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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Trump Targets NYT on Controversial Article; Kasich Refuses to Endorse Trump; Clinton Seeking Kentucky Win; NTSB to Announce Results of Amtrak Derailment Investigation; Oklahoma City Thunder Shock Golden State Warriors in Game 1. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired May 17, 2016 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:00] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: "No wonder the Times is failing. Who can believe what they write after the false, malicious, and libelous story they did on me?'

CNN's Erin Burnett asked Trump organization attorney Jill Martin about the chances of a lawsuit against "The Times". Martin responded that it is a distinct possibility. Although you often hear that from Trump and his organization. All this as "The Times" is defending the piece. Reporter Michael Barbaro and Megan Twohey, you can see them right there, they told me yesterday that none of the facts are in dispute.

And one of the women quoted in the story told CNN overnight that her portrayal is factual.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA RES, FORMER ENGINEER ON TRUMP CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS: The article is pretty much quoted me the way I spoke it.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Did you think it was negative? Do you think there was an agenda attached to it?

RES: It's hard to say. You know, I -- I think that you would probably come away with a negative feeling about Trump, but that doesn't necessarily mean that there was an agenda to make it that way. I would say good luck with life, Donald. But I don't think that you should be president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Not all the women quoted agree with "The Times" portrayal. CNN's Sara Murray has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Good morning, John and Christine. Donald Trump kicked off his week by going to war with the media. He took aim at "The New York Times" and a report they had in which they interviewed dozens of women who were in Donald Trump's orbit, who said he seemed to objectify them. He seemed to make unwelcome advances toward them. One woman who was a contestant in his pageant even said she received an unwanted kiss on the lips from Donald Trump. But there was one of the women who was prominently feature in this

story, who came out, she was on CNN, and said she felt misrepresented by her portrayal in "The New York Times". She said she never felt uncomfortable around Donald Trump.

ROWANNE BREWER LANE, FORMER DONALD TRUMP GIRLFRIEND: I asked them if it was a negative piece they were writing on him in general, because I didn't have anything negative to say with my experience with Donald. And I was actually warned by some people that it can tend to be spun negative. And I said that's impossible because I'm not giving them a negative story he was a gentleman. He was a gentleman. He was thoughtful. He was kind. He was generous. He was a gentleman. You know, and he and I had a lot of fun together.

MURRAY: And that sent Donald Trump off on Twitter. He raised the alarm with CNN's own control room when this woman originally appeared on Fox News to make sure that there were people disputing the story. He took to Twitter to say that the story was false, to say it was malicious.

Now all of this builds into a broader narrative when it comes to Donald Trump. And that is the issue of how he deals with women, how he's dealt with women in the past. One thing we still haven't seen from the campaign is a cohesive attempt to try to improve Donald Trump's favorability numbers with women in the broader electorate. And he does have an issue on that front. Many of those women do have an unfavorable view of him, and that's something the campaign is going to have to deal with if they hope to win in November.

Back to you, John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Sara Murray, thank you for that story.

Just hours away, Hillary Clinton hopes to bounce back in one state after losses to Bernie Sanders in Indiana and West Virginia. Both campaigns thinks Sanders has the edge in Oregon today, but Secretary Clinton has been investing a lot of time and money in Kentucky, which her campaign thinks she has a better chance to win.

The latest now from senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, another election day today -- Kentucky and Oregon. The Clinton campaign is really looking to a win in Kentucky as one of the states they believe they could possibly use to break Bernie Sanders' recent winning streak.

Hillary Clinton campaigning across the state of Kentucky, making some 11 stops in her last series of visits over the last couple weeks. But yesterday, she campaigned aggressively across Kentucky. She of course had Donald Trump in her main focus here even as she tries to outrun Bernie Sanders. But she took on a bit of Donald Trump's words as she imagined what a debate against him would be like.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let's imagine I'm on a debate stage with Donald Trump. Now personally I am really looking forward to it. And so let's suppose here's the question. So what is your plan to create jobs? His answer is I'm going to create them. They're going to be great. I know how to do it. But I'm not telling you what it is I'm going to do.

