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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan to Meet; Clinton Attacks Trump's Withheld Tax Returns; George Zimmerman to Auction Gun that Killed Trayvon Martin. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired May 12, 2016 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[04:31:05] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Will Republicans rally around Donald Trump? High stakes meetings today in Washington. Donald Trump/Paul Ryan, will they make nice?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Hillary Clinton blasting Donald Trump for not releasing his tax returns. She's not the only one.
BERMAN: All right. Breaking overnight. George Zimmerman is auctioning off the gun he used to kill Trayvon Martin. You'll hear George Zimmerman in his own words.
Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman.
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It's 31 minutes past the hour. Thanks for joining us bright and early this morning, folks.
A big day on Capitol Hill for both Donald Trump and the Republican Party. In just hours, Trump meets with the highest ranking elected official his party, House Speaker Paul Ryan. Just a week ago on CNN, Ryan refused to endorse the presumptive yet.
But now, many Republicans are pushing Ryan to fall in line behind Trump or risk fracturing the party going into the general election.
CNN politics reporter Sara Murray has the latest from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Good morning, John and Christine.
Will there be party unity in the GOP or not so much? Today might be the day that finally gives us our best indication so far. This is the day when Donald Trump is going to be traveling to Washington to meet face-to-face with House Speaker Paul Ryan.
That's after the House Speaker said he wasn't quite ready to fall in line and endorse Donald Trump. He said since that the two just kind of need to get to know each other a little bit. Today will be an opportunity for them to do that in Washington, D.C. And what we've already seen is some of Trump supporters have already begun laying the ground work on the Hill have been reaching out to Paul Ryan. Ben Carson, who was a big supporter of Donald Trump, has spoken to Paul Ryan, and Donald Trump has been saying and tweeting more optimistic things about this upcoming meeting.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think he's a good man and I really think, you know, probably we'll come out with something that's going to be good, I hope. Otherwise, I'll JUST continue on the path that I continue on.
REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I don't really know him. I met him once in 2012. We had a good conversation in March on the phone. We just need to get to know each other and we as a leadership team are enjoying the fact that we have a chance to meet with him.
MURRAY: All of this could be laying the ground work for them saying there is common ground. We both want to reduce the deficit, the deficit debt. We both want to cut taxes on middle class families. Of course, with Donald Trump, there is always a possibility that it could end on a rockier fashion, that it could end in fireworks. And we should get a better sense of that in just a few hours.
Back to you, guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: Sara Murray, thanks so much.
Donald Trump is under fire for refusing to release that he will release his tax returns before the November election. Now, you remember early last year, really a whole bunch of times over the last couple years, Trump has promised that he would release his taxes, but since then, he has said his returns since 2009 are being audited by the IRS and he will not release them until the audit is complete.
The IRS says Trump is free to release the returns if he wants. Audits do not prevent you from releasing your returns publicly. Trump says he has no plans to push his lawyers on releasing them before November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS: If you were my client, you were under audit, I'd say don't release them. There may be some years outside the audit you might release --
TRUMP: First of all, if there are, they are meaningless. It doesn't matter because they're so far back. But at the right time, I'll release them. I hope to release them. I like to release them. But when I'm under audit, I can't do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Now, former Republican nominee Mitt Romney not buying Trump's excuse. Romney wrote on Facebook, "It is disqualifying for a modern day nominee to refuse to release tax returns to the voters, especially one who has been subject to public scrutiny in either military or public service. There is one logical explanation for Mr. Trump's refusal to release his returns; there is a bombshell in them. Given Mr. Trump's equanimity with other flaws in his history, we can only assume is a bombshell of unusual size."
Look, you know, tax returns, Donald Trump says tax returns would not show his net worth.
[04:35:03] That is true. But there is a lot of things it would show.
ROMANS: Here is what it shows: you get taxable income. You get how much the person makes from investment, their business income, their effective tax rate, which is really important when you're talking about tax policy and setting tax policy. What deductions they take. How much they give to charity.
So, you get a picture of the priorities of that person as reflected through tax return.
BERMAN: Real estate mogul. I mean, there are gains and losses every year. It's not inconceivable that effective tax rate is particularly low on a given year for someone like Trump.
ROMANS: Also, you know, a lot of people are saying is the excuse valid? Other candidates have released their tax returns during an audit. Richard Nixon among them. But an audit does not preclude you from releasing your returns.
I mean, his attorneys are probably telling him not to, but this is the biggest interview in the world, and that is a piece of information that a lot of folks are saying they'd like to see.
