Clinton begins search for running mate

Hillary Clinton said Wednesday she'll consider "the most qualified people" for the Democratic vice presidential nomination -- which would include women.

Now that she's clinched the party's presidential nod, Clinton told CNN's Anderson Cooper that she is turning her attention to selecting a running-mate ahead of the party's convention in Philadelphia in July.

"I'm looking at the most qualified people, and that includes women, of course, because I want to be sure that whoever I pick could be president immediately if something were to happen -- that's the most important qualification," Clinton said.

"I'm going to really begin to pay attention to that now that we've wrapped up the primary process," she said. "But it doesn't matter to me who the person is, as long as that person can really do the job that is required."

Clinton said she's not sure when she'll name a vice presidential choice.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama expressed hope Wednesday that Bernie Sanders in "the next couple of weeks" will finally concede having lost the Democratic presidential nomination to Hillary Clinton, despite having vowed to fight on through the party's convention next month.

Speaking to late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon, Obama said that on balance, Sanders's candidacy in the hardfought Democratic campaign was a positive. "It was a healthy thing for the Democratic Party to have a contested primary," Obama told Fallon during recording of an episode of The Tonight Show.

"I thought that Bernie Sanders brought enormous energy and new ideas. And he pushed the party and challenged them. I thought it made Hillary a better candidate."

He added: "My hope is, is that over the next couple of weeks, we're able to pull things together."

The US president made his remarks one day after Clinton prevailed in four of six primary and caucus election contests, and declared herself to be her party's undisputed flagbearer for the November presidential election.