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Ted Cruz Expected to Win Majority of Wyoming Delegates; Zookeeper Killed by Tiger; Japan Devastated by Multiple Earthquakes; Bernie Sanders Visits Vatican; Pope Brings Some Syrian Refugees with Him to Vatican from Greece; Donald Trump Leading Polls in New York; Investigation Continues into Death of Ex-NFL Player Will Smith. Aired 10-10:59a ET

Aired April 16, 2016 - 10:00   ET

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

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNIE SANDERS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It was a lovely meeting. He's an extraordinary man.

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CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Bernie Sanders glowing possibly after meeting with the Pope. That meeting coming hours before the Holy Father flew into Freece and returned to the Vatican with 12 Syrian refugees.

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DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Republican system is rigged.

SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is not surprising when a candidate loses 11 elections in a row he's unhappy about it

GOV. JOHN KASICH, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A lot of times this campaign reminds me of "Sesame Street."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump there at the top reiterating his claim that the GOP nominating system is rigged as the battle for the GOP nomination moves to his home turf here in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This particular keeper, this is her specialty. This was what she was trained to deal and loved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: And a rare tiger attacks and kills a zoo worker in Florida. What we're learning about the woman who was called the "tiger whisperer" by her colleagues. PAUL: You are in the CNN Newsroom. We're always so grateful for your

company. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: And I'm Victor Blackwell. Good morning to you. And the next big delegate prize for the race for the White House is in New York that's coming up on Tuesday. But Ted Cruz, he's focusing on Wyoming, getting ready to speak at the convention there. He holds the most delegates in that state, could pick up more that day. And we have CNN's Anna Cabrera there in Casper, Wyoming, Chris Frates is in Syracuse, New York, where Donald Trump will speak today. But we're going to start with you, Anna. And this could be similar to what we saw in Colorado. This is what Donald Trump claims the RNC and the other campaigns refute, but this is what Donald Trump claims is rigged. Cruz just says he's playing the game well.

ANNA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Victor and Christi, I can tell you that this convention is just about to get under way. The expectation is that Ted Cruz is going to have a very good today.

Again, Wyoming is one of those states like northern Colorado which elects its delegates through conventions instead of a primary or a caucus. And so almost half of the state's delegates here in Wyoming were elected at the county conventions which happened back in March. So far Ted Cruz has won the majority of those. I want to show you the breakdown we have here in Wyoming so far. Ted Cruz winning nine of the pledged delegates. Marco Rubio actually picked up one because those county conventions happened before he dropped out of the race. Donald Trump picking up one of those. And one of the delegates is unpledged. Wyoming again a state where unpledged delegates can go to the RNC. They don't have formally declare support for a candidate ahead of time.

Now, today 14 more delegates will be selected. The big question is will this be a Ted Cruz clean sweep? Both the Trump and Kasich campaigns suggest that's what they are expecting. And Trump again today criticizing this system, that the way Wyoming picks its delegates he called rigged, and again went after the Ted Cruz campaign, essentially saying they're exploiting the system. Listen.

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DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't want to waste millions of dollars going out to Wyoming many months before to wine and dine and to essentially pay off all these people, because a lot of it is a payoff. You understand that, they treat them, they take them to dinner, they get them hotels. The whole thing is a big payoff. It has nothing to do with democracy. I've understood this for a long time. I never said anything because, frankly, I wasn't involved in politics other than on the other side.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: The Cruz campaign hasn't responded just yet to those direct attacks, but in the past has said that they are winning like Wyoming or like Colorado basically they are simply better organized, they have a better strategy, and they really took the time to study the way the process works.

Wyoming says this is the way they've been electing a delegate for decades. They haven't done anything differently this year. Ted Cruz will be the only candidate speaking to the state convention here in Wyoming today. Sarah Palin was supposed to represent Donald Trump's campaign. They have since cancelled her appearance here and it's still unknown exactly who might speak on behalf of Trump. We also know that Idaho Governor Butch Otter, who is a Kasich supporter, will be addressing the convention crowd. So we'll be watching to see how the delegate breakdown occurs here in Wyoming, Victor and Christi.

