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Remembering Prince; Democrats Campaign in Pennsylvania; Sports World Remembers Prince. Aired 9:30-10:00a ET

Aired April 22, 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] CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER, POP MUSIC WRITER, "STAR TRIBUNE": But more than anything, people understood that he put the city on the map. I mean people didn't know - you know, people didn't know there was a music scene here prior to Prince. And, you know, he made it - he made it a destination for Prince fans for decades, First Avenue in particular. But then when he opened Paisley Park, people would congregate there from all over the world. And - and there is just so much pride. And it - you know, he - he was such an odd duck compared to the typical Midwest blue collar aesthetic, but in a way that -- besides that, you know, he had this hard work ethic that was very Minnesotan and, you know, this independence that kind of not ignoring the - what goes on in the coasts and staying here. That was something people took a lot of pride in here.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, absolutely. And I was just going to ask you that because Mr. Witherspoon is from Ohio. I'm from Ohio. I assume that you're a native Minnesotan, Chris. And I found it interesting that Prince could be so other worldly, yet there was something very Midwest about him. And I always wonder how he managed to embody both. I mean he was a super star. He was androgynist. He was a great artist. And then he was a Midwest dude. How did that happen?

RIEMENSCHNEIDER: You know, it's part of being here kind of in the middle of the country and yet being ignored by the music industry. So people kind of come up with their own act, you know. And, obviously, he had his own act, and then some, you know. He created this whole thing that had never been seen before. And, you know, I don't think he was trying to fit any molds. He was - he was doing what he wanted to do because, you know, he maybe - he didn't - he wasn't playing to record executives when he was starting out at age 16, you know. He was - he was doing his own thing and he kept doing that for - until the end, really.

COSTELLO: Which is very Minnesota, actually.

So, Mr. Witherspoon, Prince was so much more than just an artist.

CHRIS WITHERSPOON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT ANALYST: Right.

COSTELLO: I mean, for me personally, his music became popular when I was in college. So those are your formative years.

WITHERSPOON: Yes.

COSTELLO: Those are the years that you open your mind and take everything in. And here was Prince, this androgynous guy. And I remember the first time my friends and I saw him. We're like, who is this guy? He's so weird.

WITHERSPOON: Unbelievable.

COSTELLO: But then - but then he opened your eyes to a broader world. He introduced you to things you never thought of before.

WITHERSPOON: Yes.

COSTELLO: And that was a beautiful thing.

WITHERSPOON: And I've seen so many celebrities and just fans of Prince on Twitter and social media react to his death. And it's so beautiful to see folks that really didn't really know him, talk of him as though he is a friend. And I saw one Twitter fan write it so beautifully. She said, "thinking about how we mourn artists we've never met. We don't cry because we knew them, w cry because they help us knew - they helped us know ourselves."

COSTELLO: That's exactly right.

WITHERSPOON: And I think Prince helped us all kind of find who we really were. If you listened to his music, if you were a fan, there's always that one song that kind of helped you on your journey as a child. And I think that Prince, listening to you - him call him an odd duck. Prince was unapologetically Prince. You know, and I think that we can all borrow that and somehow use that in our lives. Just be who we are. Be bold and be brave and stand up for what we believe in.

COSTELLO: Well, here's what - here's what he did for me. He opened my eyes to the gay community, because I never really thought about it before, right?

WITHERSPOON: (INAUDIBLE).

COSTELLO: So he did that. He allowed me to embrace my sexuality, which was very important, right? And you could be whatever you wanted to be and be successful.

WITHERSPOON: Yes.

COSTELLO: You could - you could look like Prince, who was a very handsome man, don't get me wrong, but he was different from what I grew up with.

WITHERSPOON: Yes.

COSTELLO: But h e's kind of taught you that you could be creative, you could be a genius, and you could be exactly who you were and that was OK.

WITHERSPOON: I was listening to his albums last night and I kept thinking, Price was like the church of Prince. You know, he could discuss God, sex, social activist messages were included his songs. But at the end of the day, there was this beautiful, lyrical, poetic, Shakespearian like message along with is music. But it really was like going to church, playing Prince music truly.

COSTELLO: Yes, it was.

OK, back out to my Chris in Minneapolis. So what happens now? We don't know exactly how Prince died, right? And so what happens now for Minneapolis?

RIEMENSCHNEIDER: Well, yes, there's the - they're doing the autopsy - the autopsy report is supposed to come today. When, exactly, we don't know. You know, this is where I hope people pay attention to the real news sources, because the gossip sites and everything are already kind of going - going nuts. Let's wait until we get the real story. You know, it - the thing about last week, he had the emergency plane landing, supposedly due to bad dehydration. That - that always - that did seem a little off. I mean you don't - you don't, you know, suddenly divert a plane 45 minutes from your final destination because of bad dehydration or the flu. So - so that's probably what has spawned a lot of this speculation. Look, but let's - let's wait and, you know, in the meantime, let's just stick on what's important and that's just remembering this really amazing artist and amazing man.

