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GOP Official Decries RNC'S Tyranny; Suicide Blast in Kabul; U.S. Sailors Weigh in on Election; Texas Flooding. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired April 19, 2016 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Solomon Yue wrote that e-mail and he joins me now live from Florida.

Welcome, sir.

SOLOMON YUE, VICE CHMN. & CEO, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF OREGON: Thank you for having me.

COSTELLO: Thanks for being here. I appreciate it. Are you calling Reince Priebus a dictator?

YUE: Actually, I'm calling council office use their power to systematically crash a descending voice and try to defeat and kill my motion to go to Roberts (ph).

COSTELLO: Right, because you want to change the rules because you say as it stands right now establishment forces could hijack the nomination with a non-candidate or maybe even John Kasich. Is that the RNC's goal in your mind?

YUE: In my mind stay with house (ph) rule, which is 1,500 pages long, and no transparency whatsoever, and presiding officer could be Reince and could be rider (ph) and could be anyone. And got so much power. They can reopen the nomination without a vote of the majority of the delegates. That's my concern.

COSTELLO: So in your opinion, as it stands now, the rules are not in Mr. Trump's favor?

YUE: I think rules not only not in Mr. Trump's favor, Mr. Cruz's favor, is in the favor of an establishment candidate, so-called a white knight.

COSTELLO: Some people disagree with you. They say as the rules stand now, it's more fair than if you change the rules the way you want them.

YUE: I don't know how fair -- how fair that is when a presiding officer can decide, bring a nomination up to reopen the nomination on his own, without vote of the majority of the delegates. That is the problem here.

COSTELLO: You talked with Reince Priebus, who's the chair of the RNC. He asked you for a series of favors. What -- what did he want? YUE: First of all, after I submit my Roberts Rule proposal, he wants

me to table it -- to withdrawal. And then he want me to allow a tabled motion to go through basically, effectively killing it. Then of course I refused to do that. Then he want me to allow counsel office not to send my proposal out to 56 voting members. And basically somebody will be able to use that as excuse to table my motion and to kill my Roberts proposal. And that's --

COSTELLO: Got it. I just want to interrupt you for just a second, Mr. Yue, and explain to viewers what they're looking at to the right of their screens. We're expecting Mr. Trump to go through those doors at any time and cast a ballot for himself in the New York primary. So that's what we're watching for. And I'll just continue on with my questions to you, Mr. Yue, while we await Mr. Trump's presence, right?

So Reince Priebus has said, you know what, we can't change the rules in the middle of things right now. It's just too late. It would just create more mistrust among voters, and that will not be a good thing.

YUE: That is a political sting (ph). I am not changed the rule. I -- I am bring more transparency to the convention, to stop what they tried to do. You know, actually, yesterday, what I would think -- I have been thinking about out of concern by the leader of the establishment, Karl Rove, who attacked my proposal on Fox News in the morning. And he is the one openly talking about bring a fresh face candidate to the nomination. And so, you know, it's clear to me, and to everyone, and after we saw the interview on Fox News, what Karl said.

COSTELLO: Gotcha. OK. And a last question for you. You know, all of this just says to voters, because you're disagreeing with the RNC chair because he's saying something totally different from you, and it just tells voters that there's chaos within the Republican Party, within the RNC, and that the convention really will be a mess. Is that a fair assessment?

YUE: Actually, I try to fix that problem. If you have a transparency, an orderly process and delegates got an opportunity to voice their concern and have a vote, each, every decision, then you really prevent the kind of chaos they are talking about. They are using chaos as excuse, refuse transparency. That's the bottom line.

[09:35:02] COSTELLO: All right, I'll end it there. Solomon Yue, thanks so much for joining me this morning.

And stay with CNN. Our special coverage of the New York primaries gets underway this afternoon, 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a deadly explosion hits near a U.S. embassy and the Taliban says this is just the beginning. We'll take you to Afghanistan, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: A deadly explosion rocks Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, a suicide bomb. And at least one armed assailant killing 28 people, hundreds of others are injured. The Taliban now claiming responsibility as they launch what they call their spring offensive. Sune Rasmussen is in Kabul near the site of the blast. She has more for us this morning. Hi. Or he has. I apologize. Welcome. Tell us more.

SUNE RASMUSSEN, JOURNALIST: That's OK.

Yes, so the latest we have from the blast site is that at least 28 people were killed in this attack this morning. Over 300 people have been injured. And a lot of those people are civilians, including women and children.

[09:40:08] The Taliban have claimed responsibility. It's unclear whether there was one gunman or three gunmen. It depends a bit on which authority you speak to. But it seems like the gun battle that was raging after the -- after the attack was -- was ended after more or less an hour. This casualty member is likely to rise as -- as the hospitals evacuate people from the site, but so far that's the number we have, over 300 people.

COSTELLO: How close was this to the U.S. embassy?

