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Donald Trump on the Defense on 1991 Videotape, Taxes; ISIS Declaring State of Emergency?; Delegate Math Not in Sanders' Favor; Trump Popularity in China; Inside the Texas Biker Brawl. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired May 14, 2016 - 13:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:23] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, thank you so much for being with me.

So Donald Trump on the defense as several potential problems surface for the presumptive Republican nominee right when he's trying to rally the GOP establishment behind him. This week, bizarre allegations that Trump posed as his own publicist years ago, the conversation captured on a 1991 recording.

But, the billionaire businessman denies that it's his voice on the audio tape. Trump is also coming under growing scrutiny over his refusal to release his tax returns. Trump telling voters he won't release them until an audit is done.

Hillary Clinton is seizing on the issue, releasing a new web video using Trump's words against him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Getting any closer to releasing your tax returns?

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I'm thinking about it.

I can't do it until the audit is finished.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The audit is no excuse. The IRS has made it very clear that an audit is not a bar to public release. It is entirely your choice.

TRUMP: It's none of your business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, CNN Correspondent Scott McLean is covering all of these developments for us and joins us now live from Washington.

All right, so, what's next for either camp?

SCOTT MCLEAN, NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT IN WASHINGTON: Well, Fredricka, Hillary Clinton still technically has a primary battle to win, but you likely wouldn't know that's because you probably know that she's gone -- largely ignored Bernie Sanders and instead gone straight after Donald Trump.

She's been critical of Trump's tax cut plan, and then as of Wednesday, the tax returns he has yet to release and may not before November. Now, Fred, as you mentioned, Trump says he won't release them until an IRS audit is completed.

Now, the presumptive Republican nominee is also dealing with another controversy. A tape of a "People" magazine interview from 1991, dug up by "The Washington Post." On the tape, a man named John Miller, claiming to be Trump's publicist, talks about Trump's personal life and his breakup with then girlfriend Marla Maples.

The tape raises the suspicion the voice is actually Donald Trump pretending to be his own publicist, something Trump denied on Friday. Here's part of that 1991 interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MILLER, CLAIMING TRUMP'S PUBLICIST: I've sort of been put in here to handle because I've never seen anybody get so many calls from the press.

SUE CARSWELL, "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE REPORTER: Where did you come from?

MILLER: I basically worked for different firms. I worked for a couple of different firms, and I'm somebody that he knows and I think somebody that he trusts and likes. So I'm going to do this a little part time, and then, yeah, go on with my life, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLEAN: So, CNN talked to a forensic audio expert who says he believes the voice on the tape is Trump himself, based on his pitch, his mannerisms and the cadence.

The original author of the story in "People" magazine, Sue Carswell told CNN's Michael Smerconish this morning as well that she played the recording for others who knew Trump and even Maples herself who also thought it was him.

Two weeks later, she said he apologized to the magazine and called it a joke gone awry. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Scott McLean, thank you so much

Also perplexing, so let's dig a little deeper now on that "Washington Post" story that claims Trump acted as his own publicist in the '90s. CNN's Drew Griffin has more.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, if the person on this tape is not Donald Trump, then an audio expert we talked to said someone has done a masterful job of sounding almost exactly like Donald Trump the fact is the secret P.R. man in Donald Trump's past may not have ever been a real secret at all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Morning.

GRIFFIN: The real amazing story of Donald Trump's old spokesman, as "The Washington Post" headline writes, maybe that it's been such an open secret for so long, it's hard to believe that anyone is still questioning it.

CARSWELL: What's your name again?

MILLER: John Miller.

CARSWELL: And you work with Donald Trump?

MILLER: Yes, that's correct.

GRIFFIN: It was back in the 1980s when the flashy New York Real Estate Mogul needed to get a bit of news out. The newspaper reports it was common knowledge among New York reporters that Trump just assumed a different name and handled the media calls himself. Like this call from reporter Sue Carswell at "People" magazine concerning Trump's breakup with girlfriend Marla Maples.

CARSWELL: What kind of comment is -- which is coming from, you know, your agency or from Donald?

