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Five Northeastern States Hold Primaries; Kasich-Cruz Deal; Trump Backer Confronts Cruz. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired April 26, 2016 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:28] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Here we go. Top of the hour. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you for being with me.

With Super Tuesday, again, this time in the northeast, voters in five states are going to the polls right now to cast ballots in, of course, the Democratic and Republican primaries. First, the Dems. On the Democratic side, 384 delegates at stake today in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Hillary Clinton, she is hoping for a five-state sweep. Of course, that would push her much closer to the finish line, as Bernie Sanders is hoping for a miracle.

On the Republican side, 172 delegates at stake for them today. Donald Trump expected to run the table. He is the only Republican candidate who still has a shot at clinching the party's nomination prior to the convention in July, even as his two rivals, as we've been reporting, have joined forces to crush his chances.

So, first up to the polling places. I have CNN's Chris Frates standing by in Bluebell, Pennsylvania, and CNN national correspondent Jason Carroll live in Pittsburgh.

So, Jason Carroll, beginning with you, what are folks in Pittsburgh saying?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you might think this might be Kasich country given that John Kasich grew up just not far from here at McKees Rocks, just about 15 minutes from where we are in Mt. Lebanon, just south of downtown Pittsburgh. But, you know, in speaking to a number of the voters that we've had contact with, many of them telling us, well, they like Kasich, they like what he did in Ohio. They're saying, they just don't feel like he can take the ball forward. Many of the voters that we talked to say that they are, in fact, going to support Donald Trump.

When it comes to Trump, as you know, and the number of delegates that are up for grabs here in this state, 71 delegates up for grabs. 54 of them are unbound. We know what Donald Trump thinks of that whole system. He feels like he's winning popular votes but not getting the delegates that he deserves. He doesn't want to see that happen on the ground here. This is the first time we've seen this, Brooke. Look, they're handing

out cards like this one. On the other side here it represents and shows what delegates are loyal to Trump in whatever district you might be voting on. The first time we've seen this. They've definitely upped their ground game here. Trump hoping not just for a win here in the state of Pennsylvania, but hoping to sweep all five states up for grabs.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: That is interesting. Haven't seen that before. Jason Carroll, thank you, in Pittsburgh.

Chris Frates, in Bluebell, how are people feeling there?

CHRIS FRATES, CNN INVESTIGATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and I'll tell you, Brooke, well, as Jason was explaining why it's so important, because when Republicans come into the ballot box here, the ballot doesn't show what presidential candidates those delegates support. So they're able to talk to some party officials here to find it out and they're also, you know, getting a little flier here that shows the endorsed candidates of the county party, the Montgomery County party. Those don't include those Trump candidates. So that's why it's so important for the Trump campaign to let folks know who their guys are because, remember, 17 statewide delegates here, 54, though, are coming from these congressional districts, three in each district. So the Trump folks want to make sure their guys get elected here, as do the Cruz and the Kasich people, because that's the bulk of the delegates coming out of Pennsylvania. A very local ground game.

Now, when you look at the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton's campaign tells me they're feeling pretty good going into today. They feel like they'll do well. They don't need to run the table. They think they'll come out with more delegates, narrow that path against Bernie Sanders. And their big question is, does Bernie Sanders continue to attack her character? Because, remember, he's gone after her on the Wall Street stuff, on her big paid speeches to Wall Street firms, on the money from the campaign from Wall Street. So that's a big question for them.

And they feel like they're already seeing Donald Trump using that rhetoric against her, calling her crooked Hillary. And their big question is going forward here, does Bernie Sanders continue to hammer away at her or do they talk more about issues? The Clinton folks, of course, hoping they talk more about issues, but Bernie Sanders saying he's not done here, Brooke. He's going to take this all the way to the finish line. So that's another big question coming out of tonight that we'll continue to watch.

BALDWIN: We will talk to Governor Wolf there, the great state of Pennsylvania, and we'll also talk to a delegate in Pennsylvania, to your point about the 54 unbound, how, you know, this is being called a beauty contest. How does he feel about that? For now, Chris Frates, thank you so much.

