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Noted Republicans Not Voting, Unregistering For Party In Light Of Presumptive Trump Nomination; USS Missouri, Attack Submarine, Hosts CNN's Jim Sciutto; Johnny Manziel, Former Quarterback, In Court For Alleged Domestic Assault. Aired 10:30-11:00a

Aired May 05, 2016 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:05]

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN HOST: And good morning, I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. Donald Trump says Hillary Clinton will be easy to beat because she's got so much baggage. But so does he, and he may pay for that baggage in Republican votes. Both George Bush and George H. W. Bush will sit this election out.

Eric Ericson, a powerful Conservative voice, is trying to drum up a third party candidate. And more than one Republican says they'll actually vote for Hillary Clinton. For his part, Trump says he doesn't care that the Bushes or anyone else will sit it out. Even though -- because he has plenty of support elsewhere.

My next guest has a slightly different opinion on that. With me now, Philip Klein, Managing Editor of the Washington Examiner. He deregistered as a Republican on the night of the Indiana Primary. And David Bernstein is a Professor of Law at George Mason. He's part of the "Never Trump" movement. Welcome, to both of you.

DAVID BERNSTEIN, PROFESSOR OF LAW, GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY: Thank you.

PHILIP KLEIN, MANAGING DIRECTOR, WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Thank you for having me.

COSTELLO: Nice to have you here. Philip, Mister Trump swears he'll become more presidential, and people will come to know him as a unifier. Why don't you believe him?

KLEIN: Well I think that for years, and for decades, he's had -- he's been a provocateur. And throughout the Primary, he hasn't demonstrated either an unbasic grasp of policy, or even an interest, or attention span for understanding policy. And so I -- he's made so many comments that are just bizarre and reality T.V.-ish. It's almost like he's sort of more of a shock jock than a presidential candidate. And so I'm just very skeptical that suddenly he's going to snap his fingers and then look really presidential.

COSTELLO: But look, David, Mister Trump says people don't like Republicans or Democrats. Voters are disenfranchised. And he's right about that. So why continue to fight his candidacy? BERNSTEIN: Well I think that Mister Trump is uniquely unsuited, temperamentally, in terms of how much he knows about policy -- which is, as Philip said, very little -- in terms of the way he's made disparaging remarks about minority groups, sexist remarks. He has the temperament, basically, of a professional wrestler. And that's not really appropriate for a President of the United States. Doesn't matter what party you are.

COSTELLO: Yes, but you both are saying that, but he's the nominee, and a lot of people have voted for him. So apparently, that's what people want in a President.

BERNSTEIN: Well you know --

KLEIN: Yes but I think that it's important to look at the difference between the Republican Primary Electorate and the General Electorate. And certainly, in the Republican Primary, voters decided that they wanted Trump. But I think that, I think that what's happening now is that because many people -- including myself -- admittedly underestimated his ability to win the Republican Primary, now everyone is worried about, talking about how difficult it will be for him to win the presidency.

Because the word about getting caught wrong, again. However, clearly the data and the polling is different in the general election. He was leading, virtually wire to wire for the Republican nomination. That's not true.

COSTELLO: But --

KLEIN: Yes.

COSTELLO: But here's the thing -- and I hear what you're saying, but here's the thing -- everybody thought that Donald Trump couldn't win the Primary, and he did, right? He's the presumptive nominee. So might you be underestimating him in a general election, as well? I'll throw that to David.

KLEIN: Yes, but ... Oh yes, sorry.

BERNSTEIN: I think it's entirely possible that he could win the presidential election. He starts off with about 40 percent of the population that will vote for Republican, regardless. And then who knows what scandals may arise, or the economy could tank as it did in 2008, which helped Barack Obama.

He's a very talented guy, I mean we all did underestimate him. But we have to put Party before country, and put country first. And he's just not suited -- I don't want this man's fingers anywhere near the nuclear button.

COSTELLO: Well Philip, some Republicans are coming around. Like Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, they seem to be accepting Donald Trump. Is it possible that a month from now, you'll get used to the idea, as well? KLEIN: No. For me, never means never. And I think that what we'll

see is a distinction between professional Republicans, and Conservatives. For professional Republicans, for lawmakers, they have certain obligations. People that work in Republican advertising, consultants, and so forth, they're vested in the Republican Primary -- the Party.