MILLER: Well, it's just that he really decided that he wasn't, you know, that he didn't want to make any commitment. He didn't want to make a commitment he really thought it was just soon. That he's coming out of a, you know, a marriage that - and he's starting to do tremendously well financially.

GRIFFIN: If that John Miller sounds like Trump, it's because audio forensic expert Tom Owen says, in his opinion, it is.

[30:05:04] TOM OWEN, AUDIO EXPERT: I can conclude with a fair degree of scientific certainty that it is Donald Trump's voice.

GRIFFIN: This afternoon, Owen compared that John Miller on that phone call with "People" magazine...

MILLER: He did want to make a demand that you really do it with yourself.

GRIFFIN: ... to the real Donald Trump interviewed on CNN's "Larry King Live" in the 1990's.

TRUMP: I don't talk about relationships I don't talk about the personal aspects of it.

GRIFFIN: Due to the quality of the old recordings, he couldn't use his biometric analysis that he says would be absolutely certain. But based on pitch, tone, cadence, and his expertise, John Miller and Donald Trump are one and the same. OWEN: I'm confident that its Donald Trump based on my analysis of the critical listening, listening to the two recordings. And make drawing a conclusion based on various factors, pitch, mannerisms, syllable coupling.

GRIFFIN: Trump even tacitly admitted under oath to using one of his false P.R. names in a 1990 court testimony, when he said, "I believe on occasion I used that name."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. I want to thank you (inaudible).

GRIFFIN: Trump was confronted with the taped phone call and "The Washington Post" story on Friday's "Today" show.

TRUMP: No, I don't think it -- I don't know anything about it. You'd tell me about it for first time and it doesn't sound like my voice at all.

I have many, many people that are trying to imitate my voice and you can imagine that, and this sounds like one of the scams. One of the many scams it doesn't sound like me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: It turns out that Donald Trump may have learned this trick from his father, Fred Trump, who was also known in the New York real estate media as a certain Mr. Green. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much, Drew Griffin.

So, Sue Carswell was that reporter on the other end of those tapes when she was working at "People Magazine." And today she is speaking out about who she thinks is responsible for making those tapes public now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Did you release this tape?

CARSWELL: No.

SMERCONISH: Did you have the tape? I mean, how did it get into play?

CARSWELL: All right. Two people had the tape. I had a tape and Trump had a tape. And I don't have the tape.

SMERCONISH: How do you think it got into play?

CARSWELL: Well, it didn't get to "The Washington Post" through me.

SMERCONISH: So?

CARSWELL: Trump.

SMERCONISH: You think Trump dropped this tape? CARSWELL: Yeah.

SMERCONISH: Why would he do that?

CARSWELL: Look what's gone on this week, taxes, Paul Ryan, the butler. The butler did it now, Trump seems to like to pull "People" magazine type stories into the array.

SMERCONISH: So in other words, a continuation -- here's you're thought. It's a continuation of what John Miller told you back in 1991 that there's no such thing as bad publicity. So Trump now getting banged over the taxes, the butler comes out and says outrageous things about President Obama, he figured you know what little diversion here is in order.

CARSWELL: Yeah, but it was so weird that 25 years and all of a sudden this comes forward. There's no reason for it to have come forward, at all.

SMERCONISH: There's nothing some Watergate break-in at your apartment, where someone could have put ...

CARSWELL: This is Watergate going on right now, Michael.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, that's Sue Carswell, the "People" magazine reporter who was on the other end of the phone with that John Miller.

So let's bring in Julian Zelizer to talk more about all of this surrounding Donald Trump and look at the path forward for the candidate. So Julian is also a historian and a professor of Princeton University. All right, good to see you.

So, let's begin with this audio tape and who may have leaked it and why. What do you make of all of this is, especially after hearing from Sue Carswell?

JULIAN ZELIZER, PROFESSOR AT PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: Well, it's really a minor scandal compared to all the other issues surrounding Donald Trump, from the statements on immigration to the tax release and to his association with all sorts of people, who are pretty controversial.

This doesn't seem like a big issue, and so I don't know where it came from, but my guess is it will only work to his benefit.