BLACKWELL: We will be watching the numbers closely. Anna Cabrera for us there in Casper, Wyoming. Thanks so much. Let's turn now to Chris Frates. And Chris, you're in Syracuse. Donald Trump staying focused on his home state, trying to get above that threshold to take all 95 of New York's delegates.

CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right. We're getting ready for a big rally here in Syracuse, Victor. But Donald Trump continuing to bang the drum there and complain about the GOP nominating process. He took to the pages of the "Wall Street Journal" earlier this week and he has been hitting it very hard on the campaign trail.

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[10:05:07] TRUMP: We have a rigged system. The Republican system is rigged. They changed the system. They said they didn't change. They changed the system. And they went to a deal where the bosses pick the delegates, and the people never got to vote. And the people didn't know in Colorado that their vote was being taken away from them, and let me tell you, you have some angry people in Colorado right now.

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FRATES: The Republican national committee hitting hard back against that idea, saying that the candidates have known about these rules for months now. In fact, this is the same process that Abraham Lincoln went through to get the nomination back in 1860. So the party is saying there really should be no surprises here. And Ted Cruz taking a little bit of joy in this and hitting Donald Trump for complaining so hard about this process.

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CRUZ: It is not surprising when a candidate loses 11 elections in a row that he's unhappy about it. And so he complains. And that's fine.

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FRATES: So Cruz predicting that he'll add a 12th victory today in Wyoming. As we just heard from Anna, he's hoping to do the same thing in Wyoming as he did in Colorado, which is beat Donald Trump at the inside convention game. And going forward here, Donald Trump really focusing on his home state

of New York. And it's no surprise why Ted Cruz is going to be in Wyoming and not New York today, one of the most recent "Wall Street Journal" polls showing Donald Trump ahead here 54 percent of the vote. John Kasich actually is in second place with 25 percent, Ted Cruz coming all the way into third place with 16 percent support. So Ted Cruz really a lot of ground to make up here. In fact, if Donald Trump could do well here, he could win statewide by more than 50 percent and he can do more than 50 percent in all the congressional districts he has a shot of taking all 95 of those delegates and trying to get a little bit closer to that magic number of 1,237 and wrapping this up before the Cleveland convention. Of course, Ted Cruz going to try to stop him in Pennsylvania in Maryland going forward here, Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right, approaching that time where Donald Trump will walk out on that stage in Syracuse. Chris Frates for there, Chris, thanks so much.

PAUL: So let's talk more about this with Arizona state treasurer and Trump supporter Jeff DeWit. Jeff, good to have you here. Thank you. Because of delegate conventions like this, obviously, Trump says we heard him there, the system is rigged. What do you say about maybe, I don't know, some people say do your homework and maybe we should have seen this coming?

JEFF DEWIT, STATE TREASURER OF ARIZONA: Christi, it's not about even doing homework. The system is very rigged, and the political insiders and donor class really want to control who the nominee is. And they have gotten behind Ted Cruz now and are handing him these victories.

The only states that Ted Cruz can win are the states where the party bosses get to choose the delegates. And when Ted Cruz goes around now and takes credit for a big win in a state where the party bosses hand him this insider deal, it's gross. It's the political equivalent to a drunk guy in a bar bragging about kissing his sister, and it's disgusting. We need to get rid of it in politics. So when they say this is the way we did it in 1864, a lot of things have changed since then. And a lot more voters, those are back in the days when the average voter had no access to the candidate to see them or anything else.

And the GOP has said they were going to change. They really promised this year they were going to listen to voters. Donald Trump is going around, he's winning with voters. Ted Cruz is winning despite voters as Donald Trump has said. And it's a system that we need to change and give the voters a voice.

PAUL: But take a look at Florida. Donald Trump got 40 percent, but that was a winner-take-all state. He got 100 percent of delegates there. People might argue he's only complaining when it doesn't suit him.

DEWIT: Well, again, Donald Trump is leading Ted Cruz by millions of votes, and the states that he's winning are where voters have a choice. Ted Cruz cannot win in these states. Look at New York coming up. Where voters have a voice, Ted Cruz cannot win. PAUL: If Ted Cruz can't win, and let's look at the numbers here,

Trump is going to gain an awful lot more number of delegates in New York than he would in Wyoming certainly.