[09:35:06] COSTELLO: That's right. That - this is a day to remember how fabulous Prince was and what he gave to all of us. Chris Riemenschneider, Chris Witherspoon, thanks to you both.

All right, the world mourns the loss of Prince and, Hillary Clinton, she joined the course of politicians reacting to his death, calling him an American original.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (voice-over): I was so stunned. You know, you think of him as being almost eternal. I mean, his - he was a bigger than life personality. He was not only a songwriter and a singer, but literally a one man band. He was such a great showman. I just was so sad, and I just want everybody to, you know, spend some time reflecting on this American original."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:04] COSTELLO: Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are taking their messages to Pennsylvania voters today, ahead of next Tuesday's primary. But it's Sanders' wife Jane who is taking a swing at Clinton, accusing the Democratic frontrunner of politicizing the gun issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANE SANDERS, WIFE OF BERNIE SANDERS: I just don't like to see it be politicized. I think that Secretary Clinton's gun record is a lot more spotty than Bernie's. Bernie's been consistently supportive of instant background checks, opposed to assault weapons, the sale and manufacturer of assault weapons, for closing the gun show loophole, for ending the straw man problem. And I think that's been since 1988. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Joining me now to talk about this and more is Larry Sabato, the director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

Hi, Larry.

LARRY SABATO, DIR., UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS: Hey, Carol.

COSTELLO: So Hillary Clinton was campaigning in Connecticut yesterday. She sat down with some Newtown families to talk about gun control. Parents who lost children at Sandy Hook are sending out flyers, raising money for Hillary Clinton. So is Jane Sanders right, is Hillary Clinton politicizing the gun issue?

SABATO: Yes. She is politicizing it, just as Bernie Sanders has politicized the Wall Street issue and other things. You know, it's a political campaign. You politicize things during a political campaign in order to win. And, look, it's been effective. Campaigns, as well organized and as wealthy as Hillary Clinton's, or for that matter Bernie Sanders, don't strike these notes unless they work, or they go on to something else if they don't work. They work. They're working. This is probably the best issue Hillary Clinton has to use against Bernie Sanders.

COSTELLO: So what do you suppose will happen to the Sanders candidacy after next Tuesday? What is - he's going to stay in regardless of how he does, won't he?

SABATO: Well, he should - I think he should stay in until June 7th. The precedent for that is Hillary Clinton. She stayed in to June 7th when she was running against Barack Obama. Now, she has a bigger lead against Sanders than Barack Obama ever had against Hillary Clinton, but the precedence there, and it probably is a good thing, give Democrats a choice. At that point, I think it will be perfectly obvious what we've been saying for months, that Hillary Clinton is going to be the Democratic Party's presidential nominee and then Senator Sanders will have to decide how he's going to gear down and Hillary Clinton will have to decide what incentives she will provide Bernie Sanders to gear down in a unifying way.

COSTELLO: Interesting. So Donald Trump held a rally in Indiana last night and he used Bernie Sanders' words against Hillary Clinton in a campaign speech. You know where the one Bernie Sanders said Hillary Clinton was unqualified. On another interesting note, Trump's senior advisor, he broke down what he sees as the primary flaws of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Here's what he, Paul Manafort, told the RNC, the Republicans, the establishment, that were meeting in Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL MANAFORT, TRUMP'S SENIOR ADVISOR (voice-over): Clinton's negatives are serious, because they're character driven things. So they don't - people don't trust her. They don't like her. They think she's a liar. They think she does things only for her interests, the Clinton corporation. All of the issues that go to character.

Trump's negatives are negatives that deal with his personality. People don't know yet what to make of him. Some of the stump speeches he's given. Some of the style he has. Some of the ways in which he's presented the issues. But it's his personality that people have trouble with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So is character and personality different when it comes to campaigning?

SABATO: Character and personality are issues of a sort. They're different kind of issue. You're not discussing foreign policy. You're not discussing domestic policy. You're discussing the personality of your opponent. And if, if it turns out to be Trump versus Clinton in the fall, Carol, just remember the - the simple two word phrase, "scorched earth." This is going to be one of the nastiest campaigns in American history. CNN recently had a wonderful series about dirty campaign at the presidential level. Well, get ready for a brand new program that may stretch over hours.

COSTELLO: Wow. Larry Sabato, thanks, as always, for your insight.

SABATO: Thank you.

CUOMO: All right, some breaking news to pass along to you. The autopsy on Prince will begin just moments from now. That will happen at the top of the hour. We're told the chief medical examiner for the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office will perform the autopsy. Of course, we'll have more information on that when we get it in, in just a moment.

[09:44:51] But first, let's talk more about Prince's legacy because he rocked his Super Bowl half time show, right, and now the sports world is rocked by his death.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Fans around the world are remembering famed musician Prince. It's been called one of the greatest, if not the greatest Super Bowl halftime shows ever. We're talking about Prince's performance in 2007. It was raining hard that night, it was in Miami, and that actually worked perfectly for Prince's signature song.