WHITFIELD: Really? OK, so it's minor, but cumulatively, you know, you mentioned the wall, et cetera, and now not releasing taxes. Cumulatively, does all of this say or do something to his campaign?

ZELIZER: Well, that's true. I mean, the cumulative damage is to raise questions in the electorate, especially those who are not his staunch supporter's about, who is this guy and is he a serious candidate? That's ultimately an argument that must have of his critics, including Hillary Clinton want to make against him. Not just that he's too extreme, but that he can't be given the presidency.

And so that's how these small stories could work into a bigger picture.

WHITFIELD: So, you mentioned the, who is this guy. Maybe people who have not supported him might be asking, but for those who have been supporting them should -- are they possibly saying the same thing, who is this guy?

ZELIZER: Well, yeah and then there's more damaging stories that today there was a story in "The New York Times" about his relations with women and his attitudes towards women, which I think that could actually be a much more serious issue, especially given the gender gap that we're seeing in polling.

[12:10:02] So as people start to see, he is the nominee, these are the kinds of questions that he will have to survive.

WHITFIELD: So how important will it be for people who know him well to emerge to try to speak to his character?

I spoke with Louise Sunshine, who was a partner, a close working associate with the Trump organization back in, you know, starting in the late '70s. And I asked her point-blank, in an exclusive conversation, we'll reveal more of it next week, but I asked her in a conversation in Miami.

You know, whether he has a problem with women. Is he sexist? What was he like, you know, working with him? And she says he respects women. So, how important will it be for those who know him well to come out publicly to speak specifically about the character of Donald Trump?

ZELIZER: Well, it will be important and he'll be calling on his allies and friends to do that. The problem is it has to be balanced out with the rest of his record. I think he has many sides to him.

The statements he's made, those relationships are all part of the record, as well. And I don't know, you know, character statements from friends will be able to overcome all of the damage he's done with some of his derogatory statements about various women.

WHITFIELD: So, it seems right now, Donald Trump has kind of gone dark that, you know, "Today" show interview, he says, that's not me, but now, you don't see him. There are no, you know, public rallies or anything like that scheduled as far as we know right now.

How important will it be when he does emerge, whether he's on the phone or whether he is in front of a camera? How important will it be for him to set the record straight revisit this whole topic, or move on?

ZELIZER: Well, it will be very important. He is a master of creating a drama around his candidacy. So, I'm sure going dark is partly to build the anticipation of how does he respond to all of this?

And so, he will respond. You'll have his answers. But knowing what we know of Donald Trump, he is also going to shape the conversation. And he's going to force the conversation to move in directions that favor him.

WHITFIELD: And look at it, we're talking about him now. How does Bernie Sanders, how does Hillary Clinton use this to their advantage? Or, are they falling into the trap, so to speak, of talking about Donald Trump, helping to get him more publicity even by uttering his name?

ZELIZER: You would barely know that Democrats are still in the middle of a primary that one is running. And that is what we've seen over and over again. He shifts the conversation to him, and that is big publicity, big media time, and so far, it's benefited him each turn.

WHITFIELD: Julian Zelizer, thank you so much.

ZELIZER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, the one person who says, it isn't Trump on the tapes, the long time friend I was just speaking of, former -- a Business Executive, Louise Sunshine. We sat down for an exclusive interview with her in Miami and got her reaction to that audio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOUISE SUNSHINE, FORMER BUSINESS EXECUTIVE: That's the Donald I know.

WHITFIELD: What do you mean?

SUNSHINE: I just didn't hear his voice. Not the voice that resonates in my ears well.

WHITFIELD: So, describe the Donald Trump that you know.

SUNSHINE: The Donald Trump that I know is a very skilled, intelligent, incredibly determined, very successful, very charming, brilliant businessman, marketeer and to me, a very loyal friend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And I played that audio tape for her, and she listened, and she said, that is not the Donald Trump voice that she knows.

All right, stay with CNN. We'll have much more from our interview with Louise Sunshine next hour. Plus, we'll be releasing a larger portion of the interview next weekend.

All right, also up next, ISIS under pressure. One of the world's most feared terror organizations declares a state of emergency in their own self-declared capital.