DEWIT: Yes.

PAUL: So with that said, what are we going to see him doing moving forward, Trump? When we're looking at New York and that's where his focus is, but beyond New York, let's say he wins and he doesn't worry about Wyoming or Colorado or North Dakota as we've seen in the past. We're heading into Pennsylvania. Is he going to change his strategy at all, or is he sticking with this system that is rigged verbiage?

DEWIT: We obviously have to play within the rules that are set out before us. It stinks when the rules change in the middle of the game. But we have to keep moving forward and keep taking this to the people and winning with voters.

[10:10:00] And luckily there are enough states coming up that we should do just fine, especially with the over 170 delegates in June in California. And really a lot of it I think might come down to that and we're going to do very well there. So we can win by taking it to voters.

But just to see the insider game. Ted Cruz, a month ago Ted Cruz was criticizing Donald Trump when Donald Trump had asked the crowd to take a pledge they would go out and vote to support him, and he criticized that. And now Ted Cruz is actually having the Wyoming delegates sign a piece of paper, he wants them to sign, that they're going to stay with them for each and every vote and actually put their signature on a pater. And I hope people go back and play his comments from a month ago where he talked about how terrible it is. And now Ted Cruz is going even further than that.

PAUL: And Donald Trump actually also pledged not to go third party, and that seems to have gone by the wayside now as well.

DEWIT: I don't think it gone by the wayside. I don't see him saying he's going to go third party at all. But what's interesting is right when he did that, right when Donald Trump signed the pledge, was within a week of when the GOP cancelled the Colorado vote. So this is when -- the typical way they can shut down a candidate like a Donald Trump in the past is by shutting off the money spigot. So the donors just quit donating. And what's killing the establishment right now is Donald Trump is self-funding so he can keep moving forward. And they don't know what to do. They're in panic mode. So they're doing these insider rules. We just don't have a shot in a state like Wyoming where the insiders run it, the GOP runs it.

PAUL: We know because Sarah Palin has been pulled. We'll see who speaks for him I guess today in Wyoming. But thank you so much, Jeff, we appreciate it.

DEWIT: Thanks Christi, thanks for having me.

BLACKWELL: We're following breaking news out of Greece this morning. You've got to see this. Pope Francis is on his way back to the Vatican, with him on the plane, 12 Syrian refugees, six of them children. It's a remarkable gesture. It marked the end of a trip where Pope Francis called attention to Europe's migrant crisis. Before he departed the Pope took part in a ceremony honoring those who died crossing the Mediterranean, fleeing violence in the Middle East. And at the end of that visit we are told he was moved to welcome 12 of those refugees from this camp in Lesbos on to the plane and flew them back to the Vatican City.

PAUL: Let talk more about Pope Francis because before he traveled to Greece, the Pope met can Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders. And Sanders described the conversation CNN international correspondent Ben Wedeman, as well as his plans for Tuesday's primary vote in New York.

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BERNIE SANDERS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It was a lovely meeting. He's an extraordinary man, and I enjoyed the opportunity of chatting with him for a while.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And what did you discuss?

SANDERS: I just wanted to let him know how appreciative I was in the extraordinary role that he is playing throughout the world in raising consciousness about massive of income and wealth inequality, about the greed that is so pervasive in the world's economy such that the top one percent now owns more wealth globally than the bottom 99 percent. And also there's leadership in terms of climate change. He has played a very powerful with his encyclical in telling the entire world that we are moving, in his words, in a suicidal direction in climate and that we have to transform our energy system.

If anyone has been following me in New York state for the last week, the talk about abandoning anything, we've been doing rally after rally after rally. We had 27,000 people out at Washington Square Park. We're going back to do another rally I think tonight. We're going to be working very hard for the next few days.

We'll have talked to over 100,000 people in upstate New York in almost every borough in the city of New York. We have been working very, very hard. But I did feel that getting this invitation from the Vatican, given my enormous respect to the Pope, is something that I just could not refuse.

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PAUL: Sanders is indeed on his way back to the U.S. right now. He is due there 8:00 p.m. tonight in Brooklyn is his rally round table.