The frontrunners on both sides of the aisles here, they are already looking ahead to a general election match-up. Secretary Clinton and Mr. Trump definitely already jabbing at one another.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I call her crooked Hillary because she's crooked. And, you know, the only thing she's got is the woman card. That's all she's got. And it is pandering. And, you know, it's a weak card in her hand. In another person's hands, it could be a very powerful card because I'd - I'd love to see a woman - you know, a woman president, but she's the wrong person. She's a disaster.

[14:05:08] HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump says wages are too high in America and he doesn't support raising the minimum wage. And I have said, come out of those towers named for yourself and actually talk and listen to people. You know at some point, if you want to be president of the United States, you got to get familiar with the United States. You got to spend time with Americans of all sorts and backgrounds, in every part of our country. Don't just fly that big jet in and land it and go make a big speech and insult everybody you can think of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let's chew on a lot of this, shall we, with CNN political commentator Van Jones. I also have Cruz campaign national chairman Chad Sweet and New York City councilman Joe Borelli, who's also the co-chair of Trump's campaign here in New York.

Gentlemen, welcome, welcome. Happy Super Tuesday part 75. Chad, let me just begin with you on this - what has been called just really a shaky alliance between, you know, your candidate, Senor Cruz, and Ohio Governor John Kasich. I mean not exactly crystal clear the rollout of this - of this alliance. And so, how worried are you that this strategy will doom the deal?

CHAD SWEET, NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, TED CRUZ CAMPAIGN: No. The deal is intact. And I think for those in the Trump camp who pride themselves on being on the art of the deal, they haven't paid attention to the terms of the deal. The deal is a resource allocation agreement. That's all. And so it's working exactly as planned. And if you look at it going forward, what you're going to see is that this is a deal that Donald Trump wished he would have cut, but he didn't cut it. You look at how he's organized his campaign. He claims to be a fantastic businessman, yet there's only one person in this race that actually has had four bankruptcies and who actually has a difficult time winning delegates and organizing his own campaign. How's he going to beat Hillary Clinton if he can't actually get his own campaign organized.

BALDWIN: But hang on a second. Back on - back on Cruz and Kasich. I mean even though Kasich is getting out of Cruz's way in Indiana, he's still saying, hey, Hoosiers, you can still vote for me. I'm confused

SWEET: No, that's - no, it's not confusing at all. I mean, at the end of the day, the key point is that - that he is not going to be in that state spending resources. We're not going to be in New Hampshire - in New Mexico or Oregon. But we're not going to ask Cruz voters to vote for Kasich either. We're going to respect the voters' will despite Donald Trump's accusations that we don't respect the voters' will. We actually do the opposite. And, in fact, if you look at -

BALDWIN: Joe -

SWEET: Of all - all the votes that have been cast -

JOSEPH BORELLI, CO-CHAIR, DONALD TRUMP NEW YORK CAMPAIGN: Yes. I mean -

SWEET: 14.2 million votes have been cast in this race (ph), over 61 percent have voted against Donald Trump.

BORELLI: You keep going back to the talking points from January now. It's just absurd.

SWEET: So the will of the voters have spoken loud and clear and when we get into the month of May and June, that will be the death march for Donald Trump.

BALDWIN: All right. All right, Chad.

Joe, jump in. Are you confused?

BORELLI: I mean, Brooke, I don't even know where to begin. If he's talking about a bad deal, start here. The deal that Ted Cruz made with John Kasich can't be that good if Kasich's already walking back his comments and his commitments in Indiana.

We heard Chad talk - these talking points from January. Nothing's changed. The truth is that the Cruz-Kasich alliance didn't - was a nonstarter from the beginning. You have two candidates who spent the better part of a month walking back this notion that there's a plot afoot in the Republican Party to deny Donald Trump the nomination. And then you have a coordinated press release from both of these candidates saying that there actually is. It's only vindicated this narrative that Donald Trump has been perpetuating over time that there's this plot. People want someone to lead. They don't want two guys to act like they're in a life raft.

BALDWIN: OK. OK. Van, let me turn to you -

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes.

