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Trump Refuses to Release Tax Returns; Brazilian Lawmakers Argue into the Night over Rousseff Impeachment; Hyperloop Passes First Test; Doctor in Prince Death Investigation Named; Iraqi Prime Minister Orders Increased Efforts Against Terrorists; Prescription Drug Abuse Examined; Suicide Bombings in Baghdad. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired May 12, 2016 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00] ERROL BARNETT, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: Firestorm. Donald Trump says he won't release his tax returns, at least not yet, leading critics to ask what is he hiding.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: On the brink, lawmakers in Brazil argue into the night whether the country's president should face an impeachment trial.
BARNETT: And a look into the future. The so-called hyperloop passes its first test, hitting super-fast speeds in seconds. Cool stuff.
A big welcome to viewer here is in the states and those of you watching from all around the world. I'm Errol Barnett.
And I'm Rosemary Church. Thanks for joining us our second hour of CNN Newsroom.
Republicans in the U.S. Congress are looking for unity in a series of meetings with Donald Trump in the coming hours on Capitol Hill. But Trump may be in no mood for compromise. He tells the New York Times he believes he has a mandate to be provocative.
The presumptive republican presidential nominee says it's gotten him this far so, why change?
BARNETT: Meanwhile, an old controversy is dogging Trump's campaign. CNN's senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta reports.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: One day before his critical meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Donald Trump just gave GOP lawmakers a new reason to worry. Defying campaign tradition and saying he will refuse to release his tax returns before the November election, citing an ongoing audit.
Telling the Associated Press there is nothing to learn from them. It's a shift from his earlier comments when he seemed to leave the door open to making his tax information public.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will absolutely give my return. But I'm being audited now for two or three years. So I can't do it until the audit is finished, obviously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: But last week, Trump started to dig in his heels, suggesting the IRS could be out to get him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I say to friends of mine, how often are you audited? Very wealthy people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is political? They're aiming at you?
TRUMP: I would say yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The IRS is doing this?
TRUMP: I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Trump has deflected the issue for years. Consider how he answered the question in 2011 when he was considering a White House run then.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We'll look at that. Maybe I'm going to do the tax returns when Obama does his birth certificate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: But Trump is tweeting there is no controversy saying I told A.P. that my taxes are under routine audit, and I would release my tax returns when audit is complete, not after election. If he did wait until after November, Trump could become the first presidential candidate who failed to release his return since 1976.
Even Richard Nixon released his taxes while he was under audit. Mitt Romney who was pressured to make his tax information public four years ago, is demanding that Trump release his returns, saying in a post, "tear down that tax wall." An echo to his call to the likely GOP nominee back in March.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I predict that there are more bombshells in his tax returns.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Democrats are pouncing with a progressive super PAC launching the web site Trump release your returns.com. Hillary Clinton has latched on to the issue with preview of what she has in store for Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My husband and I have released 33 years of tax returns. We have eight years on our web site right now. So you got to ask yourself why didn't he want to release them? Yes, well, we're going to find out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And as Mitt Romney noted on his Facebook page, an audit does not preclude Trump from releasing his returns. But one Trump aide told me he campaign is not concerned noting the real estate tycoon's business dealings are already well-known both good and bad.
But this controversy comes at a critical time, one day before a meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan. As one Capitol Hill source told me, members are all over the place on whether to back Trump.
Jim Acosta, CNN, Washington.
BARNETT: Now no one is quite sure what to expect from this meeting between Trump and Ryan.
CHURCH: Yes. CNN's senior political reporter, Manu Raju has a preview from Capitol Hill.
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: In this closed door meeting I'm told Paul Ryan made it very clear that he does want the party to unite. But lot of party members said that look, the voters have chosen Donald Trump, and it's time to get behind our presumptive nominee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: If Speaker Ryan have endorsement how much harder does it make the party to unite?
MARK AMODEI, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: Well, it sure doesn't make it look like we're all on the same page, does it? It's like what's the matter with -- hey, guys, I disagree with this and that. But we're all wearing the same jerseys so guess what, we want to win the game. And if we have a fight in the locker room occasionally, that's life.
RAJU: So, it doesn't bother you?
AMODEI: No, it's not. It does.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: Now, Ryan is making moves to try to show that the party will get united front in November. He did meet with a handful of Trump supporters on Capitol Hill. I'm told that meeting went particularly well, that both sides came out feeling pretty confident that they could get to place where there would be a comfort level between the Trump campaign and Ryan's office.