BLACKWELL: We have much more ahead in the newsroom. We're following, look at this, these wicked storms in Oklahoma, torrential rains, tornadoes, as you see here, happening overnight. Now the region is prepping for another round of severe weather. So we'll follow that. Also the story out of Maryland, a firefighter responding to a call at a home, he was gunned down, killed, two others shot as well. Some are asking if this was an ambush. We'll address that.

Plus her colleagues called her a tiger whisperer. What we're learning about the zookeeper who was attacked and killed by a rare tiger.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This particular keeper, this was her specialty. This is what she was trained to deal, and loved, loved tigers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[10:17:55] BLACKWELL: There's an investigation right now at a Florida zoo after an experienced zookeeper was attacked and killed by a rare tiger. Stacey Konwiser, seen here with her husband, was mauled by a 13 year old tiger. That was yesterday as she prepared for a live demonstration at the zoo. CNN correspondent Boris Sanchez is following the story from the zoo in West Palm Beach. And I know right now the investigation is focused on those moments before what led up to this attack.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Victor. We're actually hoping to find some more information about what happened before the attack in just a few moments. We've spoken to some big cat experts who tell us in these investigations it's extremely difficult to find out exactly what may have triggered this attack, whether or not the tiger may have been responding to some kind of stress or whether or not it was simply being playful and not knowing its own strength. Either way what happened here is heartbreaking.

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SANCHEZ: Tragedy at the Palm Beach, Florida zoo after a rare tying are killed its lead handler. Officials say the attack happened at a contained area called the night house where the big cats are fed and sleep. And 38-year-old Stacey Konwiser was preparing for a scheduled tiger talk, an informational event for zoo visitors when something went wrong.

NAKI CARTER, PALM BEACH ZOO: This was a tiger that was very familiar with Stacey, and she was very familiar with the tiger.

SANCHEZ: The tiger was off exhibit and no visitors were ever threatened, but the zoo was evacuated. Getting to the victim was not easy. West Palm Beach police say the animal was tranquilized and they had to wait for the drugs to take effect before reaching Konwiser, who later died at a hospital.

STACEY KONWISER, ZOOKEEPER: My name is Stacey Konwiser. I'm the primary tiger keeper here at the Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society. SANCHEZ: Officials at the zoo where her husband also works as

a trainer said Konwiser had lots of experience handling the tigers and did not do anything unusual as she worked in the enclosure.

CARTER: The love that they have for these animals, you don't get into this business without the love for the animals and understanding the danger that's involved even more.

[10:20:03] SANCHEZ: Official have not identified which of the four endangered attacked Konwiser, but they say it's a 13-year-old male. The tiger's condition is unknown, the zoo only saying it's been contained.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a powerful animal. And if they get ahold of you, there's nothing you can do to let them go, I don't care how strong you are or big you are.

SANCHEZ: Attacks by zoo animals in the U.S. are relatively rare. In 2007 a Siberian tiger named Tatiana escaped her open air enclosure at the San Francisco zoo and attacked three people. One 17-year-old boy was killed. The tiger shot dead by police after the mauling. In 2003 the entertainers Siegfried and Roy were performing in Las Vegas with their white tiger Montecore. Halfway through the show Montecore lunged and bit Roy Horn on the neck, dragging him around in front of the horrified audience. Montecore was subdued. Horn survived the attack.

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SANCHEZ: And as I mentioned earlier we're hoping to get more information today. The zoo is set to give a press briefing in just a few moments. What we may find out potentially what was happening inside that enclosure before the attack and also the condition of the tiger and what the zoo plans to do with him, whether or not they plan to potentially transfer him somewhere else or worse. Victor?

BLACKWELL: Boris Sanchez for us in West Palm Beach. Boris, thank you.