RASMUSSEN: This was about half a kilometer from the U.S. embassy. But the U.S. embassy was not the target of the attack. The target of the attack was an office belonged to a security service, a particular secret service agency that provides security for government officials and military (ph). So even though it's close to the U.S. embassy and also to NATO headquarters, that's only because a lot of these government ministries are in the same area more or less within this so-called ring of steel in Kabul, as this target of the -- of today's attack.

COSTELLO: Sune Rasmussen, thank you so much.

President Obama heads to Saudi Arabia today amid high tensions. The Saudi regime issuing a new warning that it will sell billions in U.S. assets if Congress passes a bill that would allow 9/11 victims to sue foreign governments. Obama's trip also comes as our longtime ally grapples with plunging oil prices and civil wars along three of its borders. He's expected to meet with the Saudi king to discuss ISIS and Iran.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, an exclusive town hall with the U.S. Navy. The men and women dedicating their lives for our freedom open up about their ideal commander in chief, next.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're leading our nation. You're the commander in chief. We are going to take orders, you know, from you essentially.

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[09:46:28] COSTELLO: They're the American serving on the frontline. U.S. Navy men and women fighting ISIS aboard the USS Harry S. Truman in the Persian Gulf. CNN's Brooke Baldwin was recently granted rare, exclusive access on the aircraft carrier. And with their jobs and future soon in the hands of a new commander in chief, the sailors say they have a clear picture of who their next leader ought to be. Brooke Baldwin is here with me now.

Good morning.

BROOKE BALDWIN, ANCHOR, CNN'S "NEWSROOM": Hello.

COSTELLO: Good morning.

BALDWIN: So, you know, we've had all these town halls. It's primary day here in New York. We all want to know, how do the candidates feel on certain issues. And I really wanted to go straight to our men and women in uniform. And so I just took a little trip, four flights and an aircraft carrier and a helicopter away, and sat down with three incredible young sailors. Let me tell you, they may be thousands of miles from home, but they're paying very close attention to this current presidential election.

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BALDWIN: Given what is happening out here in this important mission that you're involved in, why do you think this election is so important?

PETTY OFFICER 2ND CLASS JAMES ALLEN, U.S. NAVY: One of the few things that they have direct control over is the military. You've got to look at it and say, who's going to take the best care of the people. It's about whether they have the knowledge to do it themselves or they have the knowledge to pick someone who can give them the best advice, whether (ph) it's from a Democrat or a Republican, whoever it is, doesn't matter who it's coming from, but find the best advice and to listen to it.

BALDWIN: I know you all, as active members, you know, you can't comment on any candidate specifically, so I won't ask about a potential President Clinton or a potential President Trump. What is the most important quality in a commander in chief?

LT. PRECIOUS MCQUADE, U.S. NAVY: Being a leader. So we are leaders, each and every single one of us out here every day. So the president, you're leading our nation, you're the commander in chief. We are going to take orders, you know, from you essentially. We've got our chain of command, but that's what it takes is someone who's willing to make the right decision. And for us, living these sacrifices, you know, real time to execute the orders given.

BALDWIN: You're not in a total dark hole. So how much are you following what's happening back home, updates on the war on terror, Brussels, what was your immediate reaction?

ALLEN: Sadness. I mean it's sad for the people there and people involved. You hope that we can find a way to keep pushing to keep -- to prevent things like that from happening in the future.

MCQUADE: We have a huge part in, you know, curbing some of the terrorism that's happening in the world.

BALDWIN: Does that frustrate you, what you're doing out here, and yet they've been successful elsewhere?

PETTY OFFICER 2ND CLASS JOHN ADAMS, U.S. NAVY: It's not -- it's not necessarily frustrating. But to do our job, this -- this is a part of it, so to protect our country and -- and the human race itself. The idea of getting everybody on the same page and, you know, hopefully our country can solve things diplomatically, that that would always be the best solution. And that's why we -- we have our presidential terms as short as they are to try to get new perspective and new insights and capitalize on what past presidents have done.

BALDWIN: What do you think the biggest misconception is from back home toward you all?

ADAMS: Our emotions towards the people that may be doing this doesn't go that far. We don't -- we don't hate anybody. But we do need to make the proper decisions without that emotional connection. And that's -- I think that's -- that's what it's all about, is making the best decision for our country and for -- for the world essentially.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[09:50:06] COSTELLO: Do they -- do they think in terms of winning and losing and do they think they're winning the war on terror?

BALDWIN: That's a good question. I was talking to the rear admiral of the Navy and I asked him what winning looks like. And, you know, the big overarching answer is eradicating violent, you know, extremism in the region, but --

COSTELLO: (INAUDIBLE) order.