The speaker wants to continue this dialogue going forward. [03:05:01] He does not expect to make an endorsement tomorrow. But I
think it's the beginning of a process in which both sides can work together and hopefully communicate a united vision for their party.
CHURCH: For more on all of this, we are joined by Larry Sabato, the director at the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. Welcome to CNN Newsroom. Always great to talk with you.
LARRY SABATO, VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR POLITICS DIRECTOR: Thank you.
CHURCH: So, the precious building on House Speaker Paul Ryan to strike a deal with Donald Trump. But Ryan still reluctant to endorse Trump right now. What is it going to take, do you think, to get him and other reluctant republicans behind Trump to start this disunity?
SABATO: The first thing that Paul Ryan wants is an agreement by Donald Trump not to contradict the republican platform. And that platform is pretty strict on a wide variety of things.
Unfortunately, Trump cannot agree to all of Ryan's requests. Trump has made it very clear that he is opposed to many of the trade pacts, and of course, Ryan and the republicans have generally supported those trade pacts.
So, I think there is going to be a mixed result there. But it's also true that Ryan is very concerned about his troops. The republicans have a large majority in the House right now. Most of their own analysts think that they will lose some of that padding in November because Donald Trump is the nominee.
So, Ryan doesn't know quite how to play this. Does he go ahead and take the plunge and endorse Trump and get it over with, or does he simply say that he is going to vote for the nominee who may be nameless?
CHURCH: Well, yes. Which opens up a whole different can of worms, right? So, let's move to Trump's tax returns. Will he or won't he release them? And if he doesn't, is Mitt Romney right to suggest failure to release them is disqualifying, and that they may hide a bombshell, his words there?
SABATO: Trump is playing with fire. There has not been a presidential nominee who has not released his tax returns since 1976. Before 1976. So, this is a standard operating procedure in American politics.
If Trump refuses all the way to the general election to release those returns, it's going to become a major issue, and it will hurt him. He would be much better off just sending them out there and taking a lump or two and no doubt Romney is right. There are some things in there Trump doesn't want us to know.
CHURCH: Yes. Whether his supporters care or not I guess is another issue, right? I want to move to the democrats, because Clinton keeps losing primaries to Bernie Sanders, even though he has no mathematical way of winning the party nomination and vows to fight to the very end, how damaging could this prove to be for Clinton? This appearance that she is a loser?
SABATO: This is certainly not helpful. Its buyers remorse among democrats because the vast majority understand that Hillary Clinton is bound to be the nominee. It is remarkable and ought to be disturbing to the Clinton camp that they cannot put away a 74-year-old socialist.
And he is a fine person. He's got a lot of interesting proposals. But he is probably not the kind of candidate whose guaranteed to win a November election in the United States. So, it is a concern to the Clinton campaign. And they're fighting a two-front war.
They're fighting one with Bernie Sanders all the way through June 7th. They're fighting another one that is already engaged with Donald Trump for the general election.
CHURCH: So much more to talk about. We will have to leave it there. Larry Sabato...
[03:10:00] (TECHNICAL PROBLEM)
BARNETT: ... that the FBI investigates.
CHURCH: Now we are hearing that the majority of Brazil's Senate will vote to impeach Dilma Rousseff. They have been debating all night on whether they should put the president on trial for impeachment.
We're looking at live picture there. One senator says he is the 41st to be in favor of that trial.
BARNETT: Meanwhile, protesters both for impeachment and against it have been gathering outside the Congress. Police spray tear gas on some of them.
Shasta Darlington has more on the proceedings inside.
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brazil's Senate has been gathered all day and into the night for a crucial vote that will decide the fate of President Dilma Rousseff. If a majority votes in favor of an impeachment trial, she'll be forced to step down for 180 days to defend herself.
And while the speeches have gone on longer than expected, each senator given 15 minutes, and many going over, it is widely expected that that impeachment trial will be approved and Rousseff will be stepping down on Thursday, replaced by her Vice President, Michel Temer.
This again will happen at some point during the day on Thursday. He'll be in a hurry to appoint a finance minister and other economic staff to prove to markets and investors that he is going to get the economy back on track.
Unfortunately for him, he'll face a lot of the same challenges and problems that Rousseff has so far failed to overcome. A deep recession and frustration over widespread corruption.
Shasta Darlington, CNN, Brasilia. BARNETT: Now if Dilma Rousseff is suspended for an impeachment trial,
Vice President Michel Temer will fill in.