PAUL: And this morning, police are trying to figure out how a call for help led to Maryland firefighter being killed in the line of duty. John Ulmschneider responded to a medical call at a home last night. Police say the person he was there to help shot him as he tried to enter. Another firefighter and an innocent bystander were also shot. CNN's Nick Valencia is following this story. Nick, have you gotten any word of a possible motive here?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the investigation, Christi, is still in its initial phases, but investigators believe that the firefighters were not targeted by this person who opened shots. All of this could have just been a horrible, tragic mistake. It all unfolded at 7:30 last night in Prince George's County. One firefighter is dead and another is critically injured.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHIEF HANK STAWINSKI, PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY POLICE: There was

only gun fire from the resident of the home directed at public safety after public safety got into the residence. The situation immediately became calm, and no police officers fired any weapons. It was simply the resident inside. After several rounds were fired and I think they realized it was public safety, that's when the confrontation ended.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: A family member called -- made the initial 911 call to call about a medical emergency involving one of the relatives. When those two firefighters showed up, they tried to make their way inside after there was no response on the other side of that door. That's when the person on the other side of that door opened fire. One of those firefighters I mentioned, a 39-year-old, 13-year veteran of the Prince George's County fire EMS. He was shot and killed, pronounced dead at the scene.

The other officer, a 19-year-old volunteer, he was taken to the hospital, a trauma center where he underwent surgery. He was listed in critical condition but is stable and is expected to survive his injuries. As I mentioned, they don't believe that this individual meant to open fire on these two firefighters. You heard there from the captain of the police officers there locally saying that as soon as he realized it was first responders, that he stopped shooting. This investigation is still ongoing. When we get more information, we'll bring it back to you guys. Victor, Christi.

PAUL: Nick Valencia, thank you.

Thousands in Japan already in clean-up mode from the first earthquake. A second powerful tremor shook there overnight. We're taking you live to Japan for a look at the damage and what the big struggle is right now.

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BLACKWELL: United Airlines is cancelling all of its flights out of Denver International Airport today because the current forecast calls for nine to 16 inches of snow. Yes, in mid-April. United is offering to change fee waivers or refunds to effect passengers, and they plan to resume operations on Sunday.

PAUL: Talk about severe weather, what would you do if you saw this thing? This is what was going on in the Texas panhandle. Storm chasers captured this twister winding through Texas County, Oklahoma. Three tornadoes touched down in that area yesterday. And Cirque du Soleil, the acrobatic troupe, has canceled its shows in North Carolina after the state passed the controversial bathroom bill formally known as HB-2. It mandates people use the bathroom that corresponds with the gender on their birth certificate. The group said it, quote, "strongly believes in diversity and equality for every individual and is opposed to discrimination in any form," unquote.

BLACKWELL: Prince Williams, the duke of Cambridge, and his wife Catherine, the duchess of Cambridge, are visiting the Taj Mahal in India. Kensington Palace shared a photo of the royal couple on Twitter sitting on the same bench where William's mother, Diana, sat during the trip with Prince Charles in 1992. Now, the image became an iconic symbol of the breakdown of their relationship. The bench is now nicknamed Lady Di's chair.

A second powerful earthquake shook Japan overnight and now parts of the country are, as we're told, swaying every hour with strong aftershocks. Coming up we'll go live with rescuers who are frantically trying to dig survivors out of that rule.

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[10:32:26] PAUL: Let's get to Japan now together. A massive rescue mission is under way after another earthquake rocked the country's southwestern region. The latest struck yesterday morning in the city of Kumamoto. This is the moment of impact here you're going to look at. It's 7.0, at least 32 people are reported dead as of now. Hundreds have been evacuated. The biggest concern, though, at the moment are the scores of people that are feared trapped beneath piles of debris. CNN's Matt Rivers has just arrived in Kumamoto near the epicenter. He is in front of a relief center and has a first look at what's happening there. Matt, what are you seeing? And what is the most urgent need?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We did just arrive. And on the way in here you can see some of the damage, but part of it or most of it you can't see because the electricity for the prefecture is out for entire area. The only light from generators and from rescue crews, as you mentioned, going through the rubble here. Dozens, hundreds of homes have been destroyed. And the fear is that there are still dozens people trapped under the rubble and so that is the most pressing need as of right now.

You mentioned 32 people killed as a result of this latest earthquake that happened around 1:00 a.m. local time here, but that was on the heels of a first earthquake that happened on Thursday here local time that killed nine people. And so this town, this community reeling right now. They are getting assistance. Japan's self-defense force has sent 25,000 troops that will be arriving, all of them here by sometime tomorrow to begin to really go through these homes to try and save the people that they can.

