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2014: The Obama Drag; Paul Backs Tea Party In North Carolina; Biden Heckled Over Deportations; Clippers Drama Grows: NBA To Appoint CEO; Michelle Knight Speaks Out About Captivity

Aired May 05, 2014 - 07:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to NEW DAY. Let's take a look at your headlines at half past the hour. Breaking overnight, severe turbulence leaving six people hurt on a U.S. Airways flight flying from Philadelphia to Orlando. It happened soon after takeoff when the plane was climbing. Four passengers and two flight attendants were injured. Now the airline is not revealing the nature of the injuries. Most of the passengers were able to continue on their way to Orlando.

Fears of a Russian invasion are growing after deadly clashes in Southern Ukraine. Sixty seven people detained after fighting were released by police in Odessa after their headquarters was stormed by separatists. They broke windows tore down the Ukrainian flag. Nearly four dozen people were killed in fighting in Odessa Friday when a street battle erupted and a deadly fire ensued.

The search for Flight 370 is entering a new phase, which will be more expansive and involve more high tech devices. Officials in Malaysia, Australia and China say the key elements in the next phase will be mapping the ocean floor, an effort they hope will happen in the next few weeks. This next phase is estimated to cost around $60 million. Those are your headlines at this hour.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, so we have the news going on. We have the politics and then the political news and how it all comes together. That is where you find "Inside Politics" on NEW DAY with Mr. John King. I heard they did not take any shots at you at the White House Correspondents Dinner and rightly so because you are the man.

JOHN KING, HOST, CNN'S "INSIDE POLITICS": I was home watching "The Bubble Guppies" with Jonah King so I wouldn't have been there to take the shots.

A lot to cover "Inside Politics." We'll be back in New York in just a few minutes. With me on this Monday morning six months to election day to share their reporting and their insights, Maggie Haberman of "Politico" and CNN's Peter Hamby.

Let's start six months out. There is a sobering new poll for Democrats. It's a Pew Research Center poll commissioned by "USA Today." Who are you going to vote for, for Congress this year? Six months out the Republican candidate has an advantage, 47 percent to 43 percent. Now that doesn't seem like much advantage, Maggie.

But if you look back in history, the big Republican year in 1994, the huge Tea Party Republican year in 2010. Democrats are either ahead or even with Republicans then. If you are the Democrats and see those numbers now, what are you thinking?

MAGGIE HABERMAN, "POLITICO": You are very concerned. Republicans have been anticipating or saying they are anticipating a wave year. That kind of generic ballot number goes toward that, but Democrats also will point out the midterms are not solely about Obama and you see that in some of those numbers. He has enough going for him. In certain places they hope to make this state by state.

KING: There aren't as many competitive House districts this year than they are in say '94 or 2010 so even if there is a way there aren't as many seats to pick up most likely. Peter, another part of this poll is the 2016 question, but I think it has 2014 ramifications. What do you want for a president in 2016? Different than Obama, 65 percent, like Obama, 30.

So two thirds of Americans are thinking already I want something different than Obama. We will see if that holds up in 2016. It tells you that the electorate wants change and change is in a midterm election against the president's party.

PETER HAMBY, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: That's in 2006 is a good comparison here. The numbers aren't as bad as they were in 2006 for George W. Bush, which was a Democratic wave here, but they are close and that's pretty bad for the president. You mentioned 2016, I mean, this is also an interesting issue not just for Hillary Clinton, probably worse for Hillary Clinton because she was part of the Obama administration.

But if she runs, she will have to answer questions and face questions about the Obama administration policies. Like I said George W. Bush faced this issue when he was leaving office and Republicans had to answer on his administration. The poll numbers there almost as bad for President Obama.

KING: An interesting foot note to the Hillary Clinton question. If you are a serious Democrat and you want to mount a challenge to her. You assume she is running, maybe she won't, but today you assume she is running. If you see that number and you are a liberal and you think I want to get to the left of Hillary Clinton because she will be viewed like it or not maybe as Obama, as a third term by many voters. And she will have to try to distinguish herself and make her mark. Does a number like that encourage somebody to say maybe I should think about this again or is she just baked as the nominee?

