i want to know how you can say you are going to put coal miners out of jobs and come in here and tell us how you will be our friend. because those people out there don't see you as a friend. >> what i said was totally out of context from what i meant. i have been talking about helping coal country for a long time. i did put out a plan last summer. and it was a misstatement because what i was saying is that the way things are going now, we will continue to lose jobs. that's what i went to say. i think that seems to be supported by the facts. i didn't mean that we were going to do it. what i said was that is going to happen unless we take action to try to help and prevent it. i do feel a little bit s

for sharing your sunday morning with us and with us to share their reporting and their insights, jeff zeleny of cnn, alex burns of the "new york times," jill col have an vin of the associated press and cnn's phil mattingly. mr. trump went to washington and came back with a whole lot of unity and positive. the message everyone was eager to send. all eyes on speaker paul ryan, ten days ago here on cnn said he was not presumptive republican nominee. ryan and trump carefully released a joint statement acknowledging there are a few differences but they touted a united front and following the meeting, ryan had this to say about donald trump. >> we really don't know each other. first i though he was a very good personality. he's a very warm and genuine person. >> and then he had this to say about the republican path toward unity. >> our first meeting, i was encouraged with this meeting but this is a process and it's very important that we don't fake unifying, we don't pretent unification. >> so there's that. plus just a day after trump's descent on d.c. and questions about republican solidarity, th

jeff zeleny is with hillary clinton in kentucky and jeff, hillary clinton not only looking ahead to the next contest, she's looking ahead to the general election. >> reporter: she is indeed, jake. she just finished giving a speech in louisville, kentucky a few minutes ago and there is no mention of bernie sanders at all, perhaps not surprisingly. she said i'm looking forward to debating donald trump in the fall. that is where her focus is. for at least the next few hours, the focus on west virginia, the clinton campaign believes they will lose that state and jake, ironic, eight years ago we won that state over barack obama by some 40 points. now she's losing that state they believe because of the comments about coal miners and she is too tied too closely to the obama administration. they believe it doesn't matter and they are right about that. the clinton campaign does not want to limp to the finish line here, jark. that's why they are back on the air paying advertising in kentucky. they want to at least get a few more wins here. tonight they do not think there will be one. she's gettin

let's get the latest from jeff zeleny. >> reporter: another election day today. kentucky and oregon. the clinton campaign is looking to a win in kentucky as one of the states they could possibly use to break bernie sanders recent winning streak. hillary clinton campaigning across the state of kentucky making 11 stops in her last series of visits. yesterday, she campaigned aggressively in kentucky. she had donald trump in her focus as she tries to out run bernie sanders. she took on trump's words as she imagine what had a debate would be like against him. >> let's imagine i'm on a debate stage with donald trump. now personally, i am really looking forward to it. and so let's suppose here's the question. what is your plan to create jobs? his answer is i'm going to create them. they're going to be great. i know how to do it. but i'm not telling you what it is i'm going to do. >> reporter: as hillary clinton keeps her eye on trump, bernie sanders has his eye on hillary clinton. he is having a rally tonight. he believes the 475 delegates in the state of california on

cnn's jeff zeleny was at clinton's rally and has more. >> reporter: two weeks remaining before this california primary, but hillary clinton focusing on one man and one man alone. that is donald trump. as she campaigned in riverside, california, on tuesday night, she focused on donald trump from start to finish, going after him on everything from his reputation in the housing industry to climate change to immigration. throughout her speech, she was talking only about donald trump. she also made clear that she still needs to win the california primary. mathematically speaking, she may not. she has a big lead over bernie sanders, but she believes a win here in california and those other primaries on june 7th would send her to the general election in a much stronger position. this is her message to california voters. >> this primary on june the 7th needs to send a real signal that donald trump will hear, no matter where he is, that california wants a positive future. we want to finish strong, and we want to send that message that we're going

>> jeff zeleny, thanks for that.ocratic race may have been very different if joe biden decided to run. a source tells cnn the vice president met several times last year with massachusetts senator elizabeth warren to discuss having her as a potential running mate. no formal offer was extended with biden ultimately ruling out a presidential bid last october. >>> the obama administration is planning a series of immigration raids targeting mothers and children from central america who are in the country illegally and avoiding deportation orders. the operation will focus on individuals who cross the u.s. border after january 1st of 2014. nearly 28,000 unaccompanied minors from central america have been detained for the first six months of the current fiscal year. that's triple last year's rate. hillary clinton and bernie sanders have come out against these raids. >>> a setback in court for obamacare and its supporters. a federal judge ruling the white house overstepped its constitutional powers by spending billions of dol