And later, Senator Bernie Sanders finding a new wave of momentum after several primary wins, but is that enough? We'll delve into his uphill battle for delegates, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:17:30] WHITFIELD: And we're following new developments out of Syria where the terror group ISIS appears to have declared the state of emergency.

The Pentagon says it's seeing new evidence of ISIS fighters being scrambled inside itself-declared capital of Raqqah, possibly preparing for a siege.

Well, this comes after U.S. backed forces have started to surround the city in recent months, helping to cut off supply lines.

CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: U.S. military officials have been closely monitoring social media and other reports that ISIS has declared a state of emergency in Raqqah, its self-declared capital inside Syria. That's a city that ISIS holds very dear. They've been in control of it for sometime.

So, what does this state of emergency really mean? U.S. officials saying they have some evidence showing ISIS fighters are moving around in the city, some of them trying to leave the city that they're putting up covers shades, trying to cover sidewalks, areas where they maybe all to try and stay hidden from potential air strikes or ground action.

ISIS may, in fact, be getting nervous in Raqqah. They have seen militia movements moved closer and closer. Some of the areas surrounding Raqqah, now, not necessarily under ISIS control. All of this making the group maybe for the first time very nervous about being able to hold on to the city that they consider their capital.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's take a closer look now. Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona is a CNN Military Analyst and a former U.S. Military Attache in Syria.

All right, so what do these developments tell you about the war on ISIS?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I think ISIS beginning to feel the pressure. As Barbara said, they're very nervous.

If you look at their situation in Raqqah, they're under pressure from the north, from the east, and the west, from the Kurds and the Syrian Democratic forces, the U.S. backed forces, much more effective use of air power now, now that we've got American forces on the ground, controlling those air strikes much more effective bringing a lot more damage to ISIS.

And then they're also feeling pressure from the south with the Syrian army, although, the Syrian army has almost stopped its attack from the south and has more pivoted toward the fighting in Aleppo. So, they've taken a little bit of pressure off there, but they are very, very concerned.

They're also seeing their supply lines between Raqqah and Mosul get cut. They know that there are two big fights coming.

[13:20:02] There's going to the battle for Mosul and the battle for Raqqah and they're preparing. I think they're being a little premature, because I don't see an attack on Raqqah in the offing anytime soon. But there are preparations underway.

WHITFIELD: Are you also concerned that ISIS, at least, in this region, could be reorganizing as a -- in response to the -- in response to these new hurdles?

FRANCONA: Yeah, that's a good point. What we're seeing is they're trying to cut the supply lines for the Syrian army, and that didn't go too well. They really took a beating out there to the west of Raqqah, primarily at the hands of the Kurds and the Syrian Democratic forces.

So, they are no longer on the roll, the momentum that they had when we were talking about this, you know, even a year ago. Now, they're being rolled back up and being pushed back into their enclave.

So, they are trying to reorganize, but -- and they're under a lot of pressure, Fred. Remember, they've lost a lot of money. Their recruit stream is down by one third. Their salaries have been cut.

So, they are really starting to feel the pressure. I think it's only a matter of time before the balance slips the other way and we start to see some real victories.

WHITFIELD: It's feeling the pressure the same as weakening?

FRANCONA: I don't think we should sell them too short, but, yes, I think it's going to have an effect.

You know, as we take out their leadership, and the U.S. has been very, very good, with the new -- with the better sources of intelligence developed over the years, we're able to go after the leadership.

When you go after the leadership, yes, you kill the leader and he's immediately replaced, but he's usually replaced with someone not quite as talented, not quite as capable. So, we're lessening their overall leadership capabilities and also their field capabilities by knocking out a lot of logistics.

I have to say, the air campaign has really stepped up both on the U.S. side and the Russians have also started to bomb Raqqah. Of course, the Russians just dump gravity bombs and it's kind of a lot of collateral damage. WHITFIELD: Well, there continues to be that kind of criticism of just air strikes that it's less precise. But, is that, you know, the best measure at this juncture there?

FRANCONA: Well, our strikes are becoming more and more precise. And I think we're trying to limit the collateral damage. Because, once you start bombing in Raqqah, and Raqqah is a very compact dense city.

