Clinton and Sanders in Dead Heat in California
BLITZER: While Donald Trump today locked up enough delegates to secure the Republican presidential nomination, a new poll shows California's upcoming primary turning into a toss-up between Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders. Our senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny is joining us from San Francisco. Jeff, is Hillary Clinton still focusing in on Donald Trump or is she turning her attention now back to Senator Sanders?</s>JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it is Donald Trump and Donald Trump alone. That is the message that Hillary Clinton is taking to voters. The reason is this. She is about 88 delegates shy of clinching the Democratic nomination with pledged delegates and superdelegates. Yes, this race here in California is very close. But she does not need a victory here. Of course, she still wants one, that's why she's campaigning hard today.</s>ZELENY (voice-over): Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in a fierce fight for California. The Democratic finish line may be in sight, and Clinton's lead is secure. But the party is still divided.</s>HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This election is a make or break election.</s>ZELENY: Tonight, a new California field poll shows the race is a near dead heat. Clinton, 46. Sanders, 44. Sanders is making his last stand in TV ads.</s>BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What choice does Californians have in this election? The biggest ones of all.</s>ZELENY: And at rallies, asking supporters to send a message to the Democratic establishment.</s>SANDERS: On June 7th, let's give them a rude awakening. Let's tell them that enough is enough.</s>ZELENY: Sanders is closing strong. Even as Clinton tries downplaying a new inspector general's report that she improperly used a private e- mail server as secretary of state.</s>CLINTON: If I could go back, I would do it differently. I think voters are going to be looking at the full picture of what I have to offer, my life, and my service. And the full threat that Donald Trump offers.</s>ZELENY: But the e-mail saga has kept questions alive about Clinton's trust that Trump seized on today in North Dakota.</s>DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This was all bad judgment. Probably illegal.</s>ZELENY: Sanders still won't touch the e-mail issue, but insists he's the candidate best to defeat Trump. Now he's trying to prove it by enticing Trump into a debate, making the pitch Hollywood style through Jimmy Kimmel on</s>ABC. JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE: He wants to know if you will debate him.</s>TRUMP: Yes, I am. How much is he going to pay me?</s>ZELENY: And today, Trump says he's serious.</s>TRUMP: I'd love to debate Bernie. He's a dream. But I want a lot of money to be put up to charity.</s>ZELENY: Sanders says he's ready.</s>SANDERS: Hillary Clinton has not agreed to debate me here in California, so I look forward to debating Mr. Trump.</s>ZELENY: In the middle of it all, some Democrats are growing nervous. President Obama, in rare comments about the Clinton-Sanders race, urged patience.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: People get a little grumpy with each other. You know, it's just the nature of the process.</s>ZELENY: But the president says after the primaries Democrats must come together.</s>OBAMA: Would it be nice if everybody was immediately unified and singing Kumbaya whoever the nominee ended up being could just take a nice two-week vacation to recharge? Absolutely. I guarantee you that the eventual nominee sure wishes it was over now because this is a grind.</s>ZELENY: A grind indeed. But, Wolf, take notice there, the president did not say who that eventual nominee would be. Of course everyone inside this Democratic Party who can do the math here on delegates believes that -- you know, they know the outcome of this but the president is still trying to stay as somewhat of a neutral referee. That will go on for about two more weeks, I'm told, Wolf, then he will play a central role in trying to help unify his party and asking Bernie Sanders to do so as well -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Thanks very much for that, Jeff Zeleny, in San Francisco. Let's bring back our political experts to discuss the Democratic race right now. Manu, do you think Hillary could lose California to Bernie Sanders?