BALDWIN: It's not -- you know, he said to me flat out, obviously it's not going to happen on this deployment. But I do feel like they feel that they're a part of this calling. It's bigger than themselves. They do think that they are bettering the world, hopefully keeping us a bit more safe. But it's a big picture issue. It's not just the United States. And, by the way, they're out there with a number of other countries, other aircraft carriers, the Charles de Gaulle with France has been integral in this whole mission, but it's a tough question to answer really.

COSTELLO: I know. And, I don't know, to me that would be the most difficult thing because --

BALDWIN: They're leaving their families behind.

COSTELLO: Because what is a definitive win? You can't even say that anymore, right?

BALDWIN: With all these different pockets and cells and everything else popping up. But at least for them right now, I mean the mission, Operation Inherent Resolve, OIR, that's what they're out there for. And specifically, you know, striking targets in ISIS and Syria. That's what they're doing. That is their mission.

COSTELLO: Brooke Baldwin, thanks so much. It's been fascinating.

BALDWIN: Thank you. Thank you.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Texas is struggling to recover from flash flooding and record rain. And, guess what, more rain could be on the way.

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[09:55:37] COSTELLO: Checking some top stories at 55 minutes past.

When asked to grade the U.S. economy, more than half of the respondents in a recent survey gave it a "c." Another 15 percent gave it a "d" or an "f," even as the Dow starts the week above 18,000 for the first time since last July and could be on track to gain even more ground today. You see it's up again. The survey conducted by CNN Money and E*Trade shows there may be a confidence gap between Wall Street and everyone else. Last month in a similar survey, well, it showed Wall Streeters gave the economy an "a" or a"b."

The co-founders of Ben & Jerry's ice cream have been arrested at the U.S. Capitol. That's Ben Cohen bouncing to the chants of demonstrators yesterday. The two were in a group of 300 other people charged with unlawfully demonstrating. The group was there to protest the influence of money in politics and call for a vote on the Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, but after they were released, they served ice cream to everyone.

Michigan's embattled governor is urging Flint residents to stop using bottled water and start using filters tap water. And Governor Snyder says he will lead the way drinking tap water for 30 days. Snyder started with a glass at a Flint home he was invited to yesterday. He says he even filled up three one-gallon jugs to go. Residents are still concerned --as recent testing showed lead levels in the city's water supply remain slightly elevated.

Five people have drowned in Texas as record rainfall triggers flash flood. One thousand homes have flooded and crews have carried out 1,200 high-water rescues. It wasn't just people in need. These horses were pulled from the water too. More than 20 inches of rain fell in some areas. That was just yesterday. And that total could rise again today.

CNN's Chad Myers live in Atlanta to tell us more.

Good morning.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

Yes, the pictures really were something else. The rain started overnight and then it rained and it didn't stop. The storms never moved. It rained one to two inches per hour for eight hours on end in some spots near Katy and Jersey Village and just west of Houston. I know we've mentioned Houston, Houston, Houston, but the real big flooding was about five miles to the northwest and ten miles west of Houston proper where the water was just as high as they have seen it since Tropical Storm Allison.

Fayetteville and Hockley there, 15 to 17 inches of rain. That is three months' worth of rain in ten hours. And then the rivers went up, and they went up quickly. And people were rescued from those rivers because it happened overnight. A lot of this water went straight up. These rivers, these bayous, these streams and swamps and all that went straight up in overnight hours when it was dark.

Here are more pictures. People are getting rescued out of their cars. One man was rescued from a semi as it was completely inundated with water all around it. He couldn't get out. And two people did drown in their cars because they couldn't get out either. Five deaths, Carol. I mean, that's a significant number of deaths just from rain when the weather service says to, please, turn around, don't drown. And it's hard to imagine how deep that water can be when, oh, it's only up to my wheel. Oh, it's only up to my door. Oh, no, it's up to the windows and then all of a sudden you are stuck. Twelve hundred high-water rescues. You're putting the first responders in danger by getting into that situation and people didn't even know they were getting into it because a lot of it happened before sunrise.

COSTELLO: Well, and as you -- as you say, Chad, you know, we see people swimming in that water, but that presents a danger in itself, right?

MYERS: Oh, sure. There's all kinds of things in that water that you don't want to think about. And all those cars that are flooded, the fluids that are coming out of the cars, gasoline, oil, antifreeze, all completely poisonous to anybody out there. So don't let the dogs in it. Don't let the kids go play in it. The water is going to take a while to come down.

There are no mountains in Houston. So this water doesn't go downhill very quickly and into the ocean. It takes a long time to drift all the way down to Galveston and eventually out into the Gulf of Mexico, Carol.

COSTELLO: OK, we hear your good warning. Thank you, Chad.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

Happening now in the NEWSROOM, primary day in New York. The Donald looking to dominate.

[10:00:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to keep winning. We're going to win, win, win!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But still taking swipes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: No New Yorker can vote for Ted Cruz.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Can Hillary Clinton seal the deal?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm hoping to wrap up the Democratic nomination.