So, you've got to know what you're going. We've even started using the smaller diameter bomb. It was developed just for this kind of a fight.

Whereas, the Russians, when they bomb, they've been using the high- altitude bombers and just opening up the bomb bay and just letting it lose. Much akin to the carpet bombing we did in Vietnam.

WHITFIELD: Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona, always good to see you. Thanks so much.

All right, coming up, it's math versus momentum when it comes to Bernie Sanders campaign. But, how steep is the senator's uphill climb when it comes to pledged delegates? The story behind the numbers, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:26:24] WHITFIELD: All right. Hello, again. Thanks so much for joining. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

So, when you look at the Democratic primary math, it appears Bernie Sanders is on a roll. In the last two months, he has won 19 of the last 25 voting states, leading what he calls the, quote, political revolution.

Well, thousand show up to his rallies and he's managed to garnered major support from many millennial voters. Yet, when you look at the math, the likelihood of securing the Democratic nomination is not in Sanders' favor.

Rival Hillary Clinton is closing in on that magic number of 2,383. So, let's talk more about it with Nomiki Konst, the Democratic Strategist and Bernie Sanders Supporter. And CNN Contributor, Julian Zelizer, who is also a Historian and Professor of Princeton University. All right, good to see you both again.

All right, Nomiki, you first, then. So, what is the changing strategy or, likely the modifications Bernie Sanders feels that he has to make to put him in a better position to potentially get the nomination?

NOMIKI KONST, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think he's on a roll. He just needs to keep winning. He's won, as you said, 19 of the 25 last primary and caucus states. He's won 54 percent of the last pledged delegates. And right now, they're just about 200 pledge -- 200 or so pledged delegates away from each other.

So, the rules are of the DNC, and they've been the rules for the past 32 years, that both candidates need to reach 2,383 pledged delegates that superdelegates declare on the floor. And the problem is, this is the second closest behind Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's race in 2008. This is the second closest primary in history.

But, superdelegates were created to be an insurance policy against someone like a Donald Trump. They were created after the Hunt Commission. They were enacted in 1984. And that was to really lock down the establishment's choice. And they set up a few other things.

Now, the problem is, superdelegates do have -- many of them have an obligation to voters. So, if he continues to win and the margins are as close as they've been and we go into California, which is 475 pledged delegates. If he continues to win so, those superdelegates that are elected will probably have to respond to their voters.

WHITFIELD: Really?

KONST: And I think that's where we can start to turn over some of these superdelegates.

WHITFIELD: So, Julian, do you see that potentially that superdelegates that may have already said, I'm leaning this way.

Hillary Clinton so far is currently the majority of the superdelegates that they would feel the pressure if Bernie Sanders were to continue to win, that they might be swayed by that. They would have that obligation as what Nomiki said?

ZELIZER: I don't think so. I mean, I think most of the superdelegates are locked into their pledges. I don't see it being very easy to get them to switch their commitments to Hillary Clinton. I think many of them still believe Hillary Clinton is better for the general election.

And finally, he'd have to do extraordinarily well, both in New Jersey and California, so that she does not rack up a very small number that she needs, a small percentage to win the nomination.

So, I see the scenario, but I don't think it's likely at this point.

WHITFIELD: OK. Go ahead.

KONST: Well, to be fair, there's about a thousand pledged delegates left. Those superdelegates do not count until the convention. So, you know, they have to split up that a thousand pledged delegates over the next five or six, 10 states and territories.

And furthermore, you know, the rules are the rules. As much as we say it that the superdelegates don't respond to the voters, you know, they're elected into office.

So, if Democratic Party members are not going to respond to their own voters, that puts their own positions at risk. Not just, you know, what they think is -- she's going to win.

[13:30:00] I mean, he's winning with all the swing states against Donald Trump right now? He's winning in the national polls against Donald Trump? She's not?

So, obviously, since you have super delegates, Bernie Sanders himself, you know, holding a rally last night in North Dakota actually had this to say about that?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Secretary Clinton received, if my memory is correct, about 450 super delegates before anybody else was in the race?