But for me, I have certain values and ideas, and the only use that the Republican Party is to me, is to the extent that, traditionally they've been more likely to champion those ideas.

COSTELLO: M-hm.

KLEIN: But if they want to nominate Trump, then I don't want any part of a party that would embrace this -- somebody who I not only disagree with ideologically, but I think is sort of unserious --

COSTELLO: Right.

KLEIN: ... to be President. It's just not serious. I don't want to be affiliated with a party that would ...

COSTELLO: Well ...

KLEIN: ... stand up and say ...

COSTELLO: I --

KLEIN: ... this person should be trusted to be the leader of the free world. --

[10:35:50]

COSTELLO: I'd like to -- I'd like both of you to respond to this sentiment. Because you hear what Democrats say, "you reap what you're slow. You guys are responsible for Donald Trump's candidacy, and now he's there and you have only yourselves to blame." How do you respond to that, David?

BERNSTEIN: Well I think there's plenty of blame to go around. On the Democratic side, Trump has made a lot of outrageous statements, but you may remember for example, when Senator Harry Reid accused Mitt Romney of not paying any income taxes. That was a completely false statement, he had no basis for saying it.

But it got out there and hurt the Romney campaign. And there are other examples, as well. I don't think that either party really could take credit for being the grown-ups in the situation in the last few years.

COSTELLO: So Philip, who's to blame for Donald Trump's candidacy?

KLEIN: I mean, I think a lot of people are to blame. I mean, I think that the ...

COSTELLO: Including yourselves? KLEIN: I don't think that I'm to blame. Because I've been, for years, arguing for a thoughtful conservatism that focuses on policy solutions. And I think that anyone who's familiar with my writing would see that. And so I would not personally accept blame. And in fact, I've often criticized this sort of trend in the -- among some elements of the Republican Party that confuse sort of -- that basically confuse the charge against elitism.

Conservatives are skeptical of investing power in elites, and having them run everybody else's lives. But that's distinct from saying that expertise, or policy knowledge ...

COSTELLO: M-hm.

KLEIN: ... or understanding of data in these issues and policy solutions ...

COSTELLO: I think ...

KLEIN: ... that those aren't important.

COSTELLO: I think -- I just want to get this in because I'm curious. I think that where that statement comes from is this idea of Party purity. That you can't ever deviate from the Party's platform. And Donald Trump has done that. And doesn't that show, David, that that's what a lot of Republicans really want? They don't want Party purity. They want someone who gets things done no matter what they believe. Like, throw something out there and see if it works.

BERNSTEIN: I think that's true. There'll be a lot of attacks, fairer than others, on Republican leadership, the Republican Party, and a lot of Republicans. But let's keep in mind, a minority -- about 40 percent that voted for Trump -- have decided that we just run a complete outsider.

I don't think there's anything wrong with an outsider, as such, but it should be an outsider who meets basic criteria of decency, of knowledge of what he's talking about, of not promulgating wild conspiracy theories like Senator Cruz's father being involved in the JFK nomination. Someone who's a serious person, who could be a serious President. And that's not what we got, unfortunately.

COSTELLO: All right, I have to leave it there. Philip Klein, David Bernstein, thanks to both of you. And be sure to watch "THE LEAD" this afternoon. Jake Tapper has an exclusive interview with House Speaker, Paul Ryan. That's at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. Still to come in the Newsroom, CNN gets rare access to the most advanced attack submarine in the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:41:50]

COSTELLO: CNN gets exclusive underwater access to a cutting edge nuclear attack submarine. And to keep tense (ph) with some of America's biggest adversaries, like Russia. CNN's Jim Sciutto was the man who got to go underwater. I can't even imagine what that was like.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It was incredible. This confrontation with Russia is becoming more public. And you see it in the flybys, you see it in disagreements over Ukraine and Syria. But what's happening undersea, it's not visible. It's really happening in secret. It's getting busier down there. And it's not just Russia, but China, Vietnam, India. Much more crowded space and we've got a rare, and really incredible look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO (voice-over): The USS Missouri Nuclear Attack Submarine sailing to exercises and a deep dive off Florida. The Atlantic is on the front lines of a new cold war. We join for an exclusive embark.

