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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Trump Meets with RNC Officials Behind Closed Doors; Clinton: "I'm So Sick of The Sanders Campaign Lying"; Nuclear Summit: Keeping Nukes from ISIS; Belgium to Extradite Paris Terror Suspect; Women Accuse U.S. Soccer of Wage Discrimination. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired April 01, 2016 - 05:00   ET

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

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: EARLY START continues right now.

(MUSIC)

[05:00:05] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump and the RNC in a secret meeting. What went on besides the waving behind closed doors.

SANCHEZ: Hillary Clinton getting angry, calling out Bernie Sanders for lying. . The Democratic race is heating up.

ROMANS: In just a few hours, world leaders in critical meeting. Can they keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists?

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Boris Sanchez. It's Friday, April 1st, 5:00 a.m. on the East Coast on this April Fools Day.

We start with Donald Trump mounting a new defense to explain why he told MSNBC that women who get illegal abortions should be punished. Before he clarified and then later recanted that position.

Late last night, Trump conceded on FOX News that maybe he misspoke. But he blamed the way the question was asked and edited. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You really have to hear the whole thing. I mean, this was a long convoluted question. This was a long discussion. They just cut it out. And, frankly, it was extremely -- it was really convoluted. And if in fact abortion was outlawed, the person performing the abortion, the doctor or whoever it may be, that's really doing the act, or responsible for the act, not the woman is responsible. So, that's the way I've always felt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: MSNBC has responded, saying that the interview was not edited and they played it in its entirety. Now, with just four days to go until the Wisconsin primary, Trump is doing damage control. He met with the head of the Republican Party yesterday, calling a meeting of unity.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and Boris.

Well, Donald Trump holding a secret meeting in Washington, D.C. Thursday behind closed doors at the RNC headquarters. Sources telling CNN the meeting was largely about convention rules and delegates. After the meeting, the RNC chairman putting out a statement saying it was a productive meeting, he says, about the state of the race, and Donald Trump tweeting about the meeting, also calling it a nice meeting, saying that he looks forward to bringing the party together.

Now, while in Washington, Donald Trump convened a meeting of the newly formed national security team. This comes after a string of national security and foreign policy statements that some have called into question including his rivals like John Kasich.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It appears as they though when he does these events and people press him, he becomes unmoored. And has to spend time trying to figure out how to correct all of the mistakes he made. I have to tell you, as commander in chief and leader of the free world, you don't get do-overs. You need to be able to get it right the first time.

SERFATY: As you can see there, John Kasich really trying to capitalize the recent missteps and controversies of Trump, trying to paint Trump as not ready to be president -- Boris and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Sunlen, thank you so much.

OK. To help breakdown the battles on both sides of the aisle, let's bring in CNN politics digital managing editor Zach Wolf.

Good morning.

All right. So, the secret meeting that they're talking about, and we saw Donald Trump waving some, but the secret meeting with the RNC. Listen to how Donald Trump described how it went.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We met with Reince Priebus and the staff and they're very good people. Very actually terrific meeting, I think.

It's really a unity meeting. You know, we're leading by a lot. We have far and away the most delegates. Millions of votes more than anybody else than Ted has or Kasich has. We really, I think, they want to really discuss, you know, unity and I like discussing unity too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Unity. In the Republican Party. Whoa! That's something we have not seen in a long time.

ZACH WOLF, CNN POLITICS DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR: Yes. That's what Donald Trump's talking about. Let's be honest. They are in a mad dash for delegates. He may have votes from these primaries and caucuses, but he needs to get 1,237 delegates. So, that's what everybody's going to be thinking about right now. This meeting had a lot to do with delegates and delegate rules and, you know, these kind of byzantine party rules that will delegate what happens going forward, heading into the Cleveland convention.

SANCHEZ: Zach, right now, polls are looking like Ted Cruz is likely to take Wisconsin. And Wisconsin is a barrier for Trump to getting the 1,237 delegates. Cruz up 42 percent. Trump at 32, Kasich at 19.

Kasich is really banking on a contested convention. And he talked about how he might there last night on "AC360". Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ted Cruz needs about 90 percent of the delegates going forward to win. That's not going to happen. And Trump needs 60 percent. That's not going to happen either.

Look, when delegates go to a convention and I have been at conventions, they get to e very serious about two things.

[05:05:04] One, who can win in the fall? I'm the only one who consistently beats Hillary Clinton. And secondly, delegates feel the weight of the decision on their shoulders and they begin to think about who actually could run the country. Who has the experience? Who has the vision? Who's had success in the past?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Zach, seeing the Republican Party is so split with Trump supporters and anti-Trump movement. How realistic is Kasich's strategy? Does he really believe the Trump supporters are going to switch at the convention?

WOLF: You know, there's this process where they are bound by certain votes and become unbound in later votes. So, it's not outside the read of possibility. I mean, he was talking about how Trump needs to win 60 percent of the votes. And Cruz needs to win 90 percent of the votes going forward to reach 1,237 number of delegates.