CHURCH: Yes. He has served as Brazil's Vice President since 2011. He's also the leader of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, or PMDB, which recently left Rousseff's governing coalition.
The 75-year-old has held a number of posts during his long political career, including attorney general for the State of Sao Paulo.
BARNETT: Now Brazil will not be out of the woods even if President Rousseff is removed for trial. It turns out Michel Temer isn't very popular either.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN WINTER, AS/COA VICE PRESIDENT: Almost as large a number of Brazilians want Temer impeached as they want Rousseff. But things -- the things will look different under a Temer government. I mean, he espouses a different set of economic policies. He believes in markets, trade. He is going to try to do some things to potentially simplify taxes, for example.
So, you know, I think it will be some kind of opportunity for the country to move forward. Although like you said, he is going to have his own lack of popularity to deal with. And that's going to keep him from getting a lot of things through Congress as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Protesters and authorities clash in Venezuela. Soldiers fired on the demonstrators who were throwing rocks Wednesday in Caracas.
[03:15:04] Opposition forces demand a recall vote on President Nicolas Maduro.
BARNETT: The Democratic Unity Coalition wants Mr. Maduro out because of the country's economic crisis. Opposition leader says the government is stalling on verifying signatures in favor of the recall referendum.
Investigators say two pieces of debris found in March are almost certainly from Malaysia Airlines flight 370. They were found on beaches in South Africa and Mauritius two years after the plane disappeared on the flight from Kualu Lumpur to Beijing.
BARNETT: And we can show you those pieces. One is an engine cowling. You see part of the Rolls-Royce logo visible. The other is an interior panel that came from the main cabin. We'll keep you posted on those developments.
Still to come this hour on CNN Newsroom, he is living in the middle of a civil war, but he won't leave. Meet an American who calls Syria home.
CHURCH: Plus, a search warrant identifies a doctor who was at Prince's compound the day the music legend was found dead. That story, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KATE RILEY, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN World Sports headlines.
Sunderland have pulled off a great escape in the English Premier League by sealing their survival and relegating rivals Newcastle and Norwich in this process.
The black hats put together one of their now traditional end of season runs to get out of the drop zone, despite spending more time in the bottom three than any other club this season.
They defeated Everton 3-0 which also did for Newcastle who didn't play tonight and Norwich who did beating (Inaudible). Sunderland have only lost two of their past 13 games.
Anyway, fans caught on video hurling objects. The Manchester United team bus for Tuesday's match will be banned for life. The club made the announcement on Wednesday referring to the ugly incident which marred what was supposed to be the celebration of the final game played at the bowling ground.
Besides made the damage to the bus. The action caused injury to four police officers and created anxious moments for those innocent fans caught in the melee.
And with Brazilian politics in crisis, authorities have been dealt yet another blow ahead of August's Rio Olympics. Writing in heart of public health review, Dr. Amir Attaran has issued a major warning that the games should be postpone for the Zika virus could become a full- blown health disaster.
And that's a look at all your sports headlines. I'm Kate Riley.
[03:20:00] BARNETT: Iraq's prime minister is ordering ramped up efforts to try to keep terrorist sleeper cells from staging attacks.
CHURCH: That's in the aftermath of the deadliest violence in Baghdad all year. At least 93 people died in three separate bombings. ISIS claimed responsibility.
BARNETT: Jomana Karadsheh has been watching all of this and joins us now from Aman, Jordan with the very latest. And, Jomana, it is typical of ISIS to lash out in this manner when they're losing ground elsewhere. But how coordinated were these separate attacks? That does make this even more alarming.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Errol, it is alarming, especially when you see that these attacks are taking place in places like Sadr City, for example, that is not only protected by the Iraqi security forces, there are additional layers of security, they are provided by their own militia.
But I think when it comes to the coordination and the complexity of the attacks it's not just these where we have seen in recent days, ISIS still has that ability to carry out those complex and coordinated attacks like we saw in Northern Iraq, going after military targets.
Very complex attacks with multiple suicide attacks and more than 100 militants. But when you look at a case like this, it is an unfortunate reality in Baghdad, despite the high security, despite the blast walls and the checkpoints that attacks like this after all these years still take place.
And the unfortunate reality is these are soft targets, Errol. We're talking about markets. We're talking about the Shia population, who have been a favorite target for extremist groups for years.
BARNETT: And many of the witnesses were saying why would we be targeted? Civilians, women, and children.