ZELENY: So even as Hillary Clinton keeps her eye on Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders has his eye on Hillary Clinton. That's why he is coming here to Los Angeles to have a campaign rally tonight. He believes those 475 delegates in the state of California on June 7th could be at least a moral victory for him, even if it's not enough to put him over the top. But he'll be campaigning aggressively here in California for the final three weeks until the June 7th primary here and this long Democratic fight finally wraps up.

John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right, Jeff Zeleny, thanks so much.

Joining us to help us break down everything that's going on in the race right now, CNN political reporter Eric Bradner.

[05:05:03] He joins us from our Washington bureau. And, you know, Eric, this issue with "The New York Times" and its story about how Trump treats women, it has gone on now for days. More coming out overnight.

You know, Trump's been tweeting overnight. And he said more than 50 women were interviewed by "The New York Times" yet they only wrote by six. That's because there were only so many positive statements.

He called our control room yesterday morning to make sure we saw the interview with the woman who -- who says she has a problem with how she's portrayed in the piece.

It's really interesting to see, Eric. And I think also interesting with this news overnight that the pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC is coming out with its first ad buy, a big ad buy, $6 million in six days, which hits Donald Trump on his treatment of women. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You know, you can see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever.

Does she have a good body? No. Does she have a fat ass? Absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So you know, this is the battle for women right now being played out on many different fronts. ERIC BRADNER, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: That's right. So it was really

interesting to see Trump's reaction to "The New York Times" story because this is a window into this move that he's made so many times, right? He seizes on any bit uncertainty, any sort of crack in a story, and just really, really amplifies it and sort of uses that to at least say to his supporters this is bogus. Let's shift the scrutiny from me onto the media which obviously is out to get me.

That worked in the primary. But it's not yet clear whether it will work in a general election. And his negative ratings with women are sky high; I mean, historically high for a nominee. So he might sort of survive this "New York Times" story by immediately by sort of blaming the media. But the Clinton campaign and Clinton's allies know that this is just sort of another round in what's going to be the big fight in the general election. And that's for women. And Donald Trump has got to get his negative ratings with women down from about 70 percent, where they are right now.

ROMANS: But so many of those Trump supporters, they just assume that "The New York Times" is some sort of surrogate for Hillary Clinton. And then he can continue to push that kind of mindset, but it gives more ammunition to the Hillary Clinton campaign as we head into the general where she can try to sort of bang on that perception about Donald Trump and his treatment of women.

Let's talk about John Kasich. He had a really interesting sitdown last night with Anderson Cooper, an exclusive with Anderson. And Anderson really pressed him about whether he would be able to support Donald Trump, endorse DonaldTrump. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: So just for the record, you're undecided about whether or not you would endorse Donald Trump for president?

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), OHIO: Yes, I am. Right. I'm undecided.

COOPER: Are you undecided about whether you'd actually vote for him?

KASICH: You know, at the end of the day, endorsing is going to mean a lot. And, frankly, my wife and my daughters have watched this. And if I were to turn around today and endorse him, they' be like, "Why, Dad?" And that matters to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Undecided really on endorsing Trump. He's not going to mount his own -- his own -- he's got the second best job in America right now already. What do you make of that interview?

BRADNER: So listen, he's still a sitting governor. And if he's interested in running for president again in 2020 and he thinks Donald Trump is going to lose, he's really setting himself up as being able to say, look, the GOP made a mistake four years ago. They had the absolute opposite of Donald available, somebody who had a much kinder tone, who's about reaching out to new voters. Here I am. Let's go with me this time. Right? He's setting himself up as the polar opposite temperamentally as Donald Trump. And if he wants to run in 2020 and if Trump is never able to sort of recover from the high unfavorability ratings that he has now, that could be really important.

You can believe what Kasich is saying about his wife and daughters as well. But there' s a reason he's mentioning the women in his life. And it's not because he's unaware of Donald Trump's troubles.