Kasich has to win well more than 100 percent of the votes. So, it is mathematically impossible to get the votes before the convention. So, he's basically in the position right now of justifying his existence in this race. He's won one state. It's the state where he happens to be governor.

So, if he's going to do this, if he's going to emerge and shoot the moon here, it would have to be on the convention floor.

ROMANS: Let's talk a little bit about nuclear proliferation. We have this big important White House meeting, you know, some 50 countries talking about terrorists and nuclear access and nuclear material and nuclear proliferation.

Earlier this week, we had Donald Trump at our town hall talking about how, you know, South Korea and Japan should be able to have their own nuclear weapons.

I want to listen to what the White House spokesperson said yesterday about that idea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN RHODES, DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: It would be catastrophic were the United States to shift its position and indicate we support somehow the proliferations of nuclear weapons to additional countries. It also flies in the face of decades of bipartisan national security doctrine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: You know, Japan saying we will not have nuclear weapons. It has a pacifist constitution and has since the day it was a victim of the nuclear -- the recipient of a nuclear attack here. What do you make of Donald Trump's world view on this subject and how it's ruffling feathers around the world?

WOLF: You know, for my entire lifetime, the U.S. has been talking about nonproliferation and suddenly here, we are talking about the idea of proliferation of nuclear weapons, which is, if you think about it, it is a remarkable thing for a presidential candidate to suggest.

You know, back to Kasich, if he is going to make an argument he should be in the race, this kind of foreign policy that Trump is espousing is exactly the reason that he can make that argument, that he can go to the convention floor and say, whoa, whoa, we need to think about this, just because what Trump is saying is not part of the foreign policy reality, I think, that most people know.

SANCHEZ: Right. We want to switch sides and head to the Democrats. Zach, Hillary Clinton with a heated exchange with someone from Greenpeace. This kind of set the table of what was happening. It was at the end of the rally and she was approached by someone with a camera.

Here's the exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST: If you protect -- with climate change, will you act on your word and reject fossil fuel money in the future in your campaign?

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I do not, I have money from people who work for fossil fuel companies. I am so sick, I am so sick of the Sanders' campaign lying about that. I'm sick of it!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: It has to be frustrating for Hillary Clinton at this point getting closer and closer to the nomination, with Sanders facing steep climb not being able to pivot to the general election, right?

WOLF: You know, you don't see that kind of emotion or candor coming from Hillary Clinton. You saw it on the rope line. Interesting moment. You know this all-important Wisconsin primary and Sanders to challenge her in her home state of New York. So, tensions are high on the Democratic side.

ROMANS: I will say. All right. Zach Wolf, nice to see you this morning. Thanks for getting up early for us. We'll talk to you in a few minutes. April Fools Day.

It's jobs day, too, in America. A big report due out this morning from the government. CNNMoney's survey of economists predicts 199,000 jobs created in March. That would be a solid number, but it is lower than February's jump of 242,000. The jobless rate expected to stay at 5 percent. The wages are forecast to hold steady at kind of a not that great, at a 2.2 percent annual rate.

We are watching the number deeper. People working part-time for economic reasons, basically those who want a full-time job but can't find one, so they're working whatever hours they can. This is one area of the labor market that shows why voters are so worried about the economy, so many part-time jobs created. A bad read there could give talking points to the Republicans.

[05:10:01] Democrats, of course, would rally around a positive number of jobs added if that comes in strong. I'll be looking very specifically at people starting to reenter the labor market as we've had these months and months of job creation. That will be an important number to watch.

SANCHEZ: A lot of rich territory for talking on both sides of the aisle.

ROMANS: Oh, yes, and twisting of reality.

SANCHEZ: Right.

Two Brussels bombers on the loose and the Paris attacker connected to them is no longer working with police. He is now being extradited to France. We have details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Today is day two of the nuclear security summit in Washington with the focus on urban terrorism. President Obama hosting leaders from more than 50 nations. Thursday, he met jointly with the president of South Korea and the prime minister of Japan. And then he went one-on-one with the Chinese President Xi Jinping. The president pressing China on its militarization of the South China Sea and on cybersecurity.

SANCHEZ: A Belgian court has ruled a terrorist suspect Salah Abdeslam can be extradited to France.

[05:15:01] Details of the prisoner transfer still need to be worked out. Abdeslam was the most wanted man in Europe until authorities in Brussels captured him last month following a shootout in Molenbeek.

All of this happening as investigators searched for the two surviving Brussels bombers.

Alexandra Field is tracking the latest developments live from Brussels.

Alex, good morning. Abdeslam initially complying with investigators. But now, he said he's not working with them anymore.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. In fact, he was fighting extradition initially at the time. He was cooperating with investigators, answering their questions after he had been taken into custody in the middle of March. But it was four days after he was detained that the Brussels attacks happened, at both the Metro station and the airport. After that, we're told, he stopped cooperating and that's when he agreed to be extradited.

At the same time, authorities in Brussels and across Belgium continuing to look for a third suspected bomber from the airport, a second possible suspected bomber from the metro station. They are also looking more closely at the plans that the suicide bombers did have for the city. In fact, they are beginning to wonder if perhaps the brothers involved in these attacks may have had ambitions to build a dirty bomb. It does sound perhaps like a farfetched idea, according to some analysts.

