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Trump Denies Posing As His Own Publicist; Europe Sees Rise in Nationalist Politics; Sanders Pins Hope on Contested Convention; Nigeria Hosts Regional Security Summit; Bin Laden's Son Calls for Jihad on U.S.; U.S. Directs Schools on Bathroom Choice. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired May 14, 2016 - 04:00   ET

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

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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Ahead this hour, a voice from the past comes back to haunt the presumptive Republican nominee. And it might be his own.

Plus warnings from the United States and the U.N. over the growing ties between Boko Haram and ISIS. This as Nigeria's president hosts a security summit in Abuja.

And the grand finale of Europe's biggest singing competition starts in just hours.

From CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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HOWELL: A very good day to you.

We begin this hour with the race for the White House and Donald Trump this week, he keeps generating the headlines. He is refusing to release his tax return, at least for now, saying that his tax rate is no one else's business.

And remember his proposal on banning Muslims from entering the U.S.?

Well, now the presumptive Republican nominee says that that was just a suggestion.

And Trump's butler for nearly 30 years, who said President Obama should be killed, the candidate has disavowed Anthony Senecal's comments.

There is also this; "The Washington Post" just released an audio recording from 1991 and on it, a man calling himself John Miller, claiming to be Trump's publicist, bragging about the billionaire's success in business and his sex life.

Trump says it's not him. Our Drew Griffin has more, plus some expert voice analysis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good morning.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SR. INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The real amazing story of Donald Trump's old spokesman, as "The Washington Post" headline writes, may be that it's been such an open secret for so long, it's hard to believe that anyone is still questioning it.

QUESTION: What is your name again?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John Miller.

QUESTION: And you work with Donald Trump?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 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.

QUESTION: What kind of comment is coming from your agency or from Donald?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it is just that he really decided that he wasn't -- you know, he didn't want to make any commitment. He didn't want to make a commitment.

He really thought it was too soon. He was coming out of a -- you know, a marriage and he's starting to do tremendously well financially.

He just thought it was too soon to make any commitment to anybody.

QUESTION: So, what is going to happen to -- is she being asked to leave or is she going to be allowed to stay?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, she can -- he treats everybody well. And you don't know him, but he's a...

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: No, I have met him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you met him?

QUESTION: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is a good guy and he's not going to hurt anybody. He treated his wife well. And he treated -- and he will treat Marla well. And he's somebody that has a lot of options. And, frankly, he gets called by everybody. He gets called by everybody in the book in terms of women.

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

TOM OWEN, FORENSIC EXPERT: I can conclude with a fair degree of scientific certainty that it is Donald Trump's voice.

GRIFFIN: This afternoon, Owen compared the John Miller on that phone call with "People" magazine to the real Donald Trump interviewed on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" in the 1990s.

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 in the same.

OWEN: Yes, it's my opinion that it's Donald Trump's voice.

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

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're telling me about it for the 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. Doesn't sound like me.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Love him or hate him, Donald Trump has been described as a political bulldozer. And it has some examining whether Trump's rise is just an American thing or if it is something much broader around the world.

Ron Brownstein recently wrote about that in "The Atlantic." He is a CNN political analyst and now joins us live from London.

Ron, it's always good to have you with us.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.

HOWELL: You point out in your article, Europe as an example, many countries there in the middle of a kind of nationalist wave, from Poland to Hungary --

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HOWELL: -- and Denmark, conservative populist parties have taken power. And we've seen the same in Austria and France.

Explain now where you see the connection between what's happening in Europe and the Trump candidacy.

BROWNSTEIN: I felt like after a week in Europe this week that the uniquely American qualities of Donald Trump, the showmanship, make him a figure of curiosity.

What makes him a figure of concern are the universal qualities. And I think you see in a number of countries across the continent the appeal of this nativist, insular nationalism to voters who feel both culturally marginalized and economically eclipsed.

You see the growing strengths of parties making similar arguments as Donald Trump against immigration, against globalization, as you noted, in places all across the continent.