Now Baghdad's parliament have seen Shia protests while Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is trying to reform government somehow. Just how sensitive is this time politically speaking?
KARADSHEH: It's a very sensitive time. It's a very critical time for Iraq. And this has been a major concern in recent weeks when we saw the political turmoil really getting out of hand to an extent there. The big concern that been that ISIS would exploit this chaotic political situation to try and ramp up its attacks to exacerbate the already sectarian tensions in the country.
But also some would say that it is trying to distract the Iraqi security forces away from the main battlefields in western and northern Iraq and trying to step up attacks in and around Baghdad, something we will keep an eye on and see what happens whether this is a change of tactics by ISIS, Errol.
BARNETT: So, you have ISIS making coordinated attacks. A certain level of political fragility. Any reason for optimism amid all this chaos?
KARADSHEH: Well, if you ask the Iraqi people, they have this incredible ability, Errol, as we have seen over the years. Attacks like this happened one after the other, you know.
This is not the first time and probably not the last time we'll see attacks like these that are devastating for the Iraqi people taking place. Yet, they still find this ability to go about their lives and to continue with their lives, despite this violence and incredible resilience by the Iraqi people we've seen.
I think when it comes to optimism with a situation, the questions are directed by the Iraqi people to their politicians. Because as we know the fight against ISIS is not only on the battlefield, it also has to be on the political scene, something we haven't really seen change in the past couple of years.
No real reforms. No real change that would bring the Iraqi people together. So, the question is, really, to the Iraqi politician, are they going
to be able to put their difference aside and come together to try and weaken ISIS and take away whatever support it has in Iraq, Errol.
BARNETT: Yes. That optimism incredible considering what the Iraqi people have been through over the past 13 years.
Jomana Karadsheh, live for us in Aman, Jordan. Just past 10.20 in the morning there. Jomana, thanks.
CHURCH: The United Nations is condemning recent attacks on targets such as hospitals and other civilian sites in Syria.
BARNETT: In a statement, U.N. investigator says international laws requiring warring parties to distinguish between lawful and unlawful targets have been ignored, resulting in war crimes.
CHURCH: In the meantime, the war has not stopped one American living in Damascus from staying there, even though U.S. authorities keep asking him to leave.
Our Frederik Pleitgen joins us now with more from Syria's capital. So, Fred, it is an extraordinary story. Why is this American so determined to stay?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a very good question, Rosemary. It's certainly something that we asked him. We were quite surprised to see that there is an American still living here in Damascus. And he has been here for 40 years. That's actually one of the reasons why he says even at this point in time, he still wants to stay.
He is married to a Syrian here. He says he also has some work here as well. And so therefore, he has no intention at this point of going back to America. Here is what's we saw when we went around Damascus with him.
[03:25:06] Five years of brutal Civil War. Hundreds of thousands killed. Millions displaced. All that hasn't driven this American to leave Syria.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS WEBBER, AMERICAN IN DAMASCUS: All these shops. You see everything is like the best of luck. Don't ever close.
PLEITGEN: Originally from a suburb of Buffalo, New York, 71-year-old Thomas Webber has been living in Damascus for years.
WEBBER: I'm an American, and I've been living here now for five years. I feel extremely safe in this city called Damascus.
PLEITGEN: But he admits there's have been close calls.
WEBBER: One time I was caught in a barrage of rockets. And the day before we had a mortar shell land in front of our door. PLEITGEN: Thomas Weber is married to a Syrian. U.S. authorities have
repeatedly asked him to leave the country to no avail.
Now a temporary ceasefire is in place in Damascus, allowing more people than before to venture out to markets, cafes, and restaurants.
WEBBER: What is more important about the ceasefire is that they see the light at the end of the tunnel. And never before the last five years that they ever seen the light at the end of the tunnel. So, this is an effect for them that they're all hoping and praying that the peace continues, the ceasefire continues.
PLEITGEN: Many would find his views on the conflict controversial. He is in favor of Russia's intervention in the Civil War, and doesn't believe Bashar al-Assad should leave power. But he is also convinced Syrians can overcome their differences.
WEBBER: This is what I really want to tell the world. It's safer here. The Syrian people are not terrorists. The Syrian people are the most honest, down to earth, loving people in the world.
PLEITGEN: And he has grown to love those Syrian people and can't imagine ever living anywhere else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: But of course, Rosemary, the Syrian people have not overcome their differences just yet. And neither have the countries in the international community that are trying to broke here a lasting peace and a lasting ceasefire here in Syria.