And you mentioned, I'm at a rescue shelter right now. There are several set up around the city. Some people are here because they don't have homes to go back to because they've been destroyed, but most of the people here are here because they are too scared to go home because the big fear right now is that maybe there's going to be another aftershock that could make this terrible situation that much worse.

PAUL: All right, Matt Rivers, we appreciate it so much. Thank you.

And I want to show you a moment here. Look at this little baby, this moment this baby was rescued. We do not know the condition but look at how frantic they are. And the baby looks OK. But look at what people are dealing with there, these homes that have just collapsed. [10:35:03] And again, the biggest fear as people try to dig other

people out of the rubble, and of course night has fallen, and wishing all those people the very best of luck. But again, 7.0 after a 6.2 and more than 160 aftershocks being felt there.

BLACKWELL: And storms to come. Rescuers have a lot of work on their hands.

All right, clock ticking down now to the New York primaries. Let's look at the Democratic side of the aisle. Tonight Bernie Sanders will be at a campaign event in Brooklyn, back to his visit from the Vatican City where he met with Pope Francis and attended a conference on the economy. Hillary Clinton is in California this weekend. She has several fundraisers planned.

Let's talk about the candidates and this race. Let's bring in Bakari Sellers, CNN commentator, Hillary Clinton supporter, and Charles Chamberlain, executive director of Democracy for America and a Bernie Sanders surrogate as well. Charles, first, good morning to both of you, but I want to start with Charles and the release of senator Sanders' taxes yesterday. About $206,000 income for the senator and his wife, Jane, in 2014, compared that to $28.3 million for the Clintons in that same year. I wonder, without any big, bold headline here from the returns as it relates to Sanders' income, why wait so long? Why drag this out for as long as he has?

CHARLES CHAMBERLAIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEMOCRACY FOR AMERICA: That's an interesting question. I would argue that it's probably less about dragging out and more about getting around to it. When you're campaigning all over the country, there's a lot of things you're doing. And tax day wasn't until the 15th. So getting it done by the deadline is the key.

I think what's really awesome about seeing this report is how starkly the contrast is here. Bernie Sanders made less money last year than Hillary Clinton made from one single speech to Goldman Sachs, and we know she made a lot more than one speech - over 39 speeches to financial institutions over the last couple years. This is a lot and it really says something about the kind of candidates we're looking at. There's nothing wrong with making a lot of money, but when you make it by doing speeches to big financial industries and aren't even willing to release the transcripts, I think it says a lot here about what's happening here.

BLACKWELL: Bakari, let me come to you with that. The Clintons made more than 100 times what the Sanders made in 2014. Let's put up the information about this fundraiser that's happening last weekend. I guess it happened last night. For a couple to sit at the head table at this George Clooney fundraiser for Hillary Clinton, they would have to donate $353,400, which is about 150 percent of what the Sanders made in all of 2014. This is not the first millionaire candidate to run for office. We know it costs a lot to run for president. But when she makes so much more than her opponent and income inequality is such a central, crucial part of this race, does this disparity damage her central message? BAKARI SELLERS, CNN COMMENTATOR: I mean, not at all. First and

foremost Bernie Sanders released one tax return. This has been a requirement by the media and everyone watching for the past number of years where presidential candidates release their tax returns so I'm waiting on Bernie Sanders to release more than just one. I think many people are waiting for him to release many, if not all, from most of the decade. So that's first.

The second this is, this was not a fundraiser for simply just Hillary Clinton. This was a fundraiser for the DNC as well. And what we learned the other night was a great question Dana Bash asking Bernie Sanders why isn't he raising any money for the DNC? Because if we want this revolution we have to raise money for these states parties. We have to deal from the state and local level up. So a lot of these funds that were raised last night, thank God that we have somebody out there who is trying to actually help us win on the local and state level where these funds will go.

And lastly, I hate and reject this insinuation that Bernie Sanders and his camp have been making since the beginning of time that somehow because Hillary Clinton spoke to Goldman Sachs or she spoke to financial institutions, she's been compromised. Because when Bernie Sanders got asked that question on the debate stage, can you name one type in which your character had been compromised based on the donations he received or speaking at these events, he could not. It was an absolute whiff. And so these insinuated character attacks are just not good.