And it is really a phenomenon that is almost the flip side of more cultural and economic globalization, as the world becomes more integrated in every possible way you are seeing this backlash among those who feel left behind, often in the white working class.

And that same impulse that is powering Donald Trump is powering political movements, from the AFD in Germany to the Freedom Party in Austria, to Marine Le Pen in France. And it is clearly a phenomenon that is going to be with us for a while.

HOWELL: You mentioned Marine Le Pen in France and the Front National party.

But does this swing, this anger, the feelings of many voters, the feeling that their voices are not heard, does it swing also to the Left?

Do you see the same thing happening?

And I ask you, you know, your thoughts on this in the U.K. with Jeremy Corbyn and Labour.

I mean, does it play the same?

BROWNSTEIN: Right, what you are seeing to some extent is an erosion of the center from both sides. Certainly, I think in many ways the key message of the primaries, for example, in the U.S. -- I've been covering American politics since 1984 -- and I think 20 or 25 years ago it's inconceivable to me that candidates like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders would have advanced as far as they have.

I think many more voters at that point would have considered them outside of the range of the plausible candidates who they could imagine as president. But I think as you have seen economic frustration grow, you see with the blue-collar white voters on the one hand with Trump, Millennial voters who are not doing as well as their parents in many cases at the same age on the other with Bernie Sanders, they are more willing to consider alternatives outside of the usual boundaries of our political debate.

And while not an expert on the politics of every country, in Europe you can imagine that same kind of phenomenon. When conventional politics does not produce answers to the big challenges people face, particularly the growth and living standards, the audience for messages that are outside of the traditional boundaries unquestionably grows.

HOWELL: Ron, I want to get your thoughts on this latest controversy with Donald Trump and this person, John Miller.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, yes.

HOWELL: What do you think?

Does it sound like Trump, first of all?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, well, it sounds like Trump, it also sounds like Trump's verbal tics, the words he uses, the constructions of the sentences.

And I think it just -- it's a remarkable little crystallization of this campaign, where I think for many -- for the Republicans who are hesitant to align themselves with Trump, a big reason they are hesitant is they simply have no idea what's coming next. What's coming next from his past or what's coming next out of his mouth, what he will say next, what he will do next.

And the idea of aligning yourself with a candidate -- particularly, for example, one of these Senate candidates running in the swing states in the U.S. who will be on the ballot this fall, and then having to defend things that Donald Trump says or has done, I think, is very unnerving to a lot of elected officials.

And that's why you have this remarkable situation, where you have the unsteady embrace of the presumptive nominee by the party in a way that is unlike anything that I have seen before in over 30 years of American politics.

HOWELL: Ron, quickly here, do you think this one hurts him, though?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, well, look, I think it does. I think, you know, certainly for his core voters, as we were talking about before, the fact that he is delivering this message and saying things that no one has said out loud about immigrants, and in some cases about the global economy, I think that's a powerful appeal.

But I think the core -- one of the two core problems Donald Trump faces in the general election is among less ideological voters, uncertainty about whether he is personally suited as president. I think this makes him look a little more unreliable and unpredictable. And one thing people like in a president is steadiness.

HOWELL: Ron, stand by for a moment with us because I'd like to also get your thoughts on the Democratic nomination.

It is still on, depending upon who you ask. Critics of Bernie Sanders point to the fact that it is mathematically impossible for him to catch Hillary Clinton at this point. Counting the super delegates pledged to Clinton, she is less than 150 away from clinching the nomination.

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HOWELL: But Sanders says he is not going anywhere. Most people thought it was the Republicans that would be heading for a contested convention, but Sanders says he hopes it will be his party doing that instead. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VT., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And what the Democratic convention is really going to have to think very hard about, including the over 400 super delegates who came on board Secretary Clinton's campaign even before I got into the race -- or anyone else got into the race -- they are going to have to make a determination.

Which candidate can most effectively defeat Donald Trump?