But they have uncovered a piece of video connected to the investigation. It shows ten hours of surveillance of a nuclear researcher's home. Investigators are looking at whether the Brussels bombers may have been connected to that tape. Analysts who've seen the video say it suggests that perhaps the bombers were looking at farfetched plot in which they might kidnap the nuclear researcher in order to force some kind of access to radioactive materials.

Officials who we've spoken to say that these materials are closely guarded, it would have been nearly impossible for the bombers to pull off, but heightened concerns right now, and really as always about keeping those materials safe in this country and really across Europe -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Very unsettling evidence there. Alexandra Field reporting from Brussels, thank you.

ROMANS: Investigators in Europe are struggling to break into 40 mobile phones seized by police during the Paris terror attacks. And they are turning up the pressure on technology firms to help them hack into these devices. The vast majority of the devices are iPhones, running newer software that Apple claims it cannot breach.

Here in the U.S., the FBI has successfully hacked into the iPhone 5c used by one of the San Bernardino terrorists with the help of a third party. Now, the FBI will now be testing that technique and other version of the device.

A Virginia state trooper is shot and killed during a training exercise at a Greyhound bus station in Richmond. Police say 37-year- old trooper Chad Dermyer was taken part in the exercise with about a dozen other officers when he approached the unidentified suspect who shot him at point blank range. Two other troopers who shot and killed the gunman. Two civilian women were also hurt.

SANCHEZ: Ferguson, Missouri, has a new police chief following a nationwide three-month search. Major Delrish Moss from the Miami Police Department has been handed that job. He was the senior executive assistant to the Miami chief of police and was commander of public information for the department. Moss told reporters, quote, "Change doesn't come easily, but I'm ready for the challenge."

ROMANS: In just a few hours, some 30,000 Chicago public school teachers are set to walk off the job. They will be picketing and holding rallies alongside thousands of other union members. This one day strike is designed to put pressure on lawmakers to boost state aid for education and other social services. The Chicago school system currently starting down a $1.1 billion deficit.

SANCHEZ: Well, it's April Fools Day. And one member of the world champion Golden State Warriors just got pranked big time. Coy Wire has this morning's bleacher report, next.

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[05:23:05] ROMANS: Wow. Talk about a wage gap. Members of the U.S. women's national soccer team are demanding equal pay for equal play.

SANCHEZ: It's a controversial story and Coy Wire has more in this morning's bleacher report.

Good morning, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Boris, Christine.

The women's national team, the defending World Cup and Olympics champs is one of the favorites to take gold in the Olympics this summer. And the women are arguing they should be paid as much as the men. Five team captains, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Hope Solo led the charge yesterday, filing a wage discrimination action against the U.S. Soccer Federation.

Their attorney says the U.S. Soccer Federation profited $16 million on the women's team last year, while it had a loss on the men's team. Yet, the women were paid only about a quarter of that, which the men were paid.

U.S. Soccer responded with a statement that reads, quote, "Our efforts to be advocates for women's soccer are unwavering. We are committed to and engaged in negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement that addresses compensation with the Women's National Team Players Association to take effect when the current CBA expires at the end of this year," unquote.

Michigan State was upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament. You remember that when you and millions of other brackets were busted? Well, the Spartans still got to a hardware to the trophy case. Denzel Valentine was named the AP Player of the Year. The guard edged out Oklahoma's Buddy Hield by three votes. Congrats to Denzel and go Buddy, go. He and his Oklahoma Sooners are going to get to the Final Four party tomorrow when they take on Villanova. Then, it's Syracuse and North Carolina. Both games will be shown on sister channel TBS.

Finally, the Warriors center Festus Ezeli was played for a fool and it's early April Fools Day pranked yesterday. His teammates got him good. Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two sources close to the Warriors say that back up center Festus Ezeli will be released from his contract before the playoffs --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:25:09] WIRE: Now, Andre Iguodala set up this fake radio show announcement, saying that Festus had been cut. He got the rest of the team to play along. They started texting him after the fake news broke. Eventually, you know, they let him know it was a prank saying April Fools. This guy is thinking life is great. Five wins away from setting an all-time season record and then this.

Well, it's not over. Check out Ezeli's tweet. He said, "Sleep with one eye open."

I hope April Fools Day is filled with surprises for you guys. Boris, be aware. I hear there's a broad shouldered broadcaster tomorrow, with incredible hair, a blue shirt, blue tie, and white pocket square that's coming for your job.

SANCHEZ: I'll be keeping one eye open as Festus Ezeli will be.

Coy Wire, thank you so much.

ROMANS: Coy looks like Clark Kent or something, you know?

Happy April Fools Day. Everyone, be prepared today. Somebody's going to get you. Thanks.

SANCHEZ: Donald Trump and the head of the RNC hashing it out in the closed-door meeting. So, will the party unite behind Trump or are we expecting chaos in Cleveland?

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