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Billionaire Investor Talks Trump; Cosby to Stand Trail; EgyptAir Crash; Ali G Takes on Trump. Aired 9:30-10a ET
Aired May 25, 2016 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:30:00] CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: Trump and backing him. And I kind of pressed him on why other wealthy donors just weren't there yet on Trump yet. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALESCI: If he's so pro-business, why do you think you're one of three people in the business community that is supporting him?
TOM BARRACK, REAL ESTATE INVESTOR, TRUMP SUPPORTER: Because I think smart business people prudently would not commit yet. It's too uncertain.
ALESCI: They have in the past.
BARRACK: Well, it's -- it --
ALESCI: They have in every other presidential election cut checks and supported candidates.
BARRACK: You can look at Jeb Bush raised $180 million in 30 days. Everybody knew who Jeb Bush was. The big whales came in and wrote $10 million quickly. With Donald they're not sure who he is. He doesn't owe anybody anything, which is frightening to the establishment, and they're uncertain. So just like Paul Ryan, I'm not so sure that they're wrong by not endorsing him. I think what you're going to find is that they will end up endorsing or accepting him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALESCI: So tonight's event really marks a turning point in Donald Trump's campaign, when you have these billionaires and millionaires coming out, publically supporting him, cutting checks. And I just learned from a source close to the event itself that it already has secured $6 million in fundraising contributions.
So this is big money for Trump. And he needs it. That's the irony, right? We've been hearing for months and months and months, I'm going to self-finance, I'm going to self-finance, and yet now he's out saying, you know, I'm going to -- I'm going to need to talk to some of these donors. And over the next several weeks, we're going to see him meeting privately with these big donors to get them comfortable, right, because Barrack talks about that. He's an unknown. Donald Trump is an unknown to many of these people and they need to get comfortable with him. PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Right, because Barrack said, look, these big
business donors are being more cautious. You know, that that basically they're not familiar with Donald Trump. Do you really think that is the issue or is it something more here causing them to sit on the sidelines?
ALESCI: You know, it's really interesting because I did talk to a lot of these people off and on the record over the last couple of months and a lot of them do not like the rhetoric. They don't like the comments that Donald Trump has made on the campaign trail. And, frankly, some of them are very concerned about his trade policies and they point to that as potentially dangerous to their business. And I think that over the next couple of weeks, what we're going to see is Donald Trump sitting down with these people and understanding where they're coming from. And it's going to be interesting to see if he changes or softens or kind of slightly moderates his positions on a couple of these -- a couple of these positions.
BROWN: He's gone along (ph) his positions are flexible.
ALESCI: Yes.
BROWN: So we shall -- we shall see what happens on that.
ALESCI: Exactly.
BROIWN: Cristina, stay with me, because I want to bring in "Washington Post" columnist Josh Rogin.
So, Josh, after touting the fact that he was paying for his own campaign all along, as we know Trump is now holding these two fundraisers in 24 hours. Woody Johnson, Romney's top fundraiser in 2012 and co-owner of the New York Jets has now reportedly joined the Trump RNC joint committee, along with other big named donors. Will their actions cause others to follow suit?
JOSH ROGIN, COLUMNIST, "WASHINGTON POST: Yes, I think Cristina's interview is the first of a lot of signals that the Republican establishment is going to come around to funding the Trump presidential campaign. According to the latest disclosures, Trump has raised $61 million so far, and spent $58 million. That leaves him with less than $3 million on hand. That also leaves him about $230 million short of where Hillary Clinton is right now. So that's an untenantable position. So I think there's no doubt that he's going to need the Republican machine to get the billion dollars or so it's going to take to run this election. You know, and the RNC's going to be a big part of that.