And I think the answer is Bernie Sanders for two reasons: number one, it's all of the polls.

Number two, our campaign is generating the energy and the enthusiasm that will lead to victory in November.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: So Ron, again, let's talk more about this. Bernie Sanders is hoping to push this well into the convention. And he is counting on those super delegates. And you know, wanting to put the pressure on them.

What do you make of this play?

BROWNSTEIN: First all, I think viewers around the world have to understand that the super delegates in this race are doing exactly what they were created to do. They were created after the 1980 election after the first two primaries of the modern primary era produced George McGovern as the nominee in 1972 who couldn't win. And then Jimmy Carter in 1976 who won but really couldn't govern. And in each case there were nominees thrust forward from outside of the center of the party.

And the super delegates were created after 1980 to give the party leaders a greater say and really to put a barrier in the way of candidates precisely like Bernie Sanders, who are kind of grass movement candidates that the party leaders had questions about their viability, both in the general election and governing.

So they are doing exactly what they were designed to do. I that think the question of whether Bernie Sanders really would be a better general election candidate than Hillary Clinton is a very much an open one because, really, no one has spent any money raising the questions about Bernie Sanders that would be raised if he was the nominee, particularly by their own count, his agenda would increase federal spending by 40 percent, to the highest level as a share of our economy since World War II.

And I think that if after $200-300 million of ads, making Americans aware of that and the taxes that go along with it, he might look very different as a general election nominee than he does today.

HOWELL: Sanders has said that if it goes to convention, if he's not the person that's picked as the nominee, he would consider talking to Clinton, the possibility that the two could run together.

What are your thoughts?

BROWNSTEIN: That is a pretty old ticket. I don't see that in the end. Bernie Sanders has done really well, he has done better than really anyone, including I think his own staff has originally thought. He has dominated among young voters. He has won 71 percent of voters under 30 in all of the primaries. A higher percentage than even Barack Obama did in 2008 against Hillary Clinton.

And more surprisingly he has done very well among those working class white voters. He has beaten Hillary Clinton among them in every state outside of the South except Ohio. So he has a place at the table but I think she's probably going to need to look elsewhere for her vice presidential nominee, perhaps someone acceptable to the Sanders wing of the party.

But I can't imagine it would be him himself.

HOWELL: Senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein, thank you so much for your insights.

Man, it is an interesting election cycle. We'll just have to see where it all goes.

BROWNSTEIN: Six more months to go.

HOWELL: Yes, we'll have to watch. Thank you.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.

HOWELL: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Still ahead, leaders from around the world are meeting in Nigeria to develop a strategy to defeat the terror groups such as ISIS and Boko Haram. A live report on that meeting as CNN NEWSROOM continues.

Plus, Osama bin Laden's son, all grown up and calling for new attacks where the Al Qaeda heir wants jihad.

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HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM, I'm George Howell.

The president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, is hosting a security summit in the coming hours. And the focus will be the threats posed by terror groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS.

The president of France, the U.S. deputy secretary of state and other world leaders are all attending the event. The latest global terrorism index named Boko Haram the deadliest terror group in the world. They are responsible for killing an estimated 20,000 people.

Since 2009, the group has pledged its allegiance also to ISIS in the last year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BLINKEN, U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: What we've seen are reports of more cooperation between them. What we've seen is Boko Haram itself being more sophisticated in its messaging or propaganda, if you prefer, and that bears the hallmarks of daish, which is very -- unfortunately very sophisticated at doing that.

And also, reports of Boko Haram fighters in Libya with daish fighters, so these are all elements that suggest that there is -- that there are more contacts and more cooperation. And this is, again, something that we're looking at very, very carefully because we want to cut it off and we want to prevent it from going any further.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Let's bring in David McKenzie, who is following developments from Johannesburg with us.

David, it's good you have you.

So as these world leaders come together to focus on Boko Haram and its increasing ties to ISIS, what types of plans are we expecting to hear from them?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, George, certainly they are going to be talking about the gains made against Boko Haram in recent years and certainly there is some level of optimism that the military strategy at least has been working to some level.