We know, of course, that those talks are set to resume on the 17th. But at this point in time, it seems political headway is something that is only moving along very slow at best.
And if you look at, for instance, the situation in Aleppo, a ceasefire there that's been in place over the past five years has run out overnight, has not been extended. So, we'll wait and see what the situation there.
So, on the other hand, people like Thomas Webber obviously do have a lot of hope that things can get better. But on the other hand, the progress, the tangible progress that we've been seeing in international negotiations and also trying to bring peace on the battlefield itself is something that is moving ahead very, very slowly again at best, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes, too slowly for so many people. Our Fred Pleitgen there in Damascus, Syria. It is nearly 10.30 in the morning. Many thanks to you for that live report.
BARNETT: In the U.S., there is an epidemic of painkiller overdoses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three hundred turns into 600. Before I knew it, 1400 pills a month. I was a functioning addict.
ANDERSON COOPER, AC360 SHOW HOST: You could function?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Functioning addict.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: CNN spoke with recovering opioid addicts in a special town hall. Hear their stories and possible solutions, after this.
[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BARNETT: A warm welcome back to our viewers watching in the U.S. and those of you tuned in around the globe. This is CNN Newsroom. I'm Errol Barnett.
CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. We'll check the headlines now.
Forty two senators in Brazil say they will vote to hold an impeachment trial for Dilma Rousseff that would give the president's critics in the legislature a majority.
The lawmakers have been debating the measure all night and are expected to vote in the coming hours. Now if they start impeachment proceedings, Mrs. Rousseff would have to leave office for up to six months.
BARNETT: Donald Trump is under fire for refusing to release his tax returns. Trump says he will make his taxes public once his audit is complete.
But that's unlikely to be before the November election. Trump meets in the coming hours with top republicans in the U.S. Congress.
CHURCH: A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck the east coast of Taiwan on Thursday. This video shows the aftermath inside one store. One eyewitness says tremors in Taipei lasted about 10 to 15 seconds. So far, there are no reports of any casualties or major damage.
Now we are getting new details of the investigation into the death of music legend Prince. Officials want to know how he got the painkillers that were found in his home.
BARNETT: Our Sara Sidner reports, investigators are looking for answers in Prince's inner circle, including his doctors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're asking for a medical at Paisley Park (muted). Person down, not breathing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That was the 911 dispatcher sending paramedics to Prince's a compound the day he died. Now new details have emerged about that day, and the days leading up to Prince's death.
The details revealed in a search warrant published by The L.A. Times and star tribune. The search warrant request was filed May 6, and eventually served on this medical center, which is about 23 miles from Prince's Paisley Park compound.
In it, it asks for any and all of Prince's medical records. Dr. Michael Todd Schewelenberg shown here in unrelated video on YouTube worked at the facility and was treating Prince.
A detective notes Dr. Schewelenberg said he did prescribe Prince's medication, and the prescriptions were to be filled at Walgreens. The warrant said the doctor saw Prince on April 7th and April 20th, the day before Prince died. And it states that Dr. Schewelenberg was actually at Prince's Paisley Park compound to drop off test results the day prince's body was discovered in an elevator.
We checked on Dr. Schewelenberg's medical license, and there were no complaints against him. It was clean. We also called North Memorial Medical Center to try and talk to him, but we were told by a spokesperson that he no longer works here.
So far, no one has been charged in this case. But the investigation is still going full throttle.
On Tuesday, the DEA and sheriff's deputies were back inside the Paisley Park compound, executing another search.
Sara Sidner, CNN, Chanhassen, Minnesota.
CHURCH: The U.S. is facing a massive epidemic of painkiller overdoses. So, CNN hosted a special town hall on prescription drug abuse.
[03:35:02] BARNETT: Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Anderson Cooper joined experts and recovering addicts. We want to show you to some of the highlights here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a public health epidemic. But it is completely manmade.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How can we get the doctors and hospitals to stop overprescribing these addictive drugs?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Doctors have to own the problems and we have to be careful ourselves about prescribing medication.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN'S CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: These are designed for acute intervention, not for chronic use. And if it's going more than two weeks both doctor and patient that are really think hard better about it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ninety one percent of people who overdose and survive are given another prescription for those opiates. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have this culture of giving a pill for every
problem, this culture of a quick fix. And that's something we have to change.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At 16 he began experimenting with opioids with friends, and we saw nothing. So, what are -- what are we missing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Opiate addiction, opiate misused is something it's not always obvious.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was a functioning addict.