Now, what Cristina said about Trump moderating his position is exactly the point, because these guys are going to want something for their money. And if Trump doesn't give it to them, they reserve the right to either fundraise unenthusiastically or to take a lot of that RNC money and push it to the downstream races. So there's going to be some give- and-take here and whether or not Trump will play ball remains to be seen. BROWN: So they want something for their money, but all along what has been so appealing about Trump to his supporters is that he's not beholden to donors and lobbyists because he's been using his own money. Will the backing of these more establishment type donors, will it hurt his outsider image with voters?
ROGIN: Yes, I think the Trump supporter will also give him a pass on taking the money, but not give him a pass on changing his positions. You know, that being said, the Trump campaign's strategy here is to simply say, OK, that anti-establishment mantra served us really well in the primary. We're going to switch now to a general election mantra, which is, abc, anything but Clinton, right? And that's a lot of what these Republican donors are thinking too. OK, Trump's not ideal, he's not saying the right things, we may not have liked him, we may not have wanted him, but Clinton is a much worse outcome for them. And so the argument that the Trump campaign is making to his supporters and to the donors is essentially the same, you've got no other option, so give me all the money and I'll do whatever I want.
[09:35:09] BROWN: And, meantime, while this is all going on, Cristina, Hillary Clinton is really hammering Donald Trump for the housing market, basically saying that he made money from it when the market crashed several years ago. Here's how Trump responded. Let's taka listen and then talk on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I see this low life tonight, you know, I see this low life. She puts on an ad, did you know that Donald Trump was rooting against housing, because he wanted housing to go down because he wanted to buy. And they've got some clip of me from many years ago where I'm saying, yes, if it goes down, I'm going to buy. I'm a businessman, that's what I'm supposed do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: All right, so is he right? Is that what a businessman's supposed to do?
ALESCI: Well, I think he is speaking to his base right there. And his base wants a free market and they want a person who is savvy and that can take advantage of a situation, of a crisis. And that's a message that appeals to his base. What is yet to be determined is whether that picture of Donald Trump potentially profiting off of, you know, the average joe --
BROWN: Some of his supporters.
ALESCI: Will resonate to a broader audience in a general election. And that is a weakness that Clinton's team will definitely look to capitalize on because you're going to have images that is -- that are so seared into the American mentality about the housing crisis and what happens subsequent to that, that it could be a potential threat for Donald Trump.
BROWN: And we saw Donald Trump's response there, Josh, pretty forceful. It seems as though this struck a nerve with him. And also Elizabeth Warren went after him for the same line of attack and he responded to her forcefully. Is this a vulnerable spot for him in your view?
ROBIN: Yes, I mean time will tell. What I think your last panel really got into this really well because what it shows is that the Clinton campaign, as they turn their focus to Donald Trump, will set up these issues and really set up a coordinated attack. They've got Elizabeth Warren. They've got people in Congress making statements. They've got surrogates out there. They're trying each and every one of these attacks to see if they will stick. And Donald Trump has no choice but to really engage in comeback over the top, right? So they'll try this one for a while. If it sticks, they'll stick with it for the general. If not, they'll move along. There's no way to know what's going to stick to Donald Trump. This is as good as anything, so they might as well give it their full go.
BROWN: So much stick.
ROGIN: So far nothing, yes.
BROWN: We've seen that, not much sticks.
ROGIN: That's right.
BROWN: All right, Cristina Alesci, Josh Rogin, thank you very much. We will see what happens.
ROGIN: Thank you.
BROWN: And still ahead, he spent decades as America's favorite dad and now Bill Cosby could spend the rest of his life in prison.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:41:40] BROWN: Well, federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for accused church shooter Dylann Roof. Roof is accused of killing nine parishioners last year at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Attorney General Loretta Lynch says the nature of the crime compelled her to make this decision. Prosecutors had urged Lynch to OK capital charges, saying that Roof has shown a lack of remorse for the murders.
And now to the Bill Cosby bombshell. America's once beloved TV dad now going to trial for sexual assault. A Pennsylvania judge ruling there is enough evidence to move forward with a criminal case. CNN's Jean Casarez was inside that courtroom with Cosby yesterday and she joins us now live from Norristown with the very latest.