HABERMAN: In theory those are great numbers. You still have to have somebody to beat somebody. It is not clear who that person will be. She is susceptible to a challenge on the left. Her folks know this, but at the same time, they are still acting very much the incumbent. She can't separate from Obama as you say. She is not just going to get questions. She knows it is a losing proposition. She risked offending the base if she separates away from him.

KING: Let's switch and look at a potential 2016 Republican candidate who will be in North Carolina. A lot of people are wondering about his judgment. Rand Paul, the junior senator from Kentucky will be down in North Carolina. Tomorrow there is an important Senate primary. The establishment candidate is Thom Tillis. Rand Paul will be there, Peter, for Greg Brannon, who sort of a Tea Party challenger.

Brannon is viewed as a flawed candidate by many. What is the risk for Rand Paul here? The establishment has put a lot of money behind Thom Tillis. They are hoping he gets to 40 percent of this primary tomorrow. That means no run off. That means millions of dollars will be saved to focus on the Democrat. If Rand Paul helps pull Thom Tillis below 40 won't this work be flushed?

HAMBY: Yes, this is fascinating on several levels. One is just what you said, if he forces a runoff here that will aggravate a lot of establishment Republicans. The Chamber of Commerce is down there. He has the sympathies of the NRSC. Mitch McConnell wants Thom Tillis to win. If the candidate forces Republicans to have 2-1/2 months of expensive Republican infighting after all of the commentary about how Rand Paul courted the Republican establishment.

But it's not just that like you mentioned a lot of Republicans are asking questions about Rand Paul's judgment here because Greg Brannon is sort of your typical constitutionalist libertarian conservative. The kind of candidate that Rand Paul you would expect to support, but he was recently found liable by a jury for misleading investors in a company he led. A lot of people are wondering why he is doing this. There could be a runoff, which would sully his brand a bit.

KING: A lot of people will watch that today. More people will remember Rand Paul's date to the Kentucky derby. Look at this picture in the "New York Times". Rand Paul, "The Wall Street Journal" also owned by Rupert Murdoch, very sceptical of Rand Paul's foreign policy. This eye view is brilliant by Rand Paul.

HABERMAN: Rand Paul, it was reported had a private meeting with Rupert Murdoch. He knows that Murdoch is incredibly influential and skeptical of him. He knows that people are Murdoch are very sceptical of going to need some help from Murdoch. Murdoch is influential. The role fox with play in Republican primary is interesting.

KING: Joel McHale was the entertainer. Governor Chris Christie thinking about running for president in 2016 in the audience. Joel McHale couldn't resist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOEL MCHALE, COMEDIAN: Tonight will be amusing and over quickly just like Chris Christie's presidential bid. I have a lot of these tonight. Buckle up Governor Christie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: There were more and more weight jokes, probably over the top. It probably got under his skin. Look at this from an after party. He takes a picture with Joel McHale and tries to post all is fine.

HABERMAN: Look, the whole goal was to say nothing is getting to me. I'm fine. I'm here. I'm back. He was the butt of many, many, many jokes, probably too many. The bridge gate one was devastating and important for Christie to say nothing is bothering me here.

HAMBY: Yes, a lot of us in the room are watching Christie during both the president's speech and McHale's speech. He was laughing and trying to show I can take a joke and I'm ready for this.

KING: Joe Biden speaking to a Latino group. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: The immigrant community represents something special we never talk about.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Stop deportation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: If the administration wants to get this community to turn out in November still a lot of skepticism although we do expect relatively soon the administration will change its policy to dial back on deportations.

HABERMAN: And the president is very well aware this is problematic. It is problematic for his legacy and his party. It has caught a lot of Democrats by surprise, the extent of the anger. What we came out of in the 2012 campaign was the sense the Republican nominee had not done what he could.