[09:50:14] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE: Ya'll want to sing tonight? Come on! I can't hear you!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: It was awesome. Coy Wire joins us now to talk more about how the sports world is remembering Prince.

Good morning.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: Good morning, Carol. Prince was a huge sports fan. He loved his hometown teams in

Minnesota, the Vikings, Timberwolves, Twins and he even put on a three hour private concert for the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx after they won the title last year. He loved his sports and the sports world loved him.

So yesterday they took to Twitter to pay their respects. The Twins saying their profile picture, lighting the field purple, saying "fitting that it's raining in Minneapolis." The Timberwolves posted a picture of Prince and said, "when doves cry, wolves cry." Even Mike Tyson, with this hilarious tribute, "Prince, his face. Prince's hair well done. Iron Mike, you look like the most beautiful girl in the world." Love that one.

Now according to Prince's junior high basketball coach, Carol, Prince was a hoopster, too. Only 5'2" but quicker on the court than a little red Corvette. No middle schooler ever looked cooler either. The fro, the side-eyed stare. Sir, you've got the look.

Now, we've all heard stories about Prince's eccentric taste. This story from ESPN definitely highlights that. Prince once (INAUDIBLE) at Beverly Hills mansion from NBA veteran Carlos Boozer (ph) and supposedly Prince completely redecorated the place. He put the Prince sign on the front gate, knocked down the walls, changed the interior to be more Prince-like, if you will. Well, Boozer didn't know about any of this, so he was not happy. But when Boozer arrived at the house, Carol, to confront him about it, Prince hands him a check for $1 million and says, here you go, that should take care of everything to get it changed back.

Now, Carol, I got to know, I'm going to put you on the spot here. What is your favorite Prince song?

COSTELLO: Oh, that's so hard because he had so many great songs. I think "Let's Get Crazy" because you could dance to it. You could just jump up and down.

WIRE: Oh, no, let's go. I'm with you, girl. I love it. I love it. Me too.

COSTELLO: Oh, thanks for the wonderful tribute to Prince. Coy Wire, thanks so much.

WIRE: All right. You're welcome.

COSTELLO: And the tributes are pouring in now that Prince is gone, but he had plenty of honors heaped on him when he was still alive. Here's Alicia Keys at his 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALICIA KEYS, MUSICIAN: There are many kings, King Henry VIII, King Solomon, King Tut, King James, King Kong, the three kings, but there is only one Prince.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:57:30] COSTELLO: Checking some top stories for you at 57 minutes past.

The flood waters in Houston are finally receding but rain is still in the forecast. More on the way this Sunday. Eight people have died in the storms with 1,000 homes flooded. Officials now putting the cost of the damage from the storms at $5 billion.

A half a million dollars will be donated toward the Houston storm cleanup effort. The money coming from Houston Rocket's owner Leslie Alexander. The storms didn't stop the NBA playoffs from continuing in the city. The Warriors played the Rockets last night. The Rockets winning 97-96. Both teams warmed up to Prince music.

It is Earth Day today. And in celebration of the day, more than 165 countries are signing the Paris Climate Change Agreement reached in December. This morning the opening ceremony for the signing started at the United Nations building in New York. Secretary of State John Kerry took part in the ceremony.

It could be Barack Obama's last visit with the royals as president. Today he joins Queen Elizabeth for lunch. Then he'll visit the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for dinner. Prince Harry will also be there. In between meals, the president will meet with the British prime minister, David Cameron. The president urging the British prime minister and Britain not to drop out of the European Union. We'll have more coverage on the president's visit coming up in the next hour of NEWSROOM, which starts right now.

COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

Breaking news on the death of the music legend Prince. This hour, officials are expected to begin his autopsy. That's according to the medical examiner's office. Their goal, to try and figure out how the 57-year-old died, of course. In the meantime, fans and celebrities remember Prince not just as a master of pop and funk, but as an electric performer and a champion of artists' rights.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHEILA E., MUSICIAN/ENTERTAINER: As I opened my eyes, we both felt like we had hit - this moment of the song was so intense - and when I opened my eyes, he turned around and looked at me at the same time and then asked me to marry him.

STEVIE WONDER, MUSICIAN & FRIEND OF PRINCE: He was incredible. He was very free. And to do what he did without fear was a wonderful thing.

VAN JONES, FRIEND OF PRINCE: The world needs to know that it wasn't just the music. The music was one way he tried to help the world, but he was helping every single day of his life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's our royalty. He's Minneapolis. He crossed every boundary, every genre. He broke through barriers. [10:00:00] DIONNE WARWICK, MUSICIAN: He was entertainment in capital

letters.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

WARWICK: You know, he - he loved what he did.

MICHAELA ANGELA DAVIS, FORMER STYLIST FOR PRINCE: He was a prophet. He was a pimp. He was purple. He was Midwest. He was magical. He was funny. He was so black.