BALDWIN: From a strategic 20,000-foot view perspective. What are your thoughts on this deal?

JONES: Well, if you know, it's bad if you're a day late and a dollar short. You've got - both these candidates now are probably 100 days late and 100 delegates short or more trying to figure out how to stop Donald Trump. This is what the establishment should have been doing in December, in January, when it was very clear that this guy was not going to blow himself up. You know, Donald Trump doesn't say many things I agree with, but his whole idea that his supporters are so loyal and so rabid that he could shoot somebody and they wouldn't abandon him, that turned out to be true. And so here we are now 100 days late and a couple of hundred delegates short and these guys are now just, hey, maybe we should have a strategy? You think?

BALDWIN: Let me - let me - let me move on from the deal, and, Joe, I do want to press you on some of these reports about whether or not Trump is at odds with Paul Manafort, his convention chart. You know, we know Manafort was down in Hollywood, Florida, last week. He was talking to some folks within the RNC. That was the line about saying Trump would tone it down, that he's playing a role. Reports that Corey Lewandowski, campaign manager, now grabbing a little bit more of his power back. Set me straight. What's going on?

BORELLI: Look, I've been a veteran of many campaigns and the only thing I can tell you about all campaigns is that there's always some internal politics, and that's a side (ph). But what's really resonating is that the American people are beginning to view Donald Trump as presidential. We see this NBC poll that's out today that indicates that more than half of Republicans now want Donald Trump. We see -

[14:10:13] BALDWIN: How was he presidential yesterday when he's ripping apart lyin' Ted -

BORELLI: Yes.

BALDWIN: And talking about how John Kasich is eating eggs?

BORELLI: Well - well, well, I think he's always been very clear that the Donald Trump who performs essentially at these rallies is a lot different than a Donald Trump you see in some of the more toned downs interviews on this network and other networks when it's one on one. He plays to the crowd. He feeds off their energy. And that's - that's fine. It's working for him.

SWEET: But, Brooke, that's a -

BALDWIN: Chad?

SWEET: That's the whole point, Brooke, is that, number one, he admitted that it is internal politics that's creating disarray and he's, at the end of the day, the leader of his campaign. He should get his house in order. Second point is, what Joe just said, is that he is a different person in the rallies than he is behind closed doors. That's what we saw with his interviews with "The New York Times" editorial board where he tells them one thing about the border wall and he tells the voters something different.

Voters are tired of getting lied to by politicians. And at the end of the day, when they look at who's actually proven time and time again in the - in the heat of battle to be consistent and stay with their positions, they know that person is Ted Cruz. And that's why when they ultimately go in the ballot booth in Indiana and elsewhere, they will make the serious decision of who will be the leader of the free world and they will choose Ted Cruz.

BALDWIN: Well, we'll be watching, the world will be watching Donald Trump tomorrow. Finally, you know, he's giving this major foreign policy speech in Washington. Hugely criticized over lack of specifics.

SWEET: Right.

BALDWIN: So we're going to chat about that.

Meantime, can we - can we file this next clip under campaign surrogates gone awry? Van, this is coming your way. Roll the sound bite, please.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TOM CARPER (D), DELAWARE: How many remembers Donna Summer (ph)? Put your hand together for Donna Summer. Donna Summer. One of the great divas. Let me hear you say Donna. CROWD: Donna.

CARPER: Summer.

CROWD: Summer.

CARPER: Diva.

CROWD: Diva.

CARPER: Extraordinaire.

CROWD: Extraordinaire.

CARPER: All right, we're going to channel Donna Summer here for a minute, OK? Here we go. Here we go. This is the audience participation part of the show. A lot of great songs. One of them comes to mind. In fact, I asked them to play here today and it goes something like this. She works hard for the money. So hard for the money. She works hard for the money, so we better treat her right! Let's say it. OK, we're going to say it together. She works hard for the money. So -

CROWD: Hard for the money.

CARPER: She works hard for -

CROWD: The money.

CARPER: So we better -

CROWD: Treat her right.