You know, Trump has long promised he would release tax returns. Way back in 2011, he told ABC News, "Maybe I will do the tax returns when Obama does his birth certificate. I may tie my tax returns. I'd love to give my tax returns. I may tie my tax returns into Obama's birth certificate."
This is what he has to say this election cycle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
TRUMP: I have no objection to certainly showing tax returns.
INTERVIEWER: Getting any closer to releasing your tax returns?
TRUMP: Well, I'm thinking about it. I'm thinking about when we find the true story on Hillary's emails.
I can't do it until the audit is finished, obviously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Hillary Clinton is now jumping on Trump's refusal to release those tax returns. This as Bernie Sanders campaigns in South Dakota, keeping up the drumbeat that he is the best candidate positioned to defeat Donald Trump.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are still running against each other at least for the next month. But when you listen to them on the campaign trail, they are focused on Donald Trump.
Campaigning in New Jersey on Wednesday, Hillary Clinton seized on Donald Trump's refusal to release his tax return.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When you run for president, especially when you become the nominee, that is kind of expected. My husband and I have released 33 years of tax returns. We got eight years on our web site right now.
So, you've got to ask yourself why doesn't he want to release them?
ZELENY: That clearly is an issue that Clinton will keep bringing up again and again as she focuses on Donald Trump for the general election.
Now, she has a major lead in delegates over Bernie Sanders. But that's not stopping Sanders from staying in the race. Campaigning in Montana on Wednesday, he focused on Donald Trump as well, he said he is the strongest Democrat to take him on.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you look at the polls taken over the last month or six weeks, national polls, state polls, Bernie Sanders is the strongest Democratic candidate to defeat Donald Trump.
ZELENY: A handful of contests remain in the Democratic race. Hillary Clinton is doing double duty, focusing on Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. And Bernie Sanders is trying to stay in this race as well at least in the conversation for at least the next month. Then he'll have a decision to make in terms of what he does between then and the convention -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: Jeff Zeleny, thank you.
The director of the FBI says there are no special set of rules that applies to investigating Hillary Clinton's e-mails. Director James Comey spoke to reporters Wednesday about the investigation into the Clinton's used of a private server while she was secretary of state. He said he feels pressured to conduct the probe well and promptly. But he said that between the two, he would always choose well and that he said he will not be rushed to finish the e-mail probe before the election.
ROMANS: Time for an early start on your money. Stocks are higher after a tumble yesterday. Investors are concerned about how much investors are spending or not spending. Stock markets in Europe and Asia mixed. Oil trading near the highest levels of the year. So, watch shares of Macy's this morning. This is the consumer fear.
The stock plummeted 15 percent. The retailer had the worst quarter since the Great Recession.
Macy's was one of the worst in the S&P 500 last year. It had stabilized this year. Its performance alone spreading concerns about the entire U.S. retail sector.
Macy's says sales are weak, shoppers are even spending less at its flagship stores in New York City and other popular tourist spots. Plans to revamp its clothing lineup, including a new deal with Lady Gaga and Elton John. Macy's cut the forecast for the rest of the year.
I wonder if Donald Trump is doing a happy dance, because remember, his goods to be sold in Macy's.
BERMAN: He pulled his stuff out of Macy's. That was one of the first feuds of this campaign.
ROMANS: Yes. All right. A shooting that sparked civil rights protests across the country. The gun now for sale? Why George Zimmerman is auctioning off the gun he used to kill Trayvon Martin, next.
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[04:44:06] BERMAN: All right. Breaking overnight: George Zimmerman is selling the gun he used to kill Trayvon Martin. An online auction starts just hours from now. The neighborhood watch volunteer claims self defense after shooting the unarmed teen in 2012. He was acquitted of both murder and manslaughter. Zimmerman wrote a description, calling the 9 millimeter pistol a piece of American history.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: I thought it was time to move past the firearm, and if I sell it and it sells, I move past it. What I've decided to do is not cower. I'm a free American, and I can do what I like with my possessions.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BERMAN: Zimmerman also wrote that he will use some of the money from the auction to fight quote, "Black Lives Matter violence against law enforcement officers." Bidding starts at $5,000.
This is astounding.
[04:45:01] You have to wonder what the family of Trayvon Martin thinks about this.
ROMANS: You know, I mean, yes, yes. It's just really kind of a shock.
Forty-five minutes past the hour.