COOPER: You could function?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Functioning addict.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My family was greatly affected by my addiction.
GUPTA: The one thing I would tell family members is, don't go it alone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been on daily opioids that have given me a very full and productive life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Opioids have a real role in the management of pain. But sometimes they're overprescribed. And sometimes alternative therapies will do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even if someone is not breathing, you still put this in their nose and go ahead and spray. And that's the medication that comes out. And within just a couple minutes it can reverse an overdose.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The shame and the stigma is a huge blocker to patients and families seeking health.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a brain disease. I think more doctors say that out loud, the more that stigma goes away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: And you can see the entire town hall later today, Prescription addiction, made in the USA, as noon for those of you watching in London, at 7 p.m. for those of you in Hong Kong.
CHURCH: And abuse of prescription painkillers is not just an American problem. In fact, researcher says Canada has the highest per capita use. The U.S. is number two followed by Denmark, Germany, Austria, and Australia.
BARNETT: By one estimate, the U.S., Canada, and countries in Western Europe consume 95 percent of the global opioid supply, but make up less than 20 percent of the global population. That leaves just 5 percent for all other countries combined.
Same sex civil unions are now legally recognized in Italy, the last major western country to do so. Gay rights groups gathered outside parliament in Rome on Wednesday as lawmakers adopted the bill. Same- sex couples can share a surname and inherit each other's assets.
CHURCH: Still, critics they are limits. The law does not recognize gay marriage. Many Catholics oppose it. And conservative lawmakers say they'll try to repeal it.
Another lawsuit has been filed over North Carolina's controversial bathroom law. A group called North Carolinians for privacy claims that the federal government is bullying the state by threatening to take with -- to take withhold education funding.
BARNETT: Earlier this week, the Justice Department filed a suit calling the law a civil rights violation. But North Carolina's Governor rejects that statement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAT MCCROSY, NORTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR: It's an insult. It's a political statement instead of a legal statement that it's an insult toward our state and 10 million people that has no relevance to this issue regarding whether a gender identity individual or a boy could go into a girl's rest room. To correlate that to the Civil Rights marches in the '50s and '60s is totally irresponsible of our chief l
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The latest bathroom law complaint is the fifth suit seeking judicial input.
BARNETT: Now severe storms on Wednesday produce so much hail in one U.S. city that snowplows had to be called out. It's likely there will be more wild weather across the country today.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
CHURCH: That's ridiculous.
BARNETT: Our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us now to give us all the details on that.
JAVAHERI: Yes.
BARNETT: Snowplows.
JAVAHERI: Snowplows. Yes. In the month of May. This is in Omaha, Nebraska. So, they had upwards of 30 centimeters on the flip of hail accumulate on the roads in the morning hours. So, snowplows literally had to be brought out and clear the roads.
And the temperatures made it up to 70 Fahrenheit, 20 Celsius or so. So, incredible to see this much hail accumulate. And the video pretty impressive as well to show what folks were dealing with across this region.
So, we'll put the maps in motion to show you what's happening. Here is the scene of folks literally digging out of the hail that accumulated across this region. Right before sunrise, of course the temperature is pretty mild you.
And then you begin to see this melts rather quickly and it becomes a flooding concern so the snowplows again come right through and try to move some of the hail out of the way.
but for the first time since last Friday, actually the United States did not see a report of a tornado. And that was excellent news. But of course, almost 100 reports of damaging hail, about 84 reports of damaging winds across the area.
[03:40:01] And you go just north of St. Louis, the town of St. Charles, one of the northern suburbs there, hail the size of grapefruits. Four inches in diameter reported across this region. So, you don't get tornadoes, but it get something this destructive certainly could be a big story if it impacts you.
And you notice 21 million people across this region. Cleveland, Cincinnati, Nashville, Memphis. Some of these cities in line for severe weather. On a scale of 1 to 5, a 2 for the likelihood of the severe storms across this region.
But the hail and damaging winds really the main concern. Still could see some isolated tornadoes pop up across this area.
I'll you up towards the Western United States, summer-like heat coming in. About five weeks early. Temps soaring into the 80s and 90s over the next of days. Look what happens in Seattle. It could be the record high temperature there tying a temp of 84 which occurred on that date in 1973. That is 20 Fahrenheit above what is normal.