CARPER: All right, let's do it. Joe Biden likes to say that - Joe - let me say Joe Biden. Joe Biden. During the 2008 campaign for - for president, Barack and Joe go around the country. I - I don't know where it came from, but I heard somebody say somewhere the words Joe and Obama. And I just kind of like put them together. Jo-bama. Joe - I love just saying it. Can you say jo-bama.

CROWD: Jo-bama.

CARPER: One more time, Jo - CROWD: Jo-bama.

CARPER: Oh, yes, isn't that great? All right. How about one more time? Jo-bama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Van! Van! What can we say to that?

BORELLI: Good luck on that one, Van. Good luck, Van.

JONES: We need jobs in America. The children need schools. We should - look, I don't - there's no excuse.

SWEET: I don't know how they criticize Trump rallies after that.

BORELLI: Yes.

SWEET: That was awful.

BALDWIN: I mean - I mean I'm sure - I'm sure -

BORELLI: We agree on that one. We don't often agree on that one.

BALDWIN: I'm sure - I'm sure the senator is lovely but he references, you know, Secretary Clinton as a governor, having been in the house for eight years. She works hard for the money.

JONES: There's a couple of things that are wrong. There's a couple of things that are wrong. Obviously, you know, there's been a lot of focus, negative focus, on her giving speeches for money. And so he kind of puts it right where you don't want to put the attention. She works hard for the people, if he had changed the lyrics. And there's a way to do that and not have it be a disaster. But you just have to hope that something happens in the news, maybe there will be like a hurricane or something and that will just change and you will never see this clip again. But it's just horribly embarrassing for everybody, including him.

BALDWIN: Just had to play it. Van Jones, you know how I adore you. Van, thank you. Joe Borelli, thank you. Chad Sweet, thank you.

BORELLI: Thank you.

SWEET: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: You two were like, glad we don't have to answer that one.

And we will have, of course, continuing Super Tuesday coverage throughout the day and into the evening. Keep it here on CNN.

Coming up next, we will talk live with the voter who confronted Ted Cruz about his delegate strategy and what she thinks of his answer there.

Plus, Hillary Clinton, the millionaire, blasting the wealth of Donald Trump, the billionaire. Is that a smart strategy or might that backfire on her?

And breaking news involving the estate Prince left behind. His sister now filing court documents saying the legendary music pioneer did not have a will. So if that's the case, what happens to his millions and his music? We'll discuss that.

[14:15:01] You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Welcome back. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Donald Trump, he's not the only one furious about how Ted Cruz has manipulated the delegate system in his favor. A Trump supporter from Indiana got so intense with the issue, she went nearly 100 miles out of her way to do this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATHY HEIL, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I actually live in Harrison County. I drove two hours to ask you this question. How can you justify your wins in Colorado or Wyoming where they picked - where the GOP picked the delegates? And like in Indiana, the rules committee picked the delegates. We haven't even voted at a local level yet. So how can you justify that and how can you say that you are not the establishment candidate?

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, ma'am, thank you for that question. Colorado's 65,000 people voted and the people who voted were the grassroots activists. It's the exact opposite of the establishment. It's the conservative grassroots who are overwhelming the -

[14:20:04] HEIL: Was Colorado the state that they - that they - no vote was ever cast, they just chose them?

CRUZ: Well, 65,000 people voted and -

HEIL: Yes, but how can you have delegates without a vote?

CRUZ: Every state sets up different rules. I don't control the rules. But I can tell you, the Washington establishment is who I've been fighting.

And I would point out, if this were a Donald Trump gathering, and you were disagreeing, you would have been yelled at and they would have threatened you with violence. In this case, I treat you with respect.

HEIL: I am disagreeing with you because I have an actual, legitimate question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Here she is, Kathy Heil.

Kathy, nice to have you on. KATHY HEIL, TRUMP SUPPORTER WHO CONFRONTED TED CRUZ: Thanks for having

me, Brooke.

BALDWIN: All right, so I understand it was your day off and you're on your sofa and you flipped on the news and you saw Ted Cruz. And, listen, it's one thing to be irked with a candidate or what a candidate is saying. It's another to jump in your car and drive 90 miles to tell him so. What possessed you?