tighter race between the democrats in indiana and bernie sanders is campaigning in indianapolis, and jeff zeleny has the latest. >> and let us tomorrow have the biggest turnout in indiana histo history. >> reporter: bernie sanders is firing up the voters today across indiana, and asking the democrats to put the brakes on hillary clinton's march to the nomination. but she is already moving on. >> we cannot let barack obama's legacy fall into donald trump's hands. >> and on the eve of the primary, clinton is looking ahead. to a fall matchup with trump and primary contests down the line. visiting appalachian today. she bought cookies from girl scouts and talking trade with kentucky steel workers, but i don't believe that we should be subsidizing in effect, the rest of the world. we got some card s s to play, a we need to play those cards. >> and in indiana, the race seems close, and clinton is leading sanders far rowly in a "wall street journal" poll, and her advantage is stronger nationally, and leading sanders eight points in the newcnnorc poll, and sanders is increasingingly showing frustration

jeff zeleny joins us now from omaha. what did trump have to say about lindsey graham's comments today? he really spared few words. >> he did, john. took him about 12 minutes to go after lindsey graham which is probably showing restraint for donald trump's usual sort of mean of speaking. remember that unity pledge all the other candidates signed hoping it would keep donald trump in the party? now the others who signed it are being called out for that. that was in donald trump's mind there. he went after lindsey graham aggressively for changing up his positions, his supporters throughout the race. let's listen to what trump said just a little bit ago. >> he fails with his campaign horribly. he then endorses somebody else and then endorses bush and endorses everybody. he's like bad luck. as soon as he endorses the people, they drop out. and then i see him on television knocking me. you're supposed to be coming together. >> and then in the next breath he also talked about jeb bush saying i'm not going to say he's low energy

jeff zeleny "outfront" in indianapolis. like what donald trump and hillary clinton are trying to pivot now to the general election to fighting each other. >> reporter: no doubt. and they definitely are. and remember that woman card comment from last week? the clinton campaign told me a few moments ago, they raised $2.4 million in three days alone over that. so this is a sign that this campaign is engaged. we have two phases going on here. yes, the primary is still going on. but the general already going. the clinton campaign hiring campaign managers in florida. nevada. ohio. colorado. new hampshire. those states have all voted in the primary. they are turning the corner looking ahead. top aides totally me they're spending nearly all time plotting out how to game out this campaign against donald trump. for the trump side of things, he's already bringing hillary clinton into nearly everything he says. you heard that off the reservation comment there. so erin, it's an unusual part of the campaign here where the primary is stil

cnn's jeff zeleny has more on that. >> reporter: george and alison, hillary clinton and bernie sanders fighting hard in california. hillary clinton in northern california today. bernie sanders in southern california. competing for the june 7th primary. it sounds more and more like the general election every day. hillary clinton was going hard after donald trump on immigration. >> when donald trump talks about deporting 11 million immigrants, he's not only talking about ripping families apart, is he? he is talking about deporting more than one half of the 2.4 million farm workers who help feed our country. >> reporter: that is a preview to the general election message she hopes to carry against donald trump in nevada, colorado and other states with significant hispanic populations. bernie sanders is focusing on donald trump. saying he is the democrat to beat donald trump. >> if we win the democratic primary in california and other five states on june 7th, we will have enormous momentum. when we leave the democratic convention with the nomination, donald trump is toast. >> reporter: at t

. >> senior white house correspondent jeff zeleny has more. >> reporter: john and christine, hillary clinton is campaigning in california today. a reminder her primary fight with sanders is still on. the california primary on june 7th, is one of the last contests in the last democratic fight. the campaign is suddenly making a hard turn to the general election. she is sharpening her battle plan for donald trump and intentionally choosing two words to describe him. she said those two words again yesterday with anderson cooper. >> i don't think we can take a risk on a loose cannon like donald trump running our country. you know, donald trump has said it's okay for other countries to get nuclear weapons. i think that's just downright dangerous. he said wages are too high. i think we need to have a raise for the american people. raise the minimum wage. get wages going up. i think when he says women should be punished for having abortions, that is beyond anything that i can imagine. i think most women can imagine. >> he can walk that back. >> he's a loose cannon. >> reporter: as she uses t

cnn's jeff zeleny is with him. >> reporter: john and alison, bernie sanders making the case he is still in the race and fighting to win pledged delegates and super delegates and hillary clinton. the problem is the math. he knows it is difficult. he called the sunday news conference in washington to make the case he is pressing forward. back on the campaign trail in indiana. tomorrow in kentucky. i asked him about donald trump and whether any of bernie sanders words against hillary clinton will be used against him. donald trump will put bernie sanders words in his ads. >> no, i think that's nonsense. i'm glad to see he manages so get through to media in making that point. what is a campaign about? a campaign is supposed to be about not just political gossip, but supposed to be differentiating the points of view candidates have. secretary clinton and i have different points of view on a number of issues. i have tried my hardest to run an issue-oriented campaign explaining to the american people the differences we have. i may be old fashioned, but that's what i think democracy is supposed