The former South Carolina officer who killed Walter Scott as he tried to flee from a traffic stop has been indicted by a federal grand jury. Of course, the disturbing video of that shooting just over a year ago became a central part of the discussion about police tactics.
Michael Slager faces the possible life sentence for alleged civil rights violation. The grand jury ruled he shot Scott without legal justification. The next North Charleston officer is also charged with knowingly misleading investigators.
Let's get more on this from CNN's Martin Savidge.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Good morning, Christine.
For the family of the victim here, Walter Scott, it was another difficult day. But they also say that it confirms his death was not in vain.
Federal charges against a police officer in these circumstances are extremely rare. But then as we already know, the video taken by a bystander of Michael Slager, the police officer shooting Walter Scott is disturbing. The federal charges include deprivation of rights under the color of law which means the police officer used excessive force to deprive the rights in the case of Walter Scott to take his life.
There's also the second charge of using a gun during the commission of the crime and on top of that. There's a third charge that says he obstructed and the implication there is that Michael Slager lied to officers when he said that Walter Scott was charging towards him. That's why he fired his weapon.
So, again, very, very significant charges. If convicted on the federal charges, Slager could get life -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: Martin Savidge.
Bench trial under way this morning for one of six Baltimore police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray. That means a judge, not a jury, will decide Officer Edward Nero's fate. Nero faces three misdemeanor charges of reckless assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office. Prosecutors are expected to make the case he had no business apprehending Gray in the first place, an argument that could change the way police make arrests if Nero is found guilty.
ROMANS: The director of the FBI is once again blaming a viral video effect for an alarming rise in homicides in several major cities. James Comey believes police officers have become hesitant to confront suspects because they fear winding up in some kind of a video. He says that leads of less aggressive policing and higher crime rates. Now, the Obama administration disputed Comey's theories the last he
raised. They're not commenting this morning. But in the past, the department pointed out statistics to confirm this theory that Comey has, no actual proof of what Comey is saying. Comey says, though, that he hears from officers around the country.
BERMAN: A Colorado Springs judge has declared a man who went on a deadly rampage at the Planned Parenthood unfit to stand trial. Robert Dear, the self-proclaimed warrior for the babies, admits killing three people and wounding nine others in that November shooting spree. Dear's murder case is now on hold while a state mental hospital tries to treat and see if him competent to stand trial.
ROMANS: A judge has upheld the jail term of nearly two years of the so-called affluenza teen, Ethan Couch. Couch has been behind bar since Mexico sent him back to the United States in January. He fled to Mexico with his mother to avoid arrest. Couch killed four people in a drunk driving accident in 2013 when he was 16 years old. His lawyers famously argued the teen was so spoiled by his rich parents, he could not tell right from wrong, the affluenza defense.
BERMAN: A deadly fire and explosion at a fertilizer plant in Texas back in 2013 was caused by a criminal act. That's a ruling from the Bureau of Alcohol, tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Fifteen people died, more than 200 injured in the blast in the rural town of West, located just north of Waco. ATF officials are offering a $50,000 reward to help find the person responsible for setting the fire at the facility.
ROMANS: Missouri is cleaning up following the severe storms. Tremendous winds uprooted that tree in St. Louis. Others crashed down into homes, on cars. Thunderstorms dropped huge hailstones.
This picture from Twitter shows just how big they were. Wow. It came down with such force, these hailstones. It smashed this car's rear window.
BERMAN: A new round of thunderstorms aimed right at the Midwest and South. Let's get the latest from meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: John and Christine, a line of severe storms by this afternoon, along the frontal boundaries stretches about 1,000 miles from parts of Texas, eventually towards areas of the Great Lakes. I think in line here for places like Chicago and eventually in Cincinnati and Cleveland, down towards even Shreveport, where the highest threat is.
The severe weather on a scale of 1 to 5, a 2 in line here, and generally going to be for straight line winds, certainly could see some large hail as we saw yesterday with grapefruit-sized hail just north of St. Louis in the past 24 hours. And again, isolated tornadoes remain there, of course. We are in the heart of tornado season.
But notice the temperature trend, pretty mild and pretty warm in few spots. [04:50:01] Atlanta in particular, warming up to almost 90 degrees
before a cooling trend returns in the forecast. And speaking of a cooling trend, how about this? Even if you don't enjoy the low 50s for this time of year, you may want to take that and really take and savor it. That is more in line with a March temperature.
Look what happens when you look at the long-range forecast. Well above average temperatures expected to extend on for the eastern half of the country to wrap up the month of May, guys.
BERMAN: All right, Pedram.