BLACKWELL: Let me say a Clinton supporter who won her seat in New York in the Senate there, Kirsten Gillibrand, was asked by Chris Cuomo if Secretary Clinton should release the transcripts of those speeches. Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND, (D) NEW YORK: I think she will. I think she's been clear that she's going to, and, yes, I would. I post my taxes online. I was one of the first senators to do that. And so I like transparency and accountability and I know Hillary does as well. I think she cares deeply about openness and transparency, and I think she will release those speeches at the appropriate time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:40:05] BLACKWELL: So Bakari, is this a supporter who is off message or is this the first of what may be more Hillary Clinton supporters calling for her to release these transcripts?

SELLERS: I don't think she was calling for her to release them so much as she was saying she might release them, she may release them.

BLACKWELL: That's not she said. That's not she said. What she said is that she should release them, I would release them. We just listened to the sound bite. She's not saying she might.

SELLERS: I mean, listen, the fact of the matter is if Hillary Clinton releases these transcripts, she's does. But the overarching point that I'm attempting to make with you this morning is simply that this is some new requirement by the media and everyone else that all of a sudden because you're running for president, release the speeches that you're given. This has not been done to any other candidate that's ever run for office. And we know there are other candidates. There's John Kasich, there's Jeb Bush, there's Donald Trump who has given these speeches to Wall Street and we're not asking them. So an evenhanded approach is what we're asking.

BLACKWELL: All right, Bakari, Charles, we've run out of time. Thank you both for being with us this morning. Christi, over to you.

PAUL: All right, getting back to some of the breaking news out of Greece, and we've been watching it here together. An unprecedented move by Pope Francis after speaking to a group of refugees who fled the violence of the war in the Middle East, he took three families back to the Vatican with him, 12 people, six children. We're getting more on this extraordinary action live from Greece for you. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:45:08] PAUL: An incredible moment in Greece just before the Pope is due to head back to the Vatican. A surprise announcement -- he's bringing back with him three Muslim refugee families, including six children. It was part of an emotional trip highlighting Europe's migrant crisis which included this moment. Look at this. That young girl fell to her feet sobbing as she greeted Pope Francis.

Atika Shubert live in Lesbos, Greece. So Atika, obviously many people are looking at that wondering if that little girl is one of the six that's on the plane. And was this decision to take these families, do we know, random? Did it happen in the moment? Was it preplanned?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't believe this was a spontaneous decision. The families seemed to have been screened. They were notified early this morning. That little girl in that video is not one of the children that is going with the Pope.

What we understand from the Vatican is that these are three Syrian families, two from Damascus, and there are six children between them, and all of them will be taken to the Vatican. The Vatican will be responsible for their legal status, their asylum, and will house them in the Vatican at least temporarily.

Now, it's likely that this was something that has been in the works for weeks, and perhaps the most important part is that the families landed in the island of Lesbos weeks before the agreement between Turkey and the EU. And this is an important legal status because it means they are not eligible to be deported back to Turkey, which so many of those who arrived after March 20th are like to have happen. So this is clearly a very symbolic and powerful gesture by the Pope, saying, you know, Europe should open its doors to more refugees. I'm taking three families to the Vatican. What about other countries?

PAUL: Atika Shubert, what a story this morning. We appreciate so much. Thank you. Victor?

BLACKWELL: The funeral for the ex-NFL player who was shot and killed after a traffic accident, that is today. But now the suspect's attorney is going on the offensive. He's accused of New Orleans police department of misconduct and now wants them off the case.

PAUL: If you're looking to add a little excitement to your next business trip to San Francisco, here's quick way to get your adrenaline soaring when you're off the clock.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN AGUSTIN, IFLY: I'm Benjamin Agustin. I'm a senior flight instructor at iFly in San Francisco. I Fly is a vertical wind tunnel. It's an indoor skydiving facility. What we do here is we simulate an actual free fall. Most of our customers are non-sky divers. A lot of times what I hear from people is I'm too scared to jump out of a plane, but I'll try this.