jeff zeleny has the latest. >> reporter: john and christine, another election day. this time in west virginia. hillary clinton focusing on a different virginia. the northern suburbs of virginia. a key election battle ground in the fall campaign. she is looking forward to the fall against donald trump. he has called her an enabler. he said she was disrespectful of women 20 years ago. now hillary clinton not being drawn into this at all. we caught up with her on monday in northern virginia to ask how she'll respond. >> i'm answering him on what voters care about. on the differences between our records, our experience, what we want to do for our country. how important it is to try to unify the country and i have been very clear that a lot of his rhetoric is not only reckless, it's dangerous. >> reporter: hillary clinton saying she has nothing to say about that. she wants to focus on issues alone. the audience for this? women voters. the most critical piece of the electorate. donald trump believes this is the way to win over women voters. demoats disagree. they believe

>> thank you, jeff zeleny. is out front, a donald trump supporter along with bill kristol, editor of "the weekly standard" and tim ryan of ohio who has endorsed hillary clinton and is speaking about this very issue to voters. you're going to the mat with this, congressman. hillary clinton trying to hit donald trump where it hurt, how rich he is, how good at business he is. he is doubling down tonight saying this is the kind of thinking this country needs, even trying to defend things like saying ift would be great f the real estate market crashed so someone like me can come in and make money. a lot of people in the united states felt a lot of pain during that time. >> this is going to be very interesting. the clinton's so business experience was whitewater. for those who forget this or were not around at the time, there was a criminal referral to the fbi on their dealings in real estate. whatever else you want to say, the clintons had absolutely no business sense whatsoever. donald trump has employed more people

cnn's jeff zeleny has the latest. >> reporter: john and christine, hillary clinton and bernie sanders running against each other for the next month or so. when you see them on the campaign trail, they are focusing on donald trump. hillary clinton jumped on the refusal of donald trump's tax returns. >> my husband and i have released 33 years of tax returns. we have eight years on our web site right now. so you have to ask yourself why doesn't he want to release them? >> reporter: that clearly is an issue that clinton will keep bringing up again and again as she focuses on donald trump for the general election. she has a major lead in delegates over bernie sanders. that is not stopping bernie sanders from staying in the race. in montana on wednesday, he focused on trump as well. he said he is the strongest democrat to take him on. >> if you look at virtually every poll taken over the last month or six weeks, national polls, state polls, bernie sanders is the strongest democratic candidate to defeat donald trump. >> reporter: a handful of contests remain in the democratic primary race. h

jeff zeleny is in chicago. jeff, i guess what surprises me about her saying that mr.hree weeks ago when i asked her the question she said it was up to the voter. she wouldn't weigh in. today, she was unequivocal. it seems like there's a strategic shift here. >> jake, there is a shift indeed. and partially that is because time is getting on here. she is now fully engaged in donald trump. one adviser told me today she wants to stop his growth, his expansion and stop any voters who have doubts about him from changing their mind. she wants to freeze all of those doubts in place. >> it does appear that it was an act of terrorism. >> reporter: hillary clinton says the loss of egyptair flight 804 is a stark reminder of global threats and dire consequences of this presidential campaign. >> once again, it shines a very bright light on the threats that we face from organized terror groups and it reinforces the need for american leadership, for the kind of smart, steady leadership that only america can provide. >> reporter: sitting down today with cnn's chris cuomo, clinton sayi

let's go back to jeff zeleny there in california. re hearing her make this argument, jeff, against donald trump, like she has been trying to turn what he is touting as his business acumen into casting him as a businessman predator type. is this something that you think has legs or that the campaign feels is really going to be effective for them? >> brianna, the campaign does feel this is going to be effective. we've seen this argument for the last 24 hours or so and seen democrats across the party echoing this so this is something that's a concerted effort from the clinton campaign, but all along hillary clinton has been trying to say she's a fighter for you. you may not like me as much as some other people, but i will fight for you. they are trying to point out here that donald trump is in it for his own success, that he's not fighting for you. they are trying to go after some of the independent voters, voters in the middle, who are sort of settling into the idea, you know, donald trump could sort of disrupt the system and might be j

jeff zeleny joins me live from los angeles. ff, set the stage for us for tomorrow's voting. >> jake, there are 116 delegates tomorrow in both kentucky and oregon. mathematically speaking, hillary clinton does not need to win those contests because democrats divide these proportionally. but politically speaking, she would love to win at least one. that's why she spent all day in kentucky trying to rally some voters and she did so with bill clinton in mind. >> i'm not going to give up on kentucky in november. >> reporter: but before november, hillary clinton had a more urgent task in mind today. her battle with bernie sanders. >> pledged delegates. >> reporter: she's hoping to interrupt sanders recent winning streak on the eve of tuesday's primary. >> i want to help bring back the kind of economy that worked for everybody in the 1990s. >> reporter: and revealing more about bill clinton and his role in her white house. >> i've already told my husband that if i'm so fortunate enough to be president and he will be the first gentleman