Jean.
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Pam.
Well, the defense is vowing today they are going to continue to try to get these charges dismissed. But I want to show you this local newspaper that this entire potential jury pool is looking at today, "held for trial."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASAREZ (voice over): A judge ruling there is enough evidence for Bill Cosby to stand trial for the alleged sexual assault of a former Temple University employee in 2004.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We only have to show that a crime is committed and the defendant's connected to the crime. It's a preliminary hearing. Hearsay is admissible and we're just over the next hurdle in this.
CASAREZ: A police detective, reading in court for the first time, statements the accuser, Andrea Constand, made to police in 2005. In them she says Cosby encouraged her to drink wine and take blue pills at his Pennsylvania home. Shortly after she says her vision blurred, her legs were rubbery, she felt dizzy, frozen, scared and unable to speak, but was aware of Cosby putting his hands on her breasts and down her pants. In Cosby's own statement to police, he admits to touching and kissing her, and giving Constand Benadryl to help her relax, but maintains the encounter was consensual.
KEVIN STEELE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, POENNSYLVANIA DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The point of this is that it was intoxicating to her and that she was unable to consent.
CASAREZ: The defense attacking Constand's credibility, saying parts of her statements were crossed out redacted.
BRIAN MCMONAGLE, BILL COSBYS DEFENSE ATTORNEY: They presented an 11- year-old statement that was riddled with corrections and inconsistencies.
CASAREZ: They point to one incident at a casino where Cosby was performing. He invited Constand back to his room. Constand initially says she laid down on the bed with Cosby, their legs touching, but she later crossed that out, saying the two were relaxed close to one another.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CASAREZ: And Bill Cosby has waived his formal arraignment which was set for July. So the next proceeding will be pretrial conferences. This is where the attorneys get together, just go over who has what discovery. But the biggest pretrial hearing we believe at this point will be the issue of whether accusers will be allowed to testify in criminal court against Bill Cosby.
Pam.
BROWN: Yes, that is the big question. Jean Casarez, keep us posted. Thanks so much for that report.
And still ahead, right here in the NEWSROOM, new clues about EgyptAir Flight 804. We're going to tell you what the pilot did before the plane took off.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:49:21] BROWN: New details about missing EgyptAir Flight 804. According to state media, there were no signs of technical problems when the plane took off from Paris. In fact, the pilot actually signed off, but as far as he knew, the jet was in normal condition. All of this as time runs out to find the plane's black boxes before the locater signals fade.
Let's get straight to CNN's diplomatic -- international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson.
Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, Pam, that search for the black box should be aided today by the fact the winds have dropped substantially. For four days the winds have been blowing, the seas have been choppy. It's much calmer today.
We were told yesterday by the vice president of EgyptAir that they're searching the area the size of Connecticut. That is a huge area to try to narrow down where the black boxes must be under the water. We also know from government officials today that they say that they are getting help from Egyptian -- from Italian and French companies. Interestingly, earlier in the day, officials have said that they were contracting two Italian and French companies to help with this search, then they backtracked and said they are working with. I think this is symptomatic of some of the confusion and some of the control from Egyptian authorities that goes on behind the scenes, managing the message. Very few details are released.
[09:50:40] We do know, however, from officials that all the Egyptian families have been tested for DNA, all the foreign families of relatives aboard that flight are being tested today. And the forensic testing continues on what's been described as 15 bags of human remains that have been brought ashore.
But to paint a complete picture of how tragic this situation is, officials say that none of these pieces of human remains weighs greater than a couple of pounds. So it just really gives you an idea of what officials are working with here and the difficulty for the families, Pam.
BROWN: Yes, just awful. Nic Robertson, thank you very much for bringing us the latest there.
And we want to check our top stories now on this Wednesday morning.
Devastating tornadoes ripped through the Midwest. Incredibly video out of Ford County, Kansas. Look at this. This is where at least two people were critically injured. Damage from storms included overturned vehicles and ripped up asphalt. There were even reports of baseball sized hail.