Boko Haram has had its area of territory that it controls in the Chadian Basin and in Northeast Nigeria reduced somewhat because of the strong military push by these countries involved in the task force. But as you heard from the U.S. State Department official there, there

is a great deal of worry that Boko Haram's --

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MCKENZIE: -- ties with ISIS are deepening, particularly in that corridor up through into Libya, both in terms of personnel and going up and potentially weapons and training coming down to that part of Africa.

As you mentioned, Boko Haram is the deadliest terror group in the world. And there has been some talk by Nigerian military, particularly, that its sort of impending defeat is near. But most analysts say that that is definitely talk that is very optimistic indeed.

And as they push into those territories there is an increasing likelihood that these devastating asymmetrical attacks by Boko Haram could increase that you've seen in towns and villages throughout the region throughout the last few years that have had had a huge impact on citizens destabilizing, frankly, an entire region -- George.

HOWELL: David, let's also talk about this report from Amnesty International, focused on a detention center in that country.

What are we hearing from the government, their response about the situation there?

MCKENZIE: Well, it's Giwa Barracks, which is in Maiduguri in Northeast Nigeria. That was where the Amnesty focused its report, saying that there are allegations or putting out allegations of human rights abuses, including deaths in that camp.

Now that camp is organized by the Nigerian military. It holds people they suspect of potentially being part of Boko Haram.

But Amnesty International says they are not treating the people with the right amount of care and that there are these abuses there. But the Nigerian military says there is not one iota, quote, of evidence of this.

And they say they are really looking into improving the situation. Nigeria's president, Muhammadu Buhari, told CNN that they are going to investigate this report.

It must be said there have been allegations of human rights abuses since the beginning of the Boko Haram insurgency in 2009. They have been frequently denied by the Nigerian military. And they say that it is paling in comparison to the levels of atrocities committed by Boko Haram on the citizens of that region.

But it is something that Amnesty is saying is unacceptable and needs to be fixed.

HOWELL: David McKenzie, following these stories for us in Johannesburg. David, thank you for your reporting. And we'll stay in touch with you.

Hezbollah is blaming Sunni Islamist extremists for the death of a top commander in Syria. Mustafa Badreddine was buried in Lebanon after hundreds attended his funeral.

The group says that he was killed in an artillery attack. Badreddine is believed to have been responsible for Hezbollah's military operations inside Syria. The group is fighting on the side of the Syrian regime. The U.S. suspects he was involved in the bombing that killed former Lebanese prime minister, Rafic Hariri, in 2005

The son of late Al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, is calling for new attacks on Israel and the United States. In a recently surfaced audio recording, Hamza bin Laden also called for jihadists in Syria to unite. CNN's Brian Todd has more on the man some are calling Al Qaeda's crown prince.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He has the name and perhaps the message Al Qaeda needs to rejuvenate its foundering terror brand. Hamza Bin Laden, one of Osama Bin Laden's 11 sons for years had been missing, off the grid.

But now a new audio message released by the son of the 9/11 mastermind has U.S. officials concerned. The chilling recording discovered by the Site Intelligence Group calls on all jihadis to unite apparently including Al Qaeda's rival, ISIS.

A key goal the young Bin Laden says should be to defeat the U.S. and Israel and, quote, "Liberate the Palestinian lands."

HAMZA BIN LADEN, OSAMA BIN LADEN'S SON (through translator): Those who support the Jews must pay the bill with their blood.

TODD: The younger Bin Laden is believed to be in his early to mid- 20s. A U.S. intelligence official tells CNN he has a relatively small role in Al Qaeda now, but could be getting groomed for a leadership position. Analysts see Hamza as a sort of crown prince of the terror group.

THOMAS JOSCELYN, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: So they are saying this is the new generation of jihadi leadership. This is the new Bin Laden who is going to ultimately lead us in the future.