>> jeff zeleny in california, thank you so much.s' campaign manager jeff weaver. thank you for joining me. >> happy to be here. >> we've seen the pictures of chaos and we've heard the condemnation of rhetoric. what provoked that reaction? what happened? >> reporter: well, what happened, jake, is that the chairwoman and the party establishment in nevada, a strong arm to process, they started off the convention by passing a set of temporary rules that aren't normally in place over the objections of the people and there was a voice vote which they lost. they proceeded anyway. senator nina turner, a supporter of our campaign, was actually in the room. her accounts of what went on were pretty incredible and very undemocratic with a process going on there, a lot of strong arming. people got very frustrated. >> i want to you take a listen to what cnn political commentator van jones had to say a few minutes ago about dnc chair beb bee wasserman schultz. take a listen to van jones. >> debbie, who should be the umpire, the marriage counselor,

jeff zeleny, thanks so much. meanwhile, bernie sanders' campaign manager spoke out against the threats that some sanders supporters have been making, specifically in nevada but also laid blame on the chair of the democratic national commity. >> he categorically condemns any kinds of threats that went on, absolutely unacceptable, you know. debbie wasserman schultz, we can have a long conversation about desclults and how she's been throwing shade on the sanders campaign since the very beginning. >> on the shade we heard from debbie wasserman schultz herself talking to wolf moments ago. >> my response to that is #smh, if we're going to -- talk about that comment about throwing shade. we need to focus on one thing, get through this primary and work to prepare for the general election. i understand that there are people that would like to fan the flames and -- and, you know, distract from our task at hand. that plays right into the republicans' hands. we'll be united and come together. >> let's talk about this, let's

jeff zeleny joins me live from indianapolis where sanders will hold a rally this evening. the sanders campaign seems to be taking on a sharper tone when i thought they were supposed to be going in the other direction. >> reporter: jake, the tone is sharpening but you can see behind me people are lining up around the block here in downtown indianapolis to see bernie sanders. the democratic party nationally may think this race is over but voters still want to have their say. >> let us tomorrow have the biggest turnout in indiana history. >> reporter: bernie sanders is firing up voters today across indiana. he's asking democrats to put the brakes on hillary clinton's march to the nomination. >> whoa! >> reporter: but she's already moving on. >> we cannot let barack obama's legacy fall into donald trump's hands. >> reporter: on the eve of the indiana primary, clinton is looking ahead to a fall matchup with trump and to a primary contest down the line. visiting appalaicha today, clinton talked trade with kentucky steel workers. >> i don't believe that we should be subsidizing i

jeff zeleny joins us now. g after each other. >> reporter: they are. the series of exchanges sound more like a barroom brawl than a presidential campaign. the biggest sign that elizabeth warren is on the sidelines, inserting herself squarely in the middle of the campaign. she's trying to steal this populous thunder that makes trump popular. he found a new sparring part ee easy to assault. >> donald trump was drooling over the idea of a housing meltdown because it meant he could buy up more property on the cheap. what kind of a man does that? >> reporter: friends of warren tell cnn she knows she needs to step up and it is good for her own politics, after bernie sanders has eclipsed her as the leading liberal. her words are pointed. >> a small, insecure money grubber who doesn't care who gets hurt so long as he makes a profit off it. >> reporter: and she's getting under trump's skin. >> goofy elizabeth warren. i call her goofy. she's a nasty person. >> reporter: democrats long wanted warren in the race, first as