Meanwhile, in Arkansas, a teenager swept away by rushing flood waters has been found alive. He is now being treated for minor injuries. And according to the National Weather Service, more than six inches of rain fell on places like Jonesboro.
Well, Gawker is going for a rematch in its legal battle against Hulk Hogan. Both sides are back in court today as Gawker makes its case for a new trial, arguing that key evidence was withheld. In March, a jury awarded Hogan $140 million in damages after Gawker posed a sex tape featuring the wrestling star online.
Well, Twitter is about to bend its own rules. Over the next few months, it will ease its 140 character limit of tweets, photos and videos or tags with users handles won't count. Twitter hopes the new rules will satisfy purists, while attracting new users who want longer messages and more interactive content.
Still ahead in the NEWSROOM, the countdown is on until the start of the summer. But if you're hoping to get away, you may have to wait. Next hour, why lawmakers are expected to grill the head of the TSA. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:56:59] BROWN: Well, it's the celebrity feud you didn't even know existed. Donald Trump versus Sasha Baron Cohen's Ali G. The bad blood going back more than a decade and our Jeanne Moos has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNIE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Talk about a matchup. Ali G versus Trump.
ALI G: What is the most popular thing in the world?
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Music.
ALI G: No.
TRUMP: Tell me.
ALI G: Ice cream.
MOOS: It was back in the days when Sasha Baron Cohen was pranking people with his dimwit rapper routine, everyone from the then secretary general of the U.S. --
ALI G: Is Disneyland a member of the U.N.?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
MOOS: To Buzz Aldrin, second man to walk on the moon.
ALI G: What was it like not being the first man on the moon? Was you ever jealous of Louis Armstrong?
BUZZ ALDRIN, ASTRONAUT: It was Neil Armstrong and, no, I was not jealous.
MOOS: With Trump the topic was ice cream. Ali G proposed The Donald invest.
ALI G: (INAUDIBLE) is to come out with just like these ice cream gloves that make the ice cream not go on your hands.
MOOS: Donald was polite, but didn't bite.
TRUMP: Well, it sounds like a good idea and I hope you make a lot of money.
Good luck, folks.
MOOS: And with that, Trump walked off, showing less annoyance than others.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, I think that's about it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The guy's an idiot.
MOOS: The other night, the idiot was asked about his encounter with Trump.
ALI G: I was the first person actually to realize that he's a (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
MOOS: Cohen says Trump's interview lasted seven minutes. Though The Donald tweeted, "I never fall for scams. I am the only person who immediately walked out of my Ali G interview." Ever since that interview 13 years ago, there's been bad blood between The Donald and Sacha Baron Cohen. Trump called Cohen a moron.
TRUMP: This third rate character.
MOOS: Cohen mockingly endorsed The Donald, wearing a make America great again hat at the premiere of his new movie, which features a Trump character who contracts HIV.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, goodness.
ALI G: People are cheering.
MOOS: Talk about taking the gloves off, even if they are ice cream gloves.
TRUMP: Good luck, folks.
MOOS: Jeannie Moos, CNN --
ALI G: Do you think man will ever walk on the sun?
MOOS: New York.
ALDRIN: The sun is too hot and it's not a good place.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BROIWN: Who knew about this 13-year feud.
The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM begins right now.
Well, good morning to you. I'm Pamela Brown, in for Carol Costello. Thanks so much for being here with us.
Donald Trump inching closer to the nomination as an anti-Trump protest erupts into violence. Look at this video right here. This is outside his rally last night in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Protesters condemning his remarks on Hispanics and immigrants, but soon turn on police.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now lots of protesters are throwing rocks at police. This has now descended into chaos.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And just a few minutes ago, Trump tweeted, "the protesters in New Mexico were thugs and were flying the Mexican flag. The rally inside was big and beautiful, but outside, criminals."
[10:00:07] (INAUDIBLE) the political drama fades overnight.