TODD: One U.S. official tells CNN this looks like an attempt by Al Qaeda to fill gaps in its, quote, "ever dwindling bench." While the group has made gains in Syria, Yemen and North Africa, it has lost several top leaders and been eclipsed by ISIS in capturing the market share of young jihadists.

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: ISIS productions are a million times more interesting than Al Qaeda's very boring, you know, audio messages with very low production values.

TODD: Did Osama Bin Laden want Hamza to succeed him? It's not clear. But experts say Hamza spent much of his youth at his father's side and was a true believer. Analyst, Peter Bergen, author of the new book --

[04:25:00]

TODD: -- "United States of Jihad," says the Navy SEALs expected Hamza to be at the Abbottabad compound when they went in after Osama Bin Laden in 2011. But Hamza was not there.

BERGEN: In the last months of Osama Bin Laden's life, he was writing long memos about his son, Hamza and the need to keep him safe and you know, keep him away from the CIA drones.

TODD: Hamza Bin Laden's reemergence comes as new questions are being raised by Al Qaeda's most spectacular attack and who was connected to it.

Declassified documents quietly released by the National Archives detailed the questioning by the 9/11 Commission of a former Saudi diplomat.

The document say the Saudi denied a connection to two 9/11 hijackers who had moved to California, but the commission investigators didn't believe him and confronted him with evidence of several phone calls he'd had with a man who had supported the hijackers.

At that point, the documents say the former Saudi diplomat grew angry and nervous.

But there are still questions as to whether there's a real smoking gun with the Saudis and 9/11. One 9/11 Commission member tells CNN, he believes lower level Saudi officials should be investigated further.

But he stands by the commission's finding that no senior Saudi government officials supported Al Qaeda -- Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: In the Yemeni capital, thousands of protesters denounced a recent U.S. troop deployment. The U.S. said last week it had deployed a small number of forces into Yemen. Their stated mission is to offer intelligence support to Emirati forces, who are battling the local branch of Al Qaeda there. That wing of the terror group has threatened to down U.S. airliners and claimed responsible for last year's "Charlie Hebdo" attack in Paris.

This is CNN NEWSROOM.

And still ahead, a number of politicians across the U.S. are vowing defiance after the federal government told schools to let transgender students choose the bathroom that matches their gender identity. More on this growing controversy ahead.

Plus: Internet trolls hijack the auction of an infamous gun. We'll explain.

Broadcasting live in the United States and around the world this hour, you are watching CNN NEWSROOM.

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HOWELL (voice-over): Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. It is good to have you with us. I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you this hour.

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HOWELL: Get ready for the music extravaganza that is Eurovision. Singers from 26 different countries compete on Saturday in Sweden. Nearly 200 million people are expected to tune in for the show. Russia is among the top favorites.

In the United States, the Obama administration is telling U.S. public schools to let transgender students decide for themselves whether to use the boys' or girls' bathrooms. The new guidelines are fueling a controversy that's raging across many states. CNN's Nick Valencia has this report for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN PATRICK, TEXAS LT. GOVERNOR: We will not yield to blackmail from the president of the United States.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The federal government calls them guidelines. But several states, including Texas, see them more as a threat.

PATRICK: This goes against the values of so many people. It has nothing to do with anyone being against a transgender child.

VALENCIA: At a Friday morning press conference, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick says a line has been crossed by the federal government after the Department of Justice sent a letter on transgender bathroom use in public schools across the United States.

PATRICK: I'm telling all the superintendents of Texas right now -- you have about three weeks left of the school year. Do not enact this policy.

VALENCIA: In the letter, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, "There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on the basis of their sex."

Under the guidelines, public schools that receive federal money are obligated to treat students consistent with their gender identity, even if their records indicated a different sex, access sex-segregated facilities consistent with a student's gender identity and protect a student's privacy related to their transgender status. VALENCIA: The action sets the stage for a legal battle that's been in the making since March. House Bill 2 in North Carolina began the recent controversy. The law requires transpeople to use the public restroom related to the gender on their birth certificate, not how they identify.