. >> senior washington correspondent jeff zeleny is traveling with the sanders campaign. he has the latest from indianapolis. >> reporter: miguel and alison, sanders campaigning until the very last minute before the indiana primary. he is looking for another win. hillary clinton won five of the last six contests. bernie sanders looking to turn around the momentum. one thing he cannot turn around is the math. hillary clinton has a commanding lead in pledged delegates. more so in super delegates. bernie sanders still making the argument he is going to go forward until the california primary and perhaps until the convention. he was campaigning across indiana on the eve of the primary and not holding back on hillary clinton. still calling on her to release the paid speeches to goldman sachs. still calling her out for the support for iraq war vote. crowds were cheering all along the way here. how this indiana primary turns out tonight will help decide how much the clinton campaign will have to fight back. they already have been trying to turn attention to donald trump and atte

let's go to jeff zeleny. he's covering the democratic race. >> bernie sanders right now is flying from puerto rico to california. you saw me outside earlier where there was a long line of people. now we're inside the arena here. some 8,000 people will be sitting in the stands, another 1,200 on the floor and 4,000 on top here. that will be more than 12,000 people here. the voters we talked to here in california really are wanting to vote for bernie sanders. his supporters certainly. hillary clinton has supporters in california. kentucky, the war rooms of both campaigns are looking exactly at what's happening county by county and they're watching john king to see his analysis of these counties. if clinton wins kentucky, it's a big shot in the arm for her. it doesn't change anything necessarily but given all that i'm still struck by tonight how much hillary clinton ander campaign is focusing solely on donald trump. they are looking ahead to those ads that are coming out tomorrow by her super pac and they're stra

my senior washington correspondent, jeff zeleny, "outfront" live from los angeles. , you're talking to both campaigns tonight. what are they saying about the fate of the head of the dnc? >> well, jim, it's no surprise, the sanders would like to see a change in leadership at the dnc. but that is not their decision to make here. they can have a say in that, of course. there are three players, one is the white house. the president will is a say in this and the other is hillary clinton, of course. the clinton campaign is fine publicly with what's going on at the dnc. they believe none of these grievances here are the fault or responsibility of this particular leadership. she didn't make the superdelegate rules. this is not her doing. but jim, we were struck today by the lack of support that was sent her way. chuck schumer, the leader of the democrats in the senate, told our manu raju today no comment when he asked if he supported her staying in that position. that no comment carries a lot of weight, jim. he just wouldn't answer. several other senators said the same thing

we have the latest from jeff zeleny. >> thank you, new jersey. >> reporter: hillary clinton is moonlightingill campaigning for the democratic primary. >> if we do what we need to do the next few weeks, we will have a big victory june 7th that will take us all the way to the white house. >> it is true we will have a real difference in the general election. >> she's focusing more and more on donald trump. but bernie sanders remains a distraction. his west virginia victory tuesday promises to keep the democratic race alive. today in new jersey it was all about the general election. >> i have to tell you how concerned i am with what i hear trump saying. i've said he is a loose cannon. >> reporter: from policy to personal attacks. >> i am not going to respond to the insults and the attacks coming from donald trump in this campaign. >> reporter: but her democratic rival is still on stage, campaigning in montana today he's talking trump, too. >> if you look at virtually every poll taken over the last month or six weeks, national polls, state polls, bernie sanders is the strongest democratic candid

cnn's jeff zeleny is in california and you have some reporting on elizabeth warren that trump viewed. what's the latest? >> well, there's no question the clinton campaign is loving every minute of this. every tweet elizabeth warren sends out. everything that she says about donald trump. their messages are somewhat in coordination here but it really represents a warming of something of a freeze between hillary clinton and elizabeth warren. elizabeth warren is one of four u.s. senators, only four, who has not endorsed anyone in this race. she still hasn't endorsed either side but by going after donald trump so aggressively the clinton campaign finally believes she's coming to their side and they believe she could play a pivotal role here in bridging this divide between bernie sanders supporters, progressives and the clinton campaign know on the running mate thing, no one has any idea what hillary clinton is thinking about this. she will be considered i'm told because she's a very prominent, popular democrat who's a good communicator and has a big following. there's drawbacks, though, he

i want to bring in now cnn's jeff zeleny in kentucky where 55 delegates are at stake in next week's primary. so hillary clinton took a big hit in west virginia. are these continue d victories are going to hurt, for bernie, are they helping her? >> they're sure not helping. the defeats are racking up. last week it was indiana, tonight it's west virginia. mathematically, the clinton campaign has a sizable lead and hillary clinton will have not to win anymore contests to maintain her lead in pledged delegates. she would not have to win anything else, not california, not new jersey, not oregon, not next week in kentucky. she can still maintain her lead. of course, they would like to win some states here, but mathematically, it doesn't hurt her. politically speaking, republicans are already seizing on this. reince priebus, the chairman of the republican national committee is poking fun at her for losing yet another contest. i assume that donald trump will probably join in that tomorrow, here. so it's not good politically, but mathematically speaking, it's okay. but don, going fad here. i'm struc