Months before the first ballot was cast, that is the establishment talking? And we have got to tell the establishment that is not a process, which is acceptable?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Host: So, Julian, is that problematic, that some super delegates, if what he's saying is true, made their commitments even before the primary race was underway?

ZELIZER: They have the right to make those commitments? And the rules are set before this begins and, you know, this came up in 2008. And in that case, it was Hillary Clinton, who was challenging this, but their decisions are legitimate?

So the question is, will they change? Not whether they're legitimate? I just don't see a lot of evidence right now that they are going to switch, no one is saying that.

And also, let's not forget, it's not just about the super delegates? He has to do extraordinarily well in California and New Jersey, and I'm just not seeing the evidence that that's going to be the outcome.

WHITFIELD: So, Nomiki, is there a feeling that you or even supporters of Bernie Sanders or Bernie Sanders himself, you know, feel that this is the election season that just might be influential enough so that in time for the next presidential election, the whole super delegate, you know, system would be altered, changed, if not, you know, dismantled altogether?

KONST: You know, no doubt. This is the second, like I said, the second tightest Democratic primary in the last 30 years since we've had Democratic primaries, or 40 years.

So I think that the Democrat Party, especially those under the age of 45, who are supporting Bernie Sanders, 80% of the party, with the rise in independents, with the Democratic Party hemorrhaging membership over the past ten years, and our catastrophic losses from the state legislative level, all the way up to the Senate, you know, there's time for some party reform. We need it.

And Bernie Sanders' campaign was just a catalyst for that? So, whether or not he wins the nomination, which I still see a path of victory for, especially since super delegates were designed to cast their ballot on the convention floor, not designed to pledge in August of last year?

So I do see a lot of reforms coming out of this? And I hope so, because we need to survive as a party?

WHITFIELD: All right? Nomiki Konst, Julian Zelizer, thank you so much?

KONST: Thank you so much.

ZELIZER: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, he was a symbol of hope in the CNN documentary series "Chicagoland", Lee McCollum Jr.? Went from gang to graduating with honors, but his transformation cut tragically short, his story, next?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:36:09] WHITFIELD: To those who knew him, Lee McCollum Jr. seemed to be on the road to a better life in Chicago? McCollum, who was featured in the 2014 documentary, "Chicagoland" went from homelessness to gangs to aspiring college student? But McCollum's dreams for a better life came to tragic end this week when he was shot and killed.

CNN's Ryan Young has more on his story, joining me from Chicago now?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred? You know, this hurts a lot of people when you think about it, all the resources that were used to try to help this young man. And this really shows just how complex this issue is here in Chicago. The idea that it looks like the man had turned his life around, but still found a way to get shot and killed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 2013 Prom King, you all give it up, for Mr. Lee McCollum.

YOUNG: For once he was a king, known to viewers as the 2014 CNN documentary "Chicagoland", Lee McCollum gave a rare glimpse into his struggle for survival and escape from his gang-riddled neighborhood. But McCollum's story ended tragically Thursday morning, after he was gunned down in the streets of Chicago's south side.

LEE MCCOLLUM, CHICAGOLAND: I don't have a plan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think about maybe in January? What do you think about going away to college or to a training school?

MCCLOLLUM: I wouldn't mind going away.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Give me your word, we'll meet at some point next week. You know me, I keep it 100 percent real? You know how I am. I don't want to be hearing that nothing bad happened to you. I don't want to be going to your funeral.

YOUNG: Words that have new meaning for his former principal?

LIZ DOZIER, FORMER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: That was so hard when they played that clip back. I just -- and I forgot I had said that to him, you know, because I was, you know, worried about him at the time. There's you know, things around his life that weren't on the up and up?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let help you get into college?

YOUNG: 22-year-old Lee McCollum, a former gang member, turned honor roll student and prom king never made it out of the tough south side. Despite getting accepted to college, he never enrolled and Thursday morning, Lee was murdered, shot in the head and left to die in the streets?