And this is the next best thing. We're going to teach you everything you need to know about flying. You do that by having expanses on the top of the building that recirculates the wind through the bottom. There's one instructor inside the tunnel with the flyer and there is going to be another instructor on the outside actually controlling the wind. We have tourists, travelers. Usually they're looking for something that's different, out of the ordinary and an exciting adventure, and definitely we have that for them but also keep it very safe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you need a break from your monotonous day this is a place to spend it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:52:15] PAUL: Former NFL player Will Smith will be laid to rest in a private funeral service today. The former team captain of the New Orleans Saints was gunned down last Saturday, remember, over what is believed to be a fender bender. Police say Cardell Hayes shot Smith several time and shot Smith's wife in each leg. Now his lawyer is raising questions about the investigation after police discovered two more guns a few days later. The attorney is now demanding officers recuse themselves from the investigation, calling the department incompetent.

CNN Legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson with us. Joey, good morning to you. Let me first ask you about that piece of news today. How likely is this that these officers will recuse themselves from this case?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Good morning, Christi. It's not likely at all. And in fact what ends up happening is in case you can make the argument that someone has a relationship with the police department, particularly when it involves someone who has some notoriety like a football player. I think the remedy to address that issue is in a court of law. Ultimately police will testify, and when they do you can explore that on cross examination. You know this person, don't you? You're fond of them. You did not conduct a thorough investigation. You didn't check for a. You didn't check for b. Isn't that right?

And so that's the way you resolve it and you allow a jury to make their own determination as to whether there was proper conduct, was there misconduct, or was there any incompetence. So I don't see recusal. What I do see is a vigorous cross examination such as I mentioned so that they can get that information out there before the jury.

PAUL: Hayes' attorney claims that he committed a justifiable homicide under Louisiana's stand your ground law. Yes, we're back to this law which allows anyone who feels in danger of losing his life to use deadly force. How strong a claim do you think that is in this case, Joey?

JACKSON: What happens, Christi, is that before you get there, you have to really look at whether self-defense is applicable. And when you look at that, the question is be asked is, was there an imminent fear? Was I an imminent fear for my life, a, and number two, did the force I use, was it proportionate to any throat posed? And ultimately that centers on number three, which is did you act reasonably?

Stand your ground means that there is not duty to retreat. You don't have to run away. In the event you feel that you are in imminent danger, you can stand that ground and you can use force. But the question is going to be here, I think the prosecutor two-fold, big, big problems for the defense are, number one, was there a disproportionate use. Why did you need so many shots? And number two, the placement of those shots. Were they indeed, and we'll wait for the autopsy report to confirm, were they indeed to the back?

[10:55:04] And if so, how justifiable were you? The defense certainly will argue that that's no matter. You can get a gun and in a split second you can take somebody else's life, and I simply beat him to the punch. And in light of me beating him to the punch doesn't mean I was any less justified whether they were to the bark or not. And so that's the argument, Christi, that's going to be made ultimately before a jury.

PAUL: We only have 30 seconds. But when does this claim Will Smith threatened Hayes first by claiming that he had a gun, if the investigation proves that Smith escalated the situation, we do not know that's the case, but if it does, doe it change the course of the investigation?

JACKSON: Not the investigation itself, Christi. The investigation is going to be what it is, and that is to uncover any fact that's relevant to the case, the surveillance, witnesses, whatever they say. What it will change, of course, is the posture of the prosecution and their narrative and the posture of the defense in terms of what they can argue. And so of course if there's the argument that Will Smith was the aggressor, the defense will seize upon that to say, see, I told you so. My client was in imminent fear for his life and had to act accordingly, and that's how it will play out.

PAUL: All right, Joey Jackson, always appreciate seeing you. Thank you, sir.

JACKSON: Thank you, Christi.

PAUL: And we appreciate seeing you as well. Make great memories today.

BLACKWELL: And there's much more ahead in the next hour of CNN's Newsroom. Just days before voters go to the polls, Governor Andrew Cuomo is in the CNN Newsroom. He is weighing in on the New York primary. Why he is endorsing Hillary Clinton, and he'll tell us if he thinks the race is actually closer than the latest polls show.

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