SCIUTTO: The USS Missouri is an attack submarine. It could launch torpedos at other submarines and surface vessels. It could launch missiles at ground targets. It gathers intelligence. It could also deploy Navy SEAL units for special operations. It is the most advanced submarine in the world.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): And it is facing the most advanced threats to U.S. submarine forces in decades. Russia is deploying attack submarines in numbers and with aggressiveness. And advances in technology not seen since the Cold War. And now China, North Korea, Vietnam, India and others are joining a new arms race under the sea.

Commodore Ollie Lewis commands a squadron of ten Atlantic-based subs including the Missouri.

COMMODORE OLLIE LEWIS, COMMANDER, SUBMARINE SQUADRON 12: We were operating places where we didn't have to rely on an adversary being there to challenge us.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Play (ph) it forward (ph).

LEWIS: Now that's changing. We're back to the point now where we have to consider that there's an adversary ready to challenge us in the undersea domain. And that undersea superiority is not guaranteed.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: On breach (ph) shore (ph) levering (ph).

SCIUTTO (voice-over): New threats require a new state of readiness. Which we witnessed at every turn.

Missouri's 135 crew repeatedly trained for anti-submarine warfare.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Fire. Cube (ph) two.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): They simulate firing cruise missiles from depth, that targets on land.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Torpedo course 3-3-7. Unit running, wire good.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): And they're constantly testing the sub's enormous speed and maneuverability. SCIUTTO: So we're in the midst of another steep ascent. You're

hearing that alarm as we approach 20 degrees. We're going to get to a 25 degree angle. Keep in mind I'm standing up straight now, but as I'm leaning forward, that's keeping me vertical in relation to the ground as the angle ascend gets sharper.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): These are just exercises, but the Missouri -- the "Mighty Mo" to its crew -- has repeatedly come nose-to-nose with real-world threats. When Russia annexed Crimea, and launched military action in Syria, the Missouri was deployed nearby. And when a Russian sub turned up off the coast of Florida in 2012, it was the USS Missouri called into action to track it.

SCIUTTO: That's just showing hey, showing where they can go?

COMMANDER FRASER HUDSON, USS MISSOURI: Honestly I think it's operational experience. If anything were to ever happen, they have experience. They know those waters. I don't think it's a political statement on their part at all.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): The Missouri's greatest asset may be its silence. Invisible to satellites, virtually inaudible to other ships and subs.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Dive, dive.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Giving the U.S. the element of surprise.

HUDSON: Whether there is a submarine there or not, they don't know. A potential adversary has to take that into their calculus when they make decisions to do bad things.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): And so underwater is where these boats and their crews spend 90 percent of their time deployed.

SCIUTTO: So USS Missouri is coming into port now, Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville, Florida. And that's not something -- if you're a submariner -- that you do very often. Their most recent deployment, they were out for 181 days, 163 days were at sea. That is the life of a submariner.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): And that is a call to action the U.S. Navy's 70 submarines are getting more, and more often.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: OK. Was it claustrophobic down there? I can't imagine how that would be.

SCIUTTO: You know, I expected it to be more. I'm 6'3" -- I thought there was a height limit for the sub services, there's not. In fact the Commodore I talked to, he's 6'4", there've been a lot taller guys for sure. But listen, you've got to learn. I banged my head in the first 15 seconds, but I learned to duck going forward.

The other thing you see -- it's a real sacrifice for these crews. Because they don't have creature comfort. They might not even have their own bunks. They have to share bunks. Every bit of space is at a premium.

COSTELLO: Just -- I don't know -- just the fact that you're underneath the water would get to me.

SCIUTTO: I'll tell you -- once we were under the water about 200 feet, you don't feel the roll of the sea. So you could kind of be anywhere. I mean, you don't have windows, of course. And the lights are always on. But I didn't rest ...