>> jeff zeleny joins us. what is the campaign saying about why hillary clinton isn't responding directly to trump's allegations? >> reporter: quite simply, the campaign believes voters don't want to hear about it any more, that women voters didn't like it then, wouldn't like it now. they want to hear what she would do for them. we saw her talking child care, health care, education, other things. trying to take the high road for now. they believe it will work in the long term. they believe they have a significant advantage among women voters and others. but there's that open question there, that donald trump is a unique candidate here. all of his attacks worked well in the primary, would they work now. for now, the clinton campaign believes, and secretary clinton believes, said i am not responding. doesn't want to be drawn into this. will bill clinton respond. he is out there campaigning all of the time. he is known to go off message. i will be watching that in coming days. >> at some point they'll be on stage

more on that from jeff zeleny. >> we are in until the last ballot is cast. >> reporter: tonight, the question for bernie sanders is what comes after the ballots are cast. >> the democratic party is going to have to make a very, very profound an important decision. >> reporter: he is frustrated at the democratic party and the mu. it can do the right thing and open its doors and welcome into the party people who are prepared to fight for real economic and social change. >> reporter: a split decision in tuesday's primaries, sanders winning oregon, but narrowly losing kentucky to hillary clinton. democrats, anxious to join forces and take on donald trump suddenly seem more divided than ever. >> now some people say we've got a steep hill to climb to do better, and that is absolutely true. >> reporter: this is why. clinton is only 88 delegates away from clinching the nomination. sanders needs nearly 10 times as many delegates and superdelegates. more than are on the table in nine remaining contests, but that hasn't stopped sanders from going hard after clinton. >> before we will have the o

jeff zeleny has this report. >> reporter: bernie sanders is campaigning today in north dakota.ry vote in every state. this week alone it's taken him from montana to south dakota where he saw mount rushmore for the first time and then on to north dakota. this weekend kentucky as well as puerto rico. he is campaigning in every state remaining, there are 11 contests remaining in this race, eight states, three territories, puerto rico, the virgin islands and the district of columbia. bernie sanders is far behind in delegates but he is increasingly making the argument that super delegates those party officials should be coming to his side particularly from states that he actually won like new hampshire, west virginia, minnesota, he won big majorities in those states but the super delegates are siding with hillary clinton. he says point-blank that's unfair, but he has started talking more about donald trump and the need to defeat him no matter who the democratic nominee is. >> i am not here to say that hillary clinton can't defeat donald trump, i absolutely believe that she can, but

jeff zeleny, cnn, louisville, kentucky. >> joining us here in the studio to discuss the election resultshley bell, a 2016 republican delegate. >> also angela rye joins us from washington. she is a cnn political commentator and a former executive director with the congressional black caucus. thank you, both of you, for joining us. we do want to start with the democrats. and angela rye, bernie sanders won the west virginia democratic primary convincingly, but he doesn't have the math behind him to win the party nomination. so all he seems to be achieving here is dividing the democratic vote and handing victory to donald trump. how concerned is the democratic party machine about what his race to the convention will actually do to the clinton campaign? >> i think a couple of things. one is i don't think that bernie sanders staying in the democratic primary is dividing democrats and conquering for the purposes of donald trump's win ultimately in the general is what i feel like i heard you saying. i don't think that's at all what's happening. i think what bernie sanders is doing is staying in

while we wait we want to go to jeff zeleny on the red carpet. ery accomplished speech writers. jeff, take it away. >> john, the words behind the president are written by two of these men beside me. at least they were. jon favreau and david litt. they were both speechwriters for president obama. they've been involved in tonight's speech. really quickly. a preview. are we going to hear him talk about donald trump tonight, john? >> yeah, i think there will be some trump in tonight's speech. just a touch. >> was there ever any discussion of is anything too far with trump? or is there no boundary? >> i think there's discussion of, is this guy getting too much attention? that i think is a nationwide discussion. but i think, you know, you saw in 2011 there were not a lot of holds barred. >> walk me through previous speeches. what is it like to work on these speeches with president obama? is he contributing as much as you all are? he can be a funny guy but also a serious guy. >> he's very funny. he really likes to poke fun at the absurdity of politics be

>> jeff zeleny with the clinton campaign. back with my panel now. bernard, i'd like to start with you. clinton trying to pivot to the general election, taking shots at donald trump today. but you have that tight race in california. you have this really damning e-mail report. is she looking like a vulnerable democratic presidential candidate? >> no, she's literally on the verge of capturing the nomination. and the fact is, inspector general report is a rehash of a rehash. nothing new there it actually validates everything she has been saying for months. >> she had always said she had permission to use that e-mail server. the report found there was no permission, she never asked for it. >> if i were secretary of state, i would look to my bred sesser and see what they did. not a single secretary of state previously had used the state.gov address. dozens knew about it. there is not a single shred of evidence to suggest there was a skrurt breach, data breach of any sort. and after the request, she released 55,000 pages of e-mails that the national archiv