Portland is getting up to 90 degrees with a 67, which is what is normal for this time of year. I want to show you something here. Because we know Death Valley, California among the hottest places on our planet. Yesterday, they reach the high of 99 Fahrenheit or 37 Celsius.
Oftentimes when I go to schools and talk to kids about weather, one of the interesting stats they're always surprised by is California is one of the most extreme places in the United States when it comes to temperatures.
Not because of the hot temps in Death Valley, but look what happened that same day yesterday, just about 170 miles to the north that was the national cold spot in Bridgeport, California, in the mountains and Sierras, 18 Fahrenheit, 170 miles away, almost 100 Fahrenheit.
California always impresses when it comes to extreme temperatures.
BARNETT: Yes.
JAVAHERIL And a lot of people are interested to hear that because you think of California and tranquility.
BARNETT: Right. JAVAHERI: But the temperatures are as extreme as anywhere else.
BARNETT: It's a huge state as well.
JAVAHERI: It is.
BARNETT: As all that topography, you've got the coastline you've got mountains, you've got kind of everything in between as well.
CHURCH: Yes.
JAVAHERI: Absolutely.
BARNETT: All right, Pedram.
CHURCH: Thank you so much.
BARNETT: Leave it to the kids. Heading out of school. Good to hear. Thanks, Pedram.
CHURCH: Thank you.
Well, pay really close attention. Because if you blink, you'll miss it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one.
CHURCH: Blink a few times. So, just what is this speeding object? Coming up a little later, find out why this could be the future of transportation.
BARNETT: Plus, Donald -- David Cameron is about to host a summit against corruption. We're going to do that. But first, the British leader is explaining why he called two countries fantastically corrupt. Stay with us.
[03:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BARNETT: We've got some breaking news just in to CNN. Suicide bombs have taken place at a Baghdad police station. Three Iraqi police officers were killed. We understand 10 others wounded. There were two suicide bombers that blew themselves up here. This is in Western Baghdad.
And of course, as we've been talking about these past few hours, it happens at a time of multiple ISIS attacks. There is no claim of responsibility just yet for this attack. But as we get more information, we will bring to it you in the coming hours.
CHURCH: All right. We'll move on for now. A Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is defending the British Prime Minister who called the African nation fantastically corrupt.
BARNETT: On Tuesday, David Cameron said Nigeria and Afghanistan are possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world. Mr. Buhari spoke with CNN's Christiane Amanpour about those remarks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUHAMMADU BUHARI, NIGERIAN PRESIDENT: He is being honest about it. He is talking about what he knows about the two of us Afghanistan and Nigeria. And by what we are doing in Nigeria by the day. I don't think you can fault him. I hope he do not address the press. He said it privately, and somehow you got to know it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: So there you have it. But this all comes as world leaders arrive in London for an anti-corruption summit. And now Mr. Cameron is doing some backtracking before he plays host.
Phil Black joins us live from Lancaster House in London to talk about this. So, Phil, Nigeria's President admits that yes, his nation has a problem. But what else is being said there locally about this issue of corruption?
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is no doubt, Errol, the buildup to this conference here has absolutely been overshadowed by Prime Minister David Cameron's less than diplomatic language describing these countries as fantastically corrupt. Now less than diplomatic, but not necessarily inaccurate.
And it would seem that everyone agree -- it would seem to agree that it's not even necessarily unfair. But the point is, that David Cameron is not talking about the leaders, but rather the country, the systems themselves. That's why the leaders are attending this conference.
Because these are global figures that are trying to do something about the problem of corruption in their own country. That's the point that David Cameron tried to make in the British Parliament yesterday. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Countries like Nigeria and Afghanistan, their leaders are battling hard against very corrupt systems and countries. And in both their cases, they have made some remarkable steps forward. And that's why I'm so keen to welcome them to the anti-corruption conference here in London.
But where I part company with my honorable friend is I don't think it would be right to withdraw the aid that we give. Because frankly, the problems in those countries, they come back and haunt us here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARNETT: All right, Phil. I think he is still speaking. Can we get back to him?
BLACK: Really, because while Britain is not necessarily accused of corruption, it is often accused of facilitating, even benefitting from global corruption because it's believed a lot of the money embezzled around the world ends up being parked here, laundered here, especially through the British property market.
And so, today, the Prime Minister is announcing a fairly big policy to try and stamp this out. A lot of properties are bought here anonymously through company structures.
So, the British government is going to introduce a new public register of these companies to reveal who the individuals are that are benefitting. Ultimately, behind the companies that are buying often big valuable properties here.