COSTELLO: And your body stands at strange angles like that.

SCIUTTO: Exactly, you've got to fold yourself into the bunk. But I didn't feel like I was underwater, interestingly enough.

COSTELLO: It was a fascinating look. Jim Sciutto ...

SCIUTTO: Thanks.

COSTELLO: Thanks so much for sharing. I'll be right back.

[10:47:10]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:51:45]

COSTELLO: Former Quarterback Johnny Manziel in court, oh, just about 25 minutes ago. He's facing domestic violence charges. Let's check in with Andy Shoals. What happened?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hello, Carol. This was not an arraignment today. Manziel did not enter a plea. This was just a bond hearing. The judge laying out the conditions of Manziel's bond, which he posted yesterday. The judge had just two conditions for him. One, was that he could, in no way, contact or be in the presence of his ex-girlfriend, Colleen Crowley. The other was that he could not be in the possession of a firearm.

Now this was Manziel's mugshot from yesterday. Now he actually tweeted about the mugshot last night, saying, "just thankful that I had a shirt on this time." Referring to when he was arrested in college for fighting and possessing a fake I.D. Now that mugshot in 2012, Manziel did not have a shirt on. Manziel has since deleted that tweet. And Carol, the judge did not set a date for Manziel's next court appearance. So when this continues, we don't know quite yet.

COSTELLO: This -- he doesn't seem to be taking this very seriously, Andy.

SCHOLES: Well you know, Johnny Manziel is a mystery right now. A week ago we saw him in a bar in Columbus, Ohio watching the first round of the draft on television by himself, because he was on his way to his second Justin Bieber concert of the week. So it appears right now that he hasn't been taking this seriously. But today in court, he did answer all the questions that the judge had

for him. And he might now, for the first time, Carol, actually be taking this seriously ...

COSTELLO: Well because he could face jail time, right?

SCHOLES: Yes, the maximum punishment for the misdemeanor assault charge is one year in jail. So we'll have to wait and see. I mean, there have been talks of a deal being cut before they ever come back to court. So that is a possibilitY.

COSTELLO: And the incident, the incident that led to his court appearance, right? He allegedly broke the eardrum of his former girlfriend.

SCHOLES: Yes, that's what she told police. She said that he hit her so hard that her eardrum was ruptured. And then that same night, he threatened to kill both him and her. That's what Colleen Crowley alleges. Johnny Manziel's lawyer meanwhile, says he expects him to be acquitted of the misdemeanor assault charge.

COSTELLO: All right, we'll see what happens. Andy Scholes, thanks so much. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:56:35]

COSTELLO: OK, imagine. Imagine your life without a cell phone. I know, it's like, atrocious. In the 80s, cell phones were ground- breaking technology that radically changed the way we stay in touch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN MANEY, AUTHOR: When these things were first starting to pop up in the mid-1980s, the customers were people that had a business reason for having these things. Or some super rich dude who just wanted to show off. The big breakthrough idea was this idea of cellular systems.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: It's called cellular because your car phone is tied into different radio transmitters. Each one called a cell. And as you travel, the signal from your phone travels from cell to cell.

MANEY: This is something that had never been done before.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: If you don't have one now, you probably will have one in a decade, say the phone makers. As the price comes down into the range of other high-tech toys.

MARTIN COOPER, FATHER OF THE CELL PHONE: There were people that understood, even in the early days, that being trapped in a car was not freedom. People are fundamentally, naturally mobile.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: The CNN original series, "The 80s" tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Only on CNN. I'm just laughing because those phones were so big and I feel so old right now. Checking some other top stories for you right now at 59 minutes past.

$450 million, that's how much is up for grabs at the next Powerball drawing after no winning tickets were sold last night. To put that into perspective, that's the ninth largest potential payout in U.S. history. Don't worry, you still have time to buy a ticket. The next drawing is set for Saturday.

Check this out, the President and First Lady field the course on May the 4th. And getting a couple of stormtroopers and R2D2 dancing to Uptown Funk. Just another day at the office.

Thank you for joining me today, I'm Carol Costello. AT THIS HOUR with Berman and Bolduan starts now.

[11:01:20]