. >> jeff zeleny is outfront.ounds like the clinton campaign is getting ready for an ugly general election and they're not even justifying why she's not going to even clinch the nomination potentially until june. >> no doubt. everyone is getting ready for an ugly election. president clinton is right about the '92 playbook but let's add a couple of things. 24 years of new material since 1992. the media has changed considerably since 1992. so there's so many forces coming together here between donald trump and the clinton campaign that have so many years of finances. business dealings, recordings, other things. the last 24 hours have been a snapshot of what we're definitely going to see. this is an opposition research election like none other perhaps and sort of a pity the poor voters here who want to talk about issues and substance. >> so is the clinton campaign, though, as you've been talking to them, worried that donald trump is going to be successful at flipping some democratic states that he could easily win th

let's bring in cnn senior white house correspondent jeff zeleny in washington. i know, i know.owing the clinton campaign today for us and political director david chalian. noise too see both of you. mr. chalian, to you first. the fact that donald trump is going there so early and when you look at hillary clinton's attacks, you know, she's attacking his business accumen or lack thereof, it's nasty and just may. what will the next five months look like? >> a lot more like this i'm sure. which nobody -- no american voter is excited to hear. but listen. i mean, what we're seeing is that everyone's sort of throwing stuff out to see what sticks. but not all attacks are equal. they're both doing character attacks and hillary clinton in what you played there and launched today is trying to replay the obama playbook on mitt romney and attack character by tying it to the pursuit of being seen as the protector of the middle class because his business strategies they believe may have harmed people along the way. that were more middle class voters. now, what donald trump is doing is taking

jeff zeleny, thanks. that's it for "the lead." i'm jake tapper. i now turn you over to jim sciutto in "the situation room." >>> happening now, breaking news, focus on terror. an egyptian airliner vanishes over the mediterranean. officials say the likelyist cause is terrorism. >>> search for wreckage. a search is under way for debris and clues that can tell investigators what happened to the airliner. what can the cockpit and flight recorders reveal about the plane's final moments? >>> and american help. the u.s. deploys a long-range patrol aircraft to aid in the search. the president has been briefed and u.s. investigators are ready to step in if they are asked. we'd like to welcome our viewers from around the world and in the u.s. wolf blitzer is on assignment. i'm jim sciutto and you're in "the situation room." >> breaking news, an urgent search is under way as egyptair went down in the mediterranean sea. officials say controllers first lost radio contact with the airliner before it swerved sharply, plunged in altitude and finally disappeared fr

let's go to jeff zeleny at sanders' headquarters in louisville, kentucky and jeff, usually when a candidate that he or she is not feeling confident about today but that's not necessarily the case when it comes to indiana and senator sanders. >> reporter: jake, that's not the case at all. here is a couple reasons why. look behind me here. a, there is a big crowd of sanders supporters gathering and the ohio river and indiana across the way. bernie sanders was campaigning harder across the state of indiana was campaigning today, as well. the kentucky primary comes in two weeks time. he was spending his entire day there but looking forward to the next sign. bernie sanders wants to remind his supporters, tell democrats he is indeed in this race until the end. they are serious about that. the question here, though, jake, is if he does not win tonight, already the map is not working out in his favor. if he does not win tonight, the energy will not be, either. the clinton campaign is trying to down play expectations all day long but have a big absentee ballot program, jake, they were running here a

thank you, jeff zeleny. joining me, democratic congressman adam schiff of california. thank you for joining us. >> it's my pleasure. >> senator dianne feinstein says she's worried about senator sanders taking this fight all the way to the democratic convention in july in f philadelphia. you heard her compare it to the 19 1968 convention in chicago. do you share that same concern? >> it was very concerning to everyone and the fact that the state party chair would get death threats is appalling. but this is a very, very small minority of people supporting senator sanders. i'm confident we won't have these problems at the national convention and i think what we will have going for us is a great unifying force and that force is donald trump. so i'm confident that we will be unified going into the convention. it will be important to maintain the enthusiasm and energy and commitment of all of those sanders supporters but i'm confident we will be able to do that. >> senator sanders, a week after the june 7th primary in california, do you agree he should stay in or is this alr