DOZIER: I remember him as a freshman. He used to get on my last nerve that. I was into a lot of trouble, lot of issues but we really wrap support and resources around him and he joined the basketball team. We could just kind of see him slowly begin to shift until really, I mean, really when he graduate. I mean, he was prom king. He had been on the honor roll, like he really changed his life. And it was, it was positive and it was inspiring because we know that all of our kids have that potential. I think that there is up against incredible odds.

YOUNG: This wasn't McCollum's first brush with violence. He shot in the leg in 2014? And just three weeks ago, his girlfriend was shot and killed while the two were together? Now, many are hoping for a change?

DOZIER: He hated funerals. He always hated them. And he would never stay. And so, you know, just keep thinking, like, now we're attending his funeral, you know, it's just unfortunate.

YOUNG: You know, Fred, people are fighting every single day to kind of change things here in Chicago. But just think, over 1,200 people have been shot this year and the city is on pace for 500 murders. So this is one case, but if you look at all the shootings that are happening there, people are really trying to change things here and it's just very tough.

WHITFIELD: It is tough and terribly sad. All right, Ryan Young, thanks so much. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:43:17] WHITFIELD: Bashing Beijing, one of Donald Trump's favorite pastimes. He routinely accuses China of ripping off the U.S with bad trade deals, manipulating its currency and stealing American jobs. So you probably think Trump would persona non grata inside China. But as CNN's Matt Rivers reports, in some Chinese circles, Trump is a huge hit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We can't continue to allow china to rape our country. And that's what they're doing? It's the greatest theft in the history of the world?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tough talk about trade from the Republican presumptive nominee against one of his top targets. Yet here in China, there is respect and even administration for Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Donald Trump have the guts to say everything that normal people in society fear to say.

RIVERS: Gen Yu (ph) is a young Chinese tech entrepreneur, part of a vocal group of Chinese fans of the billionaire businessman. One social media user on China's Twitter equivalent Weibo says that Hillary Clinton just makes empty promises while Trump is the king of doing what he says.

Another calls him sharp and pragmatic. One person even said they'd vote for him, because he is so handsome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Money, money, money, money

RIVERS: A face Chinese audiences got to know from his days on "Celebrity Apprentice," a hit here in china.

TRUMP: You're fired.

RIVERS: From T.V. to books, Trump's best seller, "The Art of the Deal" in Mandarin is found in bookstores across Beijing. His success as a businessman is no doubt part of his appeal as a politician. Some Chinese see a rich billionaire and want to be just like him.

Like the owner of Trump consulting, a Chinese real estate firm named after the candidate himself.

[13:44:59] The irony, the owner tells CNN, "Donald Trump is a political clown, but I wouldn't change my company name for that. He's a real estate tycoon, after all." His feelings on Trump the politician shared by the media here.

In March, the state-run newspaper, "The Global Times," called trump a rich narcissist and a clown for statements like this.

TRUMP: Negotiating with China, when these people walk in the room, they don't say, oh, "Hello, how's the weather, so beautiful outside". They say, "We want deal."

RIVERS: Even with all the bluster, Trump Tower is still a popular destination for tourists from mainland China and Taiwan visiting New York City.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He' like a super star, you know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody like Trump. Yes, so I come to see -- I wish that Trump would win.

RIVERS: Still, not everyone is a fan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If he become the president, I'm a little bit scare.

RIVERS: The Chinese, just like many Americans, with no shortage of opinions on Donald Trump.

Matt Rivers, CNN, Beijing.

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WHITFIELD: All right. And don't miss "STATE OF THE UNION" on CNN tomorrow morning. Jake Tapper sits down with Paul Manafort, one of Trump's primary advisors and convention manager, that conversation at 9:00 a.m. on State of the Union only on CNN.

Also, up next, a stunning eruption captured on an infrared camera, the dramatic video of the moment lava, ash and rock blast from a volcano in Costa Rica.

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[13:50:15] WHITFIELD: It will be remembered as one of the bloodiest days in Waco, Texas history, May 17th. 2015 when two rival biker gangs clashed in a parking lot. A gun battle erupted, and nine people were left dead, and now some of the people who were there that day are telling their sides of the story to CNN's Ed Lavandera.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At last count, we have 170 individuals that we have arrested.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The count grows to an unprecedented 177 bikers arrested.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe it was 16 days.