BERMAN: You know, it's interesting. In the wake of "The New York Times" article, the super PAC ad, to hear John Kasich cite his wife and daughters as the reason he's hesitant to endorse Donald Trump was very, very interesting.

Let's shift over to the Democrats right now. Big primaries today in Kentucky and Oregon. The Clinton team going hard after Kentucky, to be sure. They want to win. They really want to win before California, which votes on June 7th. They want some kind of momentum here.

It's been interesting listening to Hillary Clinton talk about the economy and how Bill Clinton might be involved. He might come in to create jobs in some of these suffering states. Bill Clinton talked about this notion a little bit yesterday. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'll do whatever I'm asked to do. But I like this economic business.

CNN PRODUCER: Secretary Clinton, you said Bill Clinton would head up the economy? Would he be in your cabinet?

H. CLINTON: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, so not in the cabinet but he would with the economy.

[05:10:02] ROMANS: Not be in the cabinet; he wouldn't be a jobs czar.

You know, I think it's an interesting line for her to follow this. Because, look, NAFTA -- he signed NAFTA. The banks, under Bill Clinton, got bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. 24 million jobs were created during the Clinton years. But I don't know. I mean, what do you think about saying Bill Clinton is going to be maybe your luminary for job creation in the economy?

BRADNER: Well, I think it's interesting she's doing it in Kentucky. Right? This is the state that Bill Clinton won in 1992 and 1996. He's the last Democrat to carry it. It's also a state that has a history of -- believe it or not -- electing Democrats to statewide office. So there's a Democratic governor there that implemented Obamacare only to be succeeded by a Republican governor who's doing everything he can to dismantle it. This is the place where the Democratic gains of the last couple of

decades have been sort of the hardest won, and where the promises of someone like Bernie Sanders seem the most unrealistic. And so talking about Bill Clinton, someone who did have success in Kentucky and did sort of watch that sort of trickle down the ballot, is interesting because it really could help her here perhaps more than anywhere else I think.

BERMAN: All right, Eric Bradner, great to have you here with us this morning. Thank you so much.

Of course, Oregon and Kentucky vote today. Stay with CNN all day as results come in.

ROMANS: All right, Billionaire Mark Cuban says Donald Trump's unpredictability and his flip-flopping on major issues would be a big loss for anyone with money in the stock market. Here's what he told CNN's Erin Burnett last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK CUBAN, BILLIONAIRE BUSINESSMAN: That uncertainty, you know, potentially as the President of the United States, that's the last thing Wall Street wants to hear. And I can say with 100 percent certainty that there's a really good chance we could see a huge, huge correction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: A correction would mean a drop of at least 20 percent for the stock market. That would end the bull market that has lasted now seven years. Mark Cuban of course is the owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. He's a star on the ABC show "Shark Tank". Cuban says he likes Trump and he respects him as a businessman. He would vote for Hillary Clinton if the election were today and she were the Democratic nominee.

BERMAN: All right, new information coming today into what caused a deadly Amtrak derailment. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:16:24] ROMANS: A loss of focus by an Amtrak engineer is expected to be blamed when the NTSB issues its findings today on a derailment last year near Philadelphia that killed eight people. Investigators say the deadly crash happened after someone threw a rock at a commuter train nearby. The agency says the distraction from radio traffic caused the engineer to take a 50-mile-an-hour curve at more than 100 miles an hour.

CNN's Rene Marsh has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIAITION & GOVERNMENT REGULATION CORRESPONDENT: Well, John and Christine, a source tells CNN an NTSB investigation into the Amtrak 188 derailment that killed eight and injured more than 200 people in Philadelphia last year has concluded. That the train's engineer, Brandon Bostian, was distracted prior to the crash. Specifically he was distracted by radio conversations with other trains and dispatchers about other trains being hit with projectiles.

The NTSB will announce this morning at a public meeting their conclusion. Investigators say they found no evidence that the engineer was using alcohol, drugs or a cell phone. We do know that the ride from the train station in Philadelphia to the site of the derailment was 11 minutes. And investigators say seven to nine of the minutes, the engineer was listening and participating in the radio conversations regarding other trains being hit with a projectile. Bostian approached a 50-mile-an-hour curve at 106 miles an hour last May.

John, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right, thanks, Rene. The Supreme Court chose not to resolve a dispute between religious employers and the White House over the contraception coverage mandated in Obamacare. The justices sent the matter back to the lower court, hoping the two sides can reach a compromise in the four-year legal battle. This could be a new example of how Justice Scalia's death has affected how the Court approaches contentious cases.

ROMANS: A federal judge offering -- ordering that the names of the so-called "unindicted co-conspirators" in the New Jersey Bridgegate scandal be made public by noon today. We could learn if anyone else in Governor Chris Christie's inner circle or Christie himself was involved in a 2013 decision to close lanes of the George Washington Bridge as an act of political retribution. One person has already pleaded guilty; two others are going to trial in connection with the Bridgegate scandal.

BERMAN: The Oklahoma City Thunder serving notice. You know, everyone says Golden State's oh so good; they're going to roll into the finals. Well, no one told that to Oklahoma City. Game one of the Western Conference Finals on the books. Coy Wire with this morning's Bleacher Report next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:23:21] BERMAN: All right. The Oklahoma City Thunder shocking the sports world. They walked away with game one of the Western Conference Finals. And at, you know, Golden State's golden court. Pretty amazing.

ROMANS: Turns they can be beat, the Warriors. Coy -- Coy Wire has more in this morning's Bleacher Report. Hey Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi Christine and John. The Warriors went into last night's game with only two home losses all season. And OKC, they hadn't won at Oracle Arena in almost three years. Didn't look good for the Thunder early in this one. But Steph Curry out there doing Steph Curry things. He knocked down a three point buzzer beater just before half, put the Warriors up by 13. See? You knew how this one was going to go, right?

Well, the Warriors, undefeated this season when leading by double digits going into halftime. But Durant, Westbrook. It would be their second half. Check this shot here; here was the moment. Durant, under a minute to play, knocks down the pull-up J giving OKC a 5-point lead. Then 20 seconds left and Russel Westbrook sure looked like he traveled there, right? Well, the refs don't call it. Happened right in front of Steve Curry. They give the Thunder a time-out instead. Thunder go on to win 108-102. Game two Wednesday back in Oakland again. Look out.

Hey-o. Stanley Cup Eastern Conference finals, Penguins hosting the Lightning. And Sidney Crosby, 40 seconds into overtime, look at it. Sid the Kid with the wrister. The game-winner. Thank you, Mister. Crosby had zero goals in his last eight games before that shot. Pittsburgh ties the series at 1 game apiece. Game three is Wednesday in Tampa.

Tiger Woods making an appearance at the Congressional Country Club in Maryland yesterday. He talked to the media about a lot of things, including his hopes of coming back to play again someday after those back surgeries.

[05:25:01] But he didn't give a timetable and he didn't look very good either. Three ceremonial tee shots in the span of less than a minute with all three of them, guys, all three going into the water. To be fair, Tiger hadn't taken any warm up shots. Doctor probably told him to go easy on that back. But still, not a good look for Tiger and his quest to get back on the tour.

Speaking of Tigers, Detroit manager Brad Ausmus with a case of the Mondays. The 47-year-old not happy with the plate umpire Doug Edding's call. Going into an old school tirade. We don't often say that for managers anymore. (INAUDIBLE) out there. Took that coat off. Put it over the plate. Said, ump, you can't even see it, might as well just cover it up. Ausmus was ejected. The Tigers did win 10- 8, ending an 11-game out of the past 13 game skid. He said after the game, did Ausmas, that I certainly don't want my kids to hear what I said. But I wasn't going out there to be politically correct.

BERMAN: He left the jacket. He left the hat. And they won. I mean, yay, it works, so why not?

WIRE: Yes...

ROMANS: All right, Coy. Thank you so much, Coy.

26 minutes past hour. Donald Trump furious. His attorneys threatening to sue "The New York Times" over that controversial article on how he treats women.

Plus, why former presidential rival John Kasich says he can't endorse, may not even vote for Trump.

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