It is something of a first. Other countries are expected to follow. British business groups aren't necessarily thrilled about the idea because they're concerned that it could discourage investment here, particularly among those who are genuinely or have legitimate reasons for seeking to be anonymous in their purchases, and so forth.
But the hope is like this conference itself that it will get the ball rolling. The British Prime Minister hopes that this will be a big global demonstration of political will. And unprecedented one to really begin a coordinated battle against corruption around the world, Errol.
BARNETT: Yes, you certainly need all these nations working together to achieve those goals.
[03:50:01] And we just saw the Nigerian President and the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arriving at that meeting.
Our Phil Black, live for us this morning in London. Just past 8.50 in the morning there. Phil, thanks.
CHURCH: Fewer than two seconds on a test track could change how we travel. One company says these levitating pods are the future of transportation. And we'll show you one of the first steps to get there. Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Another round of severe weather possible across the central and Eastern United States. I'll highlight exactly where in just a moment.
First let's talk temperatures. The West Coast, upper teens and lower 20s from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The East Coast, at least the southeast very hot and humid, 31 degrees for Atlanta, Georgia. Northward into the windy city, 22. Denver matching that same daytime high.
But there are our thunderstorms near Dallas. So, thanks to a cold front that is moving across this region. And it will also bring in significantly cooler air across the upper Great Lakes and the upper plain states as we head into the weekend.
But here is our look at severe weather today. Large hail, damaging winds, isolated tornadoes. Places like Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Lexington, Nashville, Memphis, and Shreveport, Louisiana. So double- check your flight plans and be prepared for the potential for stronger storms later today.
Look at the colder air settling in across the New England coastline and the upper Midwest. Again, that's for the end of the weekend and into early next week. What about Central America?
You can see temperatures near Belize City, 32. A few thunderstorms, fairly unsettled weather across this area. A few showers and thunderstorms popping up late in the day for Mexico City, perhaps into Kingston as well as Havana, Cuba.
Looking into Northern sections of South America, showers and thunderstorms continue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BARNETT: Russian President Vladimir Putin often portrays himself as strong and active. But on Tuesday, he showed his human frailty.
CHURCH: Yes. Look at that he slipped while playing hockey in the Russian City of Sochi. Still, his team of government officials, former athletes and businessmen won the game. How about that?
BARNETT: Now here is something we hope doesn't fall. A new piece of technology from a transportation company called Hyperloop.
CHURCH: When it's up and rung, Hyperloop wants to send people zipping through pipes at more than 700 miles or 1100 kilometers an hour.
Ophelia Young has the story.
OPHELIA YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hyperloop eventually move through these tubes once they are connected. But today, the technology they showed off was accelerating the pods through the tube at a high G force.
[03:55:00] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is where Hyperloop is getting invented.
YOUNG: In the desert of the Apex Industrial Park in North Las Vegas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one.
(APPLAUSE)
YOUNG: So, their test sled is missing brakes, but they'll work on that later. This is just the beginning. Hyperloop has been in Apex less than six months. As inventors showed us in this video, the track was installed in just a couple of weeks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There we give it a nice smooth acceleration.
YOUNG: Today, that acceleration is at 2.4 G.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROB LLOYD, HYPERLOOP CEO: A great example of technology that we can all relate to that uses some of these principles is a roller coaster. And actually, I think by imagining that a roller coaster has very rapid propulsion, this is a magnitude larger than that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: The next step is to fit this technology into these tubes by the end of this year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD: We call it our kitty hawk moment. When Hyperloop fully works as a system, all the elements of that, the tube, the levitation system, the propulsion system we demonstrated today, the pod inside of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: The pods where cargo and passengers will sit during the ride has not been designed yet. So, it's still not clear exactly how people or things will be safely suspended. All they know is that it will move as fast as 700 miles per hour.
Using reduced pressure or vacuum technology to keep it moving, there is a long road ahead for Hyperloop. But for now, a concept formed years ago is finally in motion today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LLOYD: We will be moving cargo in 2019. We think we can have passengers safely being transported in Hyperloop by 2021. That's five years from now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: And this tube, by the way, is huge. They expect to have several kilometers of them connected by the end of this year. That's when they expect full test runs.
Ophelia Young, Fox 5 News, local Las Vegas.
CHURCH: I think I like it. I'm Rosemary Church.
BARNETT: I'm Errol Barnett. We will see you next week. Stay with CNN.
[04:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