VALENCIA: North Carolina and the Feds have traded accusations and lawsuits. Some states, including Arkansas and Texas, insist there's been government overreach. The Feds say civil rights have been violated.

GOV. PAT MCCRORY (R), NORTH CAROLINA: This is not just a North Carolina issue. This is now a national issue.

VALENCIA (voice-over): Nick Valencia, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: An online auction for the gun that George Zimmerman used to kill Trayvon Martin was hijacked by people using fake accounts. At one point on Friday, phony bids got up to $65 million with the leading bidder using the fake name "Racist NC Shootface."

Zimmerman, you'll recall, has said that he was defending --

[04:35:00]

HOWELL: -- himself when he killed Martin, an unarmed African American teenager back in 2012 in Florida. A jury acquitted Zimmerman of second-degree murder a year later. The case sparked protests and a national debate about race relations.

We're bringing in now our CNN national correspondent, Polo Sandoval.

Polo, so despite the fact that this pistol was taken down off the site, the auction continued.

Is that fueling criticism?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is still on there right now, George, especially after those bogus bids that you just mentioned. You have had several individuals actually go online and submit bids as high as $65 million.

But then as you mention, you look at the -- take a closer look at some of the user names that have been used here, Donald Trump, Tamir rice, which was a young man that was shot and killed by Cleveland police officers a couple of years ago. So obviously there is some question as to the legitimacy of some of these bids.

And believe it or not, George Zimmerman does have some supporters out there, asking why can't he do this. Let's lay out the facts here. We have to remember that he used that 9 millimeter handgun to shoot and kill Trayvon Martin back in 2012.

He successfully argued that it was done in self-defense. A federal civil rights investigation later cleared him so the weapon was returned to its rightful owner, Zimmerman himself.

So can he do this?

Yes.

Should he do this?

That is really the --

(CROSSTALK)

SANDOVAL: -- argument, many people here saying that, no, this is simply not respectful. And then also, really something that's deeply offensive.

I want to play a portion of an interview from the Martin family attorney, Benjamin Crump, as he reacted to this auction that was posted online. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY: It's like he is shooting and killing Trayvon all over again four years later with this attempt to auction off this gun, like it's some kind of trophy. I mean, it's offensive. It's outrageous. And it's insulting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: So insulting, outrageous, offensive and frankly tearing open old wounds is what Crump told CNN just yesterday in that interview. So I think that is really what we have seen. Even on social media, many people reacting to this. But again, that item remains online at this hour.

HOWELL: OK, so look, Polo, you had an opportunity to actually have a dialogue, a conversation with George Zimmerman.

Did he explain why he decided to sell the gun?

SANDOVAL: The phone conversation was quite short. But later on, it developed to at least texting back and forth, keeping us up to speed on why he wanted to put this on there and then, of course, where we could find it.

But when you go online and you actually read the description, he claims that he would like to at least donate a portion of the proceeds to fight Blackwell Lives Matter violence against law enforcement and also to fight back this anti-gun rhetoric in the U.S., which is a completely separate argument and a completely separate debate.

But again, he sees himself here as an advocate for a righteous cause. And that's what is fueling several of his decisions. But and some of these decisions --

HOWELL: -- the legal bills?

He's got a lot of legal bills.

SANDOVAL: Absolutely. He does but we also have to remember that there were plenty of people that donated to --

(CROSSTALK)

SANDOVAL: -- so again, he sees himself as an advocate for what he believes is a righteous cause. But a majority of Americans and perhaps even people around the world arguing that that's not the case.

By the way, shipping guns, selling them online, yes, it's legal. We're going to break that down for you in the next hour.

HOWELL: U.S. national correspondent, Polo Sandoval, thank you so much for your reporting.

We move on to Brazil, Michel Temer is urging Brazilians to unite and be calm. The nation's acting president has been in office since Thursday. He faces a minefield of issues, from the Zika outbreak to a staggering economy.