KING: The president made a lot of promises. As we get back to you guys in New York, I'm sure while we were talking all of you did extensive research on "The Bubble Guppies," right?

BOLDUAN: No, I did not.

KING: You will know soon.

BOLDUAN: I am starting to understand Dora. I have a long list. I ask you for assistance so far silence. I have been looking for the hits and you haven't brought me in.

PEREIRA: You grow together. You discover them together.

CUOMO: John doesn't want to give you a hint of what is coming your way. He doesn't want his relationship with you affected by what is about to come.

BOLDUAN: John would give me a hint because he is kind.

CUOMO: He is being kind by not giving you a hint. Believe me. "Bubble Guppies" are the least of your worries. Snot bubbles coming out of the nose. Coming up on NEW DAY, there is a lot of news here, the Sterling family drama heating up. The wife of the Clippers owner is speaking up so as his mistress. Meanwhile, Donald Sterling says, he is not going anywhere. Is it his choice? We will bring you the very latest.

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CUOMO: Welcome back to NEW DAY. Now to the latest in the L.A. Clippers saga. The team has advanced to the semifinals. The NBA announced it will appoint a new CEO to oversee the team. Is that a step towards taking it from the current owners? We're going to have see because all parties are speaking out.

Sterling's wife and his female companion broke their silence over the weekend. Meanwhile Sterling himself says he intends to keep the team. So let's bring in sports attorney, David Cornwell, try to get some perspective on this. All right David, thank you for being with us. Let's start with the most obvious situation. Sterling says I'm keeping the team. Is it his choice?

DAVID CORNWELL, SPORTS ATTORNEY: It is not. It is the choice of the 29 other owners in the NBA. And at the end of the day the end of this process will be that Donald Sterling no longer owns the Los Angeles Clippers. The question is how many hurdles he will make everyone jump through to get to that point. At the end of the process, he won't own the team.

CUOMO: I still think without an antitrust claim, without going into the legal weeds, I don't know, how much he can stall it. His wife says he isn't a racist and says she agrees with Silver that they need someone new to run the team. Does she have any say in who gets to run the team or is she get ousted along with her husband?

CORNWELL: She really doesn't. She has endorsed the commissioner's decision to appoint a CEO publicly endorsed that. She has also indicated that she agrees with the commissioner's ultimate decision to suspend Donald Sterling and to begin the process to take the team away from him.

CUOMO: They seem to beat this rap the last time by soft pedalling that they will go along and do the recognize things and avoid losing the team like they did in 1982?

CORNWELL: I don't think so. I don't know what the nature of their relationship is. I believe under California law absence of agreement to the contrary she would be interested in seeing this team be turned into money, being monetized and sold because she would get money out of the deal.

But even if she wanted to fight this process it is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The end of the process will be that Donald Sterling does not own this team. The 29 owners are likely to vote unanimously to terminate the franchise. The league can take over it and operate it while a sale a pending and distribute the proceeds of the sale to Donald Sterling and move on. It is a relatively simple process, but will be difficult to get to the end depending on the extent.

CUOMO: He beat it last time but had a new commissioner coming in. Maybe he didn't want this dirty laundry. It was largely of a financial nature and soft on the proof side. They couldn't show he wanted the games to get the first legit 7'4" guy out of Virginia on his roster. This is much uglier allegations, which takes us to the woman who gave us the introduction to all of this.

V. Stiviano has nothing to do with the law, but we must indulge anyway. What do you make of the fact that she says who he is and where his head is being the one who threw him under the bus in the first place if not by releasing the tapes, certainly making them?

CORNWELL: Donald Sterling threw himself under the bus in his own minds. I don't mean to be disrespectful to this lady, but when she shows up with a visor and people next to her with her name on their caps I tend to dismiss it and not pay too much attention to it. I let others focus on that. At the end of the day she is the conduit to opening the window to seeing who Donald Sterling is.

The prior situation is different because you don't have as many at play. His status is on the line because he has challenged the owners. The players association has gotten behind the commissioner because he said he wants Donald Sterling out of the league. If this thing falls apart the apparent partnership between the league and players association falls apart.