LAVANDERA: Including Matt Clendennen who says he took cover in the bathroom in the melee.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why would they feel the need to take over 170 people and put us behind bars just because we were there and we were riding a motorcycle, it makes no sense to me.

LAVANDERA: There were so many bikers arrested. They had to bring them here to the Waco Convention Center. Police divided rival bikers into separate rooms, where they were processed and held into the middle of the night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First, zip tied and laid on the floor of the convention center, and stayed zip tied for 18 to 19 hours. That just was a shock.

LAVANDERA: Video and audio clips obtained by CNN capture a chaotic scene inside the convention center as police interrogate biker after biker.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you physically, yourself, see anybody shoot. No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So there was no idea that this was all going to happen today. You think anybody knew.

(OFF-MIC)

LAVANDERA: Some bikers are belligerent. Others, it seems are in shock.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wrote in with rick (inaudible). He's actually -- he's in the hospital at the moment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is he in a gang?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could you tell me how he's doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you want me to tell you how he's doing. He's dead.

LAVANDERA: The story this biker tells is about his own son.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I shoved him off me as soon as we go in the stop, going back -- shot in the head, blooding out next to me.

(Off-Mic)

LAVANDERA: OK. Is that one of your brothers?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My son.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your son. Your son was shot. I'm sorry, man. I did not know. I did not know.

LAVANDERA: After the interrogations, a sea of mug shots are released. Bikers are taken to jail and slap with $1 million bonds.

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WHITFIELD: All right, don't miss our special report, "Biker Brawl: Inside the Texas shootout." That's Monday 9:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

A look to our top stories, Pfizer just made it more difficult for states to get lethal injection drugs. A director for the second largest pharmaceutical company in the world says the drugs will no longer be available through normal means. Lethal injection is the primary execution method in 31 death penalty states.

And a controversial Arizona sheriff found in contempt of court. The federal district court judge of Maricopa County has ruled the sheriff Joe Arpaio and three of his subordinates violated court orders to reduce racial profiling. And one labeled himself America's toughest sheriff is known for his staunch anti-immigration stance. His agency is accused of profiling Latino driver. A hearing is set for May 31st. And Prince's sister, Tyka Nelson, says the family is working on a public memorial for the late singer in August. She posted the announcement of Facebook. Prince's church is holding memorial on Sunday. Now, they says, it's not a family-sponsored event but welcome anyone to attend.

An amazing video out of Costa Rica of an erupting volcano, the University of Costa Rica has a thermal imaging camera at the top of the volcano. And the volcano began erupting on Thursday. Debris from the eruption temporarily closed the international airport while crews cleared the runways. Experts say, this is the strongest reported eruption in Costa Rica in nearly two years.

And stay with us. We have so much more straight ahead in the next hour including Donald Trump and how he will plunge his general election. We'll have details on the billionaire's new plans to dip into big donors' pockets. Also CNN's (inaudible) into Late Night Politics.

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[13:55:06] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's a question, Jimmy, will you build a wall.

JIMMY (ph): Yes, I will build, but I'll tell you this. I will build it on the northern border to keep the Mexicans out of Canada.

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[14:00:00] WHITFIELD: All right. Hello again and thank you so much for joining me I'm Fredericka Whitfield.

The presidential nominees have yet to be chosen. The general election is yet to officially begin, but the political fireworks between the front runners is well underway. Hillary Clinton is now turning her focus and criticism on the presumptive Republican nominee over his taxes. Donald Trump is under growing scrutiny over his delay in releasing tax returns.

He refuses to release his tax and entail an audit is complete. Clinton is teasing on the issue releasing this new web video using Trump's words against him.

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TRUMP: Maybe I'm going to do the tax returns when Obama does his birth certificate.

PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: State of Hawaii released my official long form birth certificate.

TURMP: If I decide to run for office, I'll produce my tax returns, absolutely.

I am officially running for president of the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Getting any closer to releasing your tax returns?

TRUMP: Well, I'm thinking about it. I can't do it until the audit is finished.

The audit is not excuse. The IRS has made it very clear that an audit is not a bar to public release.