</s>RAJU: Well, based on the poll today, certainly yes. But it wouldn't change the dynamics of this race unless Bernie Sanders won California and the remaining contests by an absolute landslide. Really, if you look at the numbers, Bernie Sanders needs to win 70 percent of the pledged delegates that are left in this race in order to beat Hillary Clinton by just one delegate. And that's a very, very high hurdle. The fact that these states are still being awarded proportionally, the delegates are, that makes it hard for Bernie Sanders. If they're winner-take-all perhaps that could change things. But otherwise it won't. However, but if Bernie Sanders win, even by 1 percent, even if it doesn't change the pledged delegate count, that will really hurt Hillary Clinton's narrative and maybe make it harder for Bernie Sanders to drop out and concede before the July convention.</s>BLITZER: Would that change the momentum, if you will, Peter, if she were to lose California?</s>BEINART: Sure. It would be -- you know, you don't want to go limping in to the convention but I think historically what we found is that these fights in the primaries don't ultimately weaken nominees that much, that we are in a very partisan era. You see that with Donald Trump being able to consolidate so much mass Republican support despite the overwhelming opposition to him. I think it's likely that however Hillary Clinton wins, and she probably will win, that Bernie Sanders supporters will ultimately come to support her because of the highly partisan environment we're in. She is a flawed candidate in a lot of ways but I think ultimately Democrats will consolidate around her nonetheless.</s>BLITZER: You heard, S.E., Hillary Clinton tell me just a few minutes ago, she didn't think this possible debate between Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders -- you're smiling.</s>CUPP: Yes.</s>BLITZER: You're chuckling. Was serious, although both Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump today said it's a serious thing.</s>CUPP: Yes.</s>BLITZER: There have been conversations between the campaigns. They've received opportunities from various television networks. Trump says if they can get $10 million to women's charity, women's health charity groups, he'll go for it. Why are you still smiling?</s>CUPP: Well, I think it's really unwise of her to sort of laugh it off. She's the only loser in this situation if this debate happens. It elevates Donald Trump if he's part of a debate. It elevates Bernie Sanders if he's part of this debate. They are doing it without her, all eyes are on these characters. They are probably going to agree on a surprising lot and I think frankly Hillary Clinton should be very nervous that both of these guys are going to get a huge spotlight without her. I don't think she should sort of wave it off with, you know, the sort of smug condescension that she is.</s>BLITZER: I'm going to show you the latest Instagram that Donald Trump just posted.</s>CUPP: OK.</s>BLITZER: Under the headline "Celebrating 1237," that's the number of delegates you need. You see him aboard his plane there. He's enjoying a little McDonald's. And you're my authority on McDonald's.</s>CUPP: OK.</s>BLITZER: So talk about this picture a little bit.</s>CUPP: Well, this is interesting for a number of reasons. As we discussed in the break, he is, I think like most patriots, eating the fries before the touches the entree which, in this case, looks to be a Big Mac.</s>BLITZER: Interesting.</s>CUPP: I do that. I know a lot of people who do that. He also has a Diet Coke, that is, of course, universally the best accompaniment to any McDonald's meal as anyone knows. So on this, I ain't mad at you, Don. I'm with you.</s>BLITZER: I noticed those little packets of Heinz ketchup over there.</s>CUPP: Untouched.</s>BLITZER: Have you noticed that?</s>CUPP: Untouched.</s>BLITZER: So he hasn't opened the Heinz ketchup yet.</s>CUPP: No. Like me, he eats his fries without ketchup. Now a lot of people ask for special sauces at McDonald's with which to eat their fries. He apparently, just like me, naked fries.</s>BLITZER: Really? I love the ketchup. What about you, Manu?</s>RAJU: You know, I haven't eaten McDonald's in years, I admit that. I don't know. I may get some hate mail after.</s>BLITZER: We're not bringing you into this conversation, Peter. You can go home and have dinner --</s>BEINART: No, no. This is -- this is way above my pay grade.</s>BLITZER: All right. Guys, thanks very much. Coming up, important new developments on a very, very serious story we're following. The hunt for the missing Egyptian airliner. Have searchers finally picked up the signals from the plane's emergency locator. Are they close to finding the wreckage?