Adam Silver loses his stature. This is not going to go in a different direction because Donald Sterling wants it or because this young lady says he is not as bad as he sounds like.

CUOMO: You make a strong point that it is bigger than Sterling. If this doesn't go the way Silver laid it out, if the owners don't follow through it is a slap in the face to the players because it is a predominantly black league and this is the wrong language to have around that environment.

David Cornwell, please stay with us on this on this story as we go forward. It's going to be tougher to achieve than to say. Thanks for being with us on NEW DAY -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Coming up next on NEW DAY, she spent ten years of her life trapped in Ariel Castro's house of horrors. Now Michelle Knight is talking about her life in captivity, and her new life today. A preview of her conversation with Anderson Cooper, next.

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BOLDUAN: Tomorrow will mark one year since three young women were rescued from what came to be known as Cleveland's house of horrors. For over a decade, they were held captive, repeatedly beaten and raped. Michelle Knight was the first to be abducted. In a new book, "Finding Me," she opens up about how she found the courage to survive it all. And in a new interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, she talks about the day her life changed forever.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, CNN'S "AC 360": What did he tell you to get you inside the house?

MICHELLE KNIGHT, KIDNAPPED FOR 11 YEARS BY ARIEL CASTRO: In the car, he said that he had puppies. So when we got, like, a quarter down the road, he's like, that's my van right there. And it says puppies for free. I really didn't think nothing of it until we got into the house fully. That's when it dawned on me this was a mistake to get into the car.

COOPER (voice-over): That was August 23rd, 2002, 21-year-old Michelle Knight had been approached by Ariel Castro. He offered her a ride, but said he had to pick up something on his way at his house on Seymour Avenue.

(on camera): You knew by then, this is wrong.

KNIGHT: Yes. And then I ended up being trapped in a small room, small pink room. That's where he proceeded to tie me up like a fish and put me on the wall.

COOPER: When you say tie you up like a fish, what do you mean?

KNIGHT: My legs and hands were bound like this and I was that far from the floor.

COOPER (voice-over): Michelle, who is later joined by other kidnap victims, Amanda Berry and Gina Dejesus, would spend more than ten years, tortured inside that house of horrors, often left without food, beaten and raped.

(on camera): You know, people who haven't been through this situation think, I would try to escape, I would do this, I would do that. But in reality, very quickly, your mind starts to adapt to your new environment.

KNIGHT: Yes.

COOPER: Can you explain that?

KNIGHT: What happens is hard at first. You don't really want to adapt to it. But then you find yourself saying, "why not? I'm here. Just let him get it over with."

COOPER (voice-over): But one year ago, the women were freed when Amanda Berry seized an opportunity and escaped from the house. She ran across the street and neighbors helped her call 911.

AMANDA BERRY: I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for ten years, and I'm here, I'm free now.

COOPER: All three women were rescued. Their tormentor was arrested and pleaded guilty to 937 counts, including kidnapping, rape and assault. At his sentencing, Michelle Knight bravely faced her captor in court. KNIGHT: From this moment on, I will not let you define me or who I am.

COOPER: He was sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus 1,000 years. Days later, that house of horrors was torn to the ground. Just months later, the man who had kidnapped and held captive three women was found dead in his jail cell. He had hanged himself with one of his bed sheets. Michelle Knight is trying to move ahead with her life. She has changed her name and is focusing on new beginnings.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOLDUAN: And Anderson's two-part interview with Michelle Knight airs tonight and Tuesday, tomorrow, on "AC360" at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Right here on CNN.

CUOMO: All right, coming up on NEW DAY, a plane is badly damaged by a passenger's head. We're going to tell you about the terrifying turbulence. It literally turned the flight around, back to Pittsburgh. It was going from Philadelphia to Orlando. Can't keep it straight. That's how bad the turbulence was. We're going to talk to the passengers and find out what happened, why did it have to turn this flight around?

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