And he took over from a suspended president, Dilma Rousseff. Demonstrates over impeachment proceedings against Rousseff continued in Rio de Janeiro on Friday. Brazilian Senate voted to put her on trial for breaking budget laws. She says she is innocent, the victim of a coup.

This is CNN NEWSROOM.

Still ahead this hour, the presumptive Republican nominee. Donald Trump. has a fight on his hands. We will take you inside one group that is trying to stop him.

Plus: get ready for Eurovision. The musical extravaganza is just hours away. We will tell you what to expect.

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HOWELL: Welcome back.

There is hope in India that a new tropical disturbance, a development across the Indian Ocean, could bring desperately needed rain to that part of the world. Our meteorologist, Derek van Dam, is here.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: George, we are coming off of two successive seasons of below average monsoonal rains in India.

So this has brought in a very drought-stricken area and they could use the rain. So any tropical disturbance that does develop could potentially help alleviate this problem. Take a look at some of my graphics here and you will see a image of a

dried-up riverbed in the central or northeastern sections of India. This is what people are dealing with, dried up river. That means no fresh water. That also impacts the availability of fish for people's livelihoods, and let alone nutrition.

Can you imagine what this does to the agriculture across this region with lack of rain?

Well, hopefully, there are some answers here. This is the time of the year, pre-monsoon, that we start to get some tropical development across the Bay of Bengal and the extreme northern Indian Ocean.

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[04:45:00]

VAN DAM: I will leave with this because I got some extraordinary video coming out of Central America, this in Costa Rica. A volcano has erupted. This is a thermal image from this particular volcano.

Those bright colors there, George, indicating temperatures of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, over 500 degrees Celsius. By the way, this volcano spewed lava and stones 6 feet in diameter.

Can you imagine?

Beautiful sight but I certainly wouldn't want to be anywhere near that.

HOWELL: I don't think so.

VAN DAM: Pretty cool to see that. That's a camera called a FLIR camera, by the way.

HOWELL: That's amazing.

Derek, thank you so much.

VAN DAM: You're welcome, George.

Donald Trump has been --

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HOWELL: America's choice 2016, talking about Donald Trump. He has been the target of plenty of attack ads throughout his campaign. But there could be many more to come now that he is the presumptive Republican nominee for the U.S. presidency.

Our Victor Blackwell looks inside a political action committee that is working to stop Trump.

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BILL FLETCHER, ADVERTISING PROFESSIONAL: Hillary is leading Trump, dramatically swung --

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST (voice-over): Bill Fletcher creates Democratic campaign ads.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Writings in the sky.

FLETCHER: -- deeply damaged brand, the Republican Party.

It's all wrapped up in the politics of personality.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because Donald Trump is not the kind of man America needs as president.

FLETCHER: A good friend of mine said one time, in politics, you don't have to love what I love but you have to hate what I hate. And a lot of people hate Donald Trump.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): Today, his team at Fletcher Rowley in Nashville is creating an online ad for We the People, an anti-Trump super PAC. Their target audience: women.

FLETCHER: Don't get tangled up in a particular policy.

It's like in 1992, Carville said it's the economy, stupid. I think what they are trying to tell us now is it's the Donald, stupid. There's a percentage of Republican women that are going to either not vote for Trump or they are going to default over and vote for the Democrat. They simply won't be able to bring themselves to vote for a man who's said the things that he's said about women, about Hispanics, about barring Muslims from our country. It's un-American.

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Who is going the pay for the wall?

FLETCHER: Our national nightmare --

BLACKWELL (voice-over): Fletcher, a self-described hardcore Democrat, has produced hundreds of ads for Democratic candidates and causes dating back decades.

FLETCHER: I think the real payoff line here is when Trump loses, America wins.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love that.

FLETCHER: And what else can we do with that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like a knock-off of the hat and the bumper stickers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Same thing, same leg.