HEIL: Well, Brooke, I'm just really tired of the way the GOP has stolen our election process. You know, I don't solely blame Ted Cruz for the way the delegates are being doled out, but I'd served - it was missed in the part of the interview, I explained to him I was a delegate in 2012. What the GOP does is pushes out anyone who is not for their favorite.

In 2012 it was for Mitt Romney and I supported Ron Paul, so they didn't want any of me or my friends to participate in the state convention. So I managed the fight my county chairman and my district chairman and actually make it. But by the time I got there, they had changed the rules and come up with an undebatable, unamendable slate that guarantee that only establishment candidates could get the delegates from that point.

BALDWIN: I - I hear your - I hear your frustration.

HEIL: So I just really - I really wanted America aware.

BALDWIN: I hear your frustration. You know, I'm not intimately aware of what happened in 2012, but, you know, at the end of the day, this - you know, these rules, whether they are, you know, corrupt, rigged, frustrating, this is what - you know, Senator Cruz is playing by the rules. How do you respond to that?

HEIL: Well, we need to change the way - you know, the taxpayers pay for our primary process. And if you know, most people don't identify as Republican and Democrat. But we have to pay for their primaries. Libertarian parties and other parties don't have the privilege of taxpayer funding. They do that on their own with their own funds. But the GOP, they just crowd everyone out. They even own the debate stage. So the American people really don't have a voice unless they agree with the GOP, get in there and work for the GOP. And by the time they even allow any of the third candidate - third party or independent candidates to come out in the election, by then everybody's mind is made up. And while I don't solely blame Ted Cruz for the way the delegates are selected by the GOP, I do blame him for keeping his mouth closed and allowing it to continue on. I mean this isn't a new - it isn't a new thing. But the undebatable, unamendable slate that keeps anyone out that does not support their John Kasich or their Ted Cruz, they're not going to be allowed into the state convention. I said yesterday -

BALDWIN: So - so -

HEIL: It was the rules committee. Go ahead, I'm sorry. BALDWIN: I think what I'm hearing you - I think what I'm hearing you saying is everything we've been hearing from Donald Trump and sort of banging his proverbial fist on the counter and saying, this isn't fair, this isn't right. I think you would maybe agree with him because from what I understand this election cycle, you supported Rand Paul, I think you like Ted Cruz - or John Kasich for a minute, and now you are a full-fledged Trump supporter, correct?

HEIL: When I heard Donald Trump was actually speaking out to the American people and educating them on the fact that the system that I was part of for so many years - my first vote was for Ronald Reagan. That's the only time I've ever picked a winner in an election. But our votes and our whole election process is messed up and so controlled by the two-party system. They keep year after year, every other year, every May and November, you know, they're sitting in a dying nation on a one way street selling us candidates nobody wants.

And the best thing that anybody out there voting today or next week or through the end, just look at it. And if you're really happy that we're $19 trillion in debt as a nation, that our children and our grandchildren and our great grandchildren's going to be paying for it and we'll never be out of it, by all means, pick the Hillary or pick the Cruz.

BALDWIN: Kathy -

HEIL: Otherwise Donald Trump's the only answer.

BALDWIN: I think - I hear you. Thank you for raising your voice. I appreciate your passion. Kathy Heil, thank you. We'll see what - we'll see what changes after November.

HEIL: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Thank you, ma'am, very much.

Coming up here, we want to switch gears and talk Prince. He left behind a treasure trove of music and memories and many millions of dollars. But did Prince leave a will? A major development now involving the star's assets and what Prince's sister is saying.

[14:25:06] Also, with voting underway across five states today, CNN takes a closer looks at Pennsylvania's wild card delegates who are already being wooed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What does it feel like to be courted by the campaigns?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I mean, it - it feels good. I mean, I haven't been courted in 40 years since I first met my wife.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: We know there is a vast empire left behind after Prince's untimely death last week. What we don't know is who inherits it. There now may be a clue. Prince's sister, Tyka Nelson, just filed papers in state court in Minnesota that indicate, as far as she knows, Prince did not have a will. And she's asked the court to appoint a special administrator to the estate.

[14:30:12]