. >> cnn's senior washington correspondent jeff zeleny is in los angeles with the latest. >> reporterclinton is still trying to shake bernie sanders. >> we are coming to the end of the democratic primaries. >> reporter: but when those primaries do end, the bigger question is whether his supporters will come aboard. at a speech in detroit today, clinton extending her hand, stopping just short of thanking sanders for shaping the race. >> i applaud senator sanders and his supporters for challenging us, and we are going to unify the democratic party and stop donald trump. >> reporter: but speaking to union workers, clinton making clear she's pivoted to trump. >> the only thing standing between donald trump and the oval office is all of us. >> reporter: and of course sanders. he's squarely focused on trump too, campaigning today in california. >> if the democrats want to be absolutely certain as we must be that donald trump never becomes president, our campaign is the strongest campaign. >> reporter: a string of new polls showing a tight clinton/trump race is fueling sanders' argument that

jeff zeleny, cnn, los angeles. >> joining me now is theron johnson.irector for president obama's 2012 campaign. secretary clinton is working hard to woo those kentucky voters. she's offering bill clinton as an economy czar. she made almost a dozen campaign stops in the state, flooding the airwaves in ads. how badly does she need the kentucky win for upticks and for her narrative. >> i was very happy to see that the campaign is spending time in kentucky because quite frankly, errol, this is what they're really supposed to be doing right now. but the tough position that hillary clinton is in right now is that at a time where she pretty much has the nomination clinched, i mean she's only 133 delegates away from basically sealing the nomination, but she's got to spend time in kentucky because bernie sanders has been pretty much on a winning streak and winning some key democratic primary states. now, one of the things that i was very happy to hear was her tone in kentucky. i mean she's talking about again strengthening the middle class, talking about makin

jeff zeleny has the latest. >> reporter: hillary clinton and bernie sanders campaigning again fighting for the 475 delegates in the june primary. a shifting tone from hillary clinton. she is going after donald trump over taxes, foreign policy to asking voters in he should be the commander in chief. a softer tone against bernie sanders. take a listen to what she said in san francisco. some actual kind words and perhaps an olive branch for sanders. >> whatever differences sanders and i have or supporters and i have, they pale in comparison to our differences to donald trump and what he represents. but that's why the california primary is so important. because we need to send a message. >> reporter: the key right there, bernie sanders supporters. hillary clinton is trying to win them over gradually after the california primary. she knows she needs them in her fight against trump. she is going after donald trump aggressively. she is not going to respond to every attack her way, but would like a strong finish in the june primaries to end the primary race and turn to the general election. al

>> thanks very much, jeff zeleny reporting. bill clinton and hillary clinton are campaigning, there's bill clinton, live pictures from the virgin islands, they have their contest june 4th. hillary clinton is in lexington, kentucky. they have a primary tomorrow. stay with cnn throughout the day tomorrow for live coverage of the kentucky and oregon primaries. i will be back 5:00 p.m. eastern with a special edition of "the situation room." i will be here with the election team bringing you the first results. all of that tomorrow. >>> just ahead in "the situation room." there's growing concern about al qaeda. does the group pose a potentially bigger terror threat to the united states than isis? >>> a cnn special report takes us inside a deadly shootout between rival biker gangs. we will get a preview next. you both have a perfect driving record. >>perfect. no tickets. no accidents... >>that is until one of you . . slack, right? >>no. your insurance rates go through the roof. your perfect record doesn't get you anything. >>anything.

but on that note, i want to bring to you some reporting from our jeff zeleny on how the clinton campaign is going to deal with kind of this two-front war they're now waging, continuing to try to put the democratic primary behind them. he said he's told by the clinton campaign that they understand that in the next few weeks, they're going to have to continue to deal with bernie sanders. so much so that they're going to focus on two states, primary states, that are on june 7th, new jersey and california. even, he's reporting that they plan to advertise and campaign there as they pivot towards donald trump. that's not easy. ironically, it would be easier if they're going to try to appeal to similar voters, if there is some crossover twine sanders and trump. but it is still not easy, especially given the fact that, yes, there's a lot of divide and division in the republican party. but for the most part, they're getting ready for a general election and hillary clinton's got to spend the next month, you know, kind of waging this two-front war. >> and also they have to look at these polls of th

senior washington correspondent jeff zeleny is still here with us and has the latest on the democratic mathematically impossible at this point for sanders to overtake clinton. >> sure is, wolf. superdelegates, elected democratic party officials have been siding with hillary clinton. bernie sanders argues it is unfair in states like west virginia and new hampshire where he won big, but superdelegates still back clinton. that's not his only challenge, though. he would have to win two-thirds of pledge delegates in all remaining states. that's a tall order. sanders is still making good on his pledge to fight for every vote in every state. today it took him face to face with a middle east of americana he hasn't seen. >> this is our country at its best. what an incredible achievement. >> visiting mount rush more, seeing this monument of four great presidents. >> the accomplishment and beauty makes one proud to be an american. >> reporter: sanders has his own mountain to climb. even winning all 11 remaining contests wouldn't put him on top of hillary clinton in the fight for delegates. sander