FLETCHER: So a hat that looks just like his hat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Just make it blue. FLETCHER: The political element of this takes a back seat once we have decided on the message. And now we are focused on the creative arts part of it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, we get some stock market crash.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): Starting with the targeted imagery based on research and data.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is leading Hillary on the economy.

FLETCHER: Our national nightmare, now a reality.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): Add ominous music...

FLETCHER: It's called core meltdown.

BLACKWELL: No subtlety here.

FLETCHER: Subtlety is lost on the masses.

BLACKWELL: All right. OK.

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FLETCHER: So I'm looking for that sort of epic, sweeping, aggressive -- a little bit of post-apocalyptic America mixed in there, we want that to sting. We want that to leave a mark.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): And finish with demographically specific voice actors.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How could you explain voting for Trump to your children?

FLETCHER: I think we need a little more energy.

Think of it as if you are actually saying that to another woman.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How could you explain voter for Trump to your children?

FLETCHER: Trump loses, America wins.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): Although the ad targets Trump, Fletcher hopes it will impact Republican candidates across the country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trump loses, America wins.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And do that in Spanish.

FLETCHER: U.S. Senate races, congressional races all the way down to city council, everything is going to happen in the context this big race. And you either got to be with him or agin' him.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): But being against him doesn't necessarily mean being for her.

FLETCHER: I'm not trying to sell Hillary Clinton there. There are some smart people out there. It's their job to sell Hillary Clinton. It is a message that forces people to think about what they are doing when they go in that ballot box and they pull that lever for Donald Trump.

Will their conscience allow them to do that?

I think the answer for a significant portion of normally Republican voters is no.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When Trump loses, America wins.

FLETCHER: Money. That's it.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): Victor Blackwell, CNN, Nashville.

FLETCHER: That one was perfect. That was exactly what I was looking for.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Wow, great insight into the workings of a super PAC.

Donald Trump has built his campaign on telling it like it is but he has been changing his tune lately as the election now turns to the general election.

Will going presidential help or hurt The Donald? Jonathan Mann will break it --

[04:50:00]

HOWELL: -- all down for us on "POLITICAL MANN" at 3:30 pm in London. That is 10:30 in Hong Kong, only on CNN.

Eurovision is almost here. We will tell you everything you need to know about this year's extravagant singing finale when CNN NEWSROOM continues.

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(SPORTS)

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HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.

So get ready for theatrics or controversies and, of course, a great deal of talent. Europe's biggest singing competition, the contest, Eurovision, is almost here. Fans around the world are getting ready for the big finale on Saturday. Our Kellie Morgan has more from London.

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KELLIE MORGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As an Australian, I never quite understood the fascination with Eurovision. But having now lived here for more than seven years, I not only get it, I'm among the more than 180 million people who tune in every year. That's more than the Super Bowl.

It is a cultural feast for the eyes, the ears...

[04:55:00]

MORGAN (voice-over): And if you are at a Eurovision party, the taste buds.

The somewhat cheesy extravaganza began some 60 years ago, a platform to bring the countries of Europe together. But the organizers seem to need a geography lesson because, more recently, there have been some additions, including Australia.

They are one of the favorites, by the way.

Israel has also joined the party.

The contest is being hosted in Sweden this year, which, by the way, is the home country of the most successful Eurovision act ever, Abba.

Sweden has won the contest six times but actually Ireland is the most successful country in Eurovision's country, winning seven times.

Norway, however, has been the least successful. It's lost 11 times. Neither of those countries even made the grand final this year. In any case, Russia is the clear favorite.

is huge in his home country and can also be expected to pick up some votes from the so-called Soviet bloc. It's kind of how the Eurovision voting system works. It's called neighborly love and political sentiment.

And if that's not special enough, let's take a moment to remember the weird and the wonderful.

That is Eurovision.

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HOWELL: And Russia looks to be a favorite this year. A lot of people will be tuning in for that.

We thank you for tuning in this hour. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. I'll be back after the break with another hour of news from around the world. Thank you for watching CNN, the world's news leader.