A dazzling performance on the diamond last night in Washington. The Nationals ace Max Scherzer, he struck out 20. This ties a Major League record for nine innings. Roger Clemens did it twice. Kerry Wood did it once. Randy Johnson did it once, too, in nine innings. And again, there weren't extra innings.
Max Scherzer was unreal last night. He had a chance to break the record. He actually had a strike on the final batter of the game.
Twenty strikeouts in a game is insane. Look at that. Look at that! It turns out Max Scherzer is good at baseball.
ROMANS: All right. A rough day for the stock market yesterday. We'll show you why today, your 401(k) maybe getting some relief when we get an early start on your money.
BERMAN: Max Scherzer got 401ks, right? You look like that?
ROMANS: He's 20. He's halfway to 401k.
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[04:55:24] BERMAN: Breaking news this morning. Three Iraqi police officers killed overnight when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a station house in Baghdad. It has been a disturbingly violent week in the Iraqi capital. More than 90 people were killed and 160 wounded in three separate bombings just yesterday. ISIS is taking responsibility for those attacks.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is tracking the latest for us from Jordan.
Good morning, Jomana.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.
A really devastating bloody day yet again on Wednesday in Baghdad. Those three attacks that you mentioned, the deadliest in Sadr City. That Shia slum of about a million people living there, a part car bomb detonated at a market, early hours on Wednesday morning, that is when the market is packed with shoppers, mothers with young children and lots of civilians there.
Car bomb resulting in at least 64 people killed and more than 90 others injured. Later on the day, two suicide bombers attacking two different neighborhoods. One in northern Baghdad, a Shia one, and in western Baghdad, a Sunni neighborhood. Dozens killed and injured in the attacks.
And as you mentioned, ISIS claiming responsibility for these attacks, saying it was targeting the Shia paramilitary groups, the popular mobilization units. But as we have seen in the horrific images coming out of the aftermath of the attacks, especially in Sadr City, many women and children, among the casualties of those attacks.
Really highlighting here, ISIS ability, while it has lost ground in western and northern Iraq in recent months, these attacks we saw on Wednesday are not the only attacks. We have seen similar bombings in recent weeks. Complex and coordinated attacks like the ones we saw in northern Iraq last week really goes to show that ISIS still has that ability to strike whenever and wherever it wants.
And yet again, John, there is talk this might not be the only reason for these attacks. It might be ISIS here changing tactics, trying to draw attention from the battlefield, trying to draw forces away from the battlefield in northern Iraq, around Mosul and to try to fortify Baghdad with these attacks.
BERMAN: And try to stoke sectarian violence once again in that region.
All right. Jomana Karadsheh, thanks so much.
ROMANS: All right. Let's get an early start on your money this morning. Dow futures rebounding from the sharp drop yesterday. European stock markets as you can see down. Asia stock markets closed mixed. Oil above $46 a barrel right now. That's near highs for the year.
Two senators want airlines to end check baggage fees to help shorten airport security lines this summer. Democratic senators from Connecticut and Massachusetts wrote a letter to airline executives yesterday. They say there is 27 percent more rollerboard carry-ones compared to those that don't have fees compared to those that don't. They claim dropping the fees will encourage more people to check their bags and help alleviate some of the long lines, which grown in recent months, as more travelers hit the skies.
The problem is expected to get worse this summer. It will be a tough sale to airlines. They raked in $3.8 billion in bag fees during 2015 and another $3 billion on reservation change fees.
If travel is too slow for you. This may soon be an option.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one. Start.
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ROMANS: That is the first public test of the high speed transportation system called Hyperloop One. That metal shed tested the acceleration system. It hit 116 miles per hour in 1.9 seconds. Took place about 30 miles from the Las Vegas where engineers are building a huge test loop.
Hyperloop One has an ambitious plan to start moving cargo by the year 2019 and carrying passengers by 2021. You would like up the pneumonic tube?
BERMAN: I think it is cool and I love the idea. I think the timeline is ambitious. So, we'll check back in 2021 and see if people are taking that.
EARLY START continues right now.
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BERMAN: Will the Republican Party rally around Donald Trump?
Donald Trump heads for meetings today with House Speaker Paul Ryan just hours from now. Is there common ground to be found? Can they make nice? Will they be friends?
ROMANS: Hillary Clinton blasting Donald Trump for his refusal to release his tax returns. Oh, and she is not the only one.
BERMAN: All right. Breaking overnight: George Zimmerman is auctioning off the gun he used to kill Trayvon Martin.
