Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

GOP Rules Are "Stacked Against Me", Says Trump; Hillary Clinton's New York Momentum; Former NFL Star Will Smith Shot and Killed; Warriors Go For NBA's All-Time Wins Record; Kobe Bryant Plays Final Game Tonight. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired April 13, 2016 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:01] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: EARLY START continues right now.

(MUSIC)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump rallying against the Republican Party last night saying the rules are being stacked to keep him from winning the nomination.

BERMAN: And new this morning, Hillary Clinton maybe with some new momentum in New York in her battle with Bernie Sanders. A big new endorsement.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.

KINKADE: And hello. I'm Lynda Kinkade. It's Wednesday, April 13th, it's 5:00 a.m. in the east.

Overnight a biting, stinging back and forth between Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee and it all started right here on CNN. Trump says the party stacked the rules against him and he made this accusation while appearing with his family on a CNN town hall event. Trump said the RNC changed the rules to keep him from winning the nomination and, boy, was the RNC quick to respond.

CNN politics reporter Sara Murray has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Donald Trump making no effort to mend fences with the Republican Party last night, saying in our CNN town hall that he does not think the RNC wants him to win the nomination and he's bashing the nomination process along the way.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: You don't think the RNC wants you to get the nomination?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, I don't think so. I really don't. I mean --

COOPER: You think they're actively working against you? TRUMP: I don't know. I mean, I don't see it. It's not like it's --

I have 15 miles of proof. But certainly, they should want to have a vote of the people of Colorado. The people of Colorado -- I would have won. I won so many of the votes. I mean, the voting has been phenomenal. That's why I've won so many more states than Ted Cruz and Kasich.

MURRAY: Now, all of this seemed to be a bridge too far for Reince Priebus, the RNC chairman. He fired back on Twitter last night, saying, "Nomination process known for a year and beyond. It's the responsibility of the campaign to understand it. Complaints now? Give us all a break."

Meanwhile, this forum was an interesting one for Donald Trump. It was a rare moment when he was sharing the spotlight, not competing for it. He was joined by his wife Melania and four of his children. And they spoke, frankly, about some of the issues he's been having, particularly in terms of how he speaks to female voters, and Ivanka Trump said that she doesn't see any issue with it, and she points to how she was raised alongside her brother as proof that her father treats men and women equally.

IVANKA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S DAUGHTER: I think the facts speak for themselves. I have witnessed these incredible female role models that he's employed in the highest executive positions at the Trump organization my entire life. And an industry that has been dominated by men is still dominated by men, but certainly was when he was starting out in his career and he was employing some of these women and raising them through the ranks.

So, you know, for me, I think the way he raised me, the way he raised Tiffany, it's a testament to the fact that he believes in inspiring women, empowering women. He always taught me that there wasn't anything I couldn't do.

MURRAY: And Donald Trump will be back on the campaign trail today, but not in New York. He's taking a quick break from the Empire State primary, flying over to Pittsburgh for a rally. So, we'll see him later on this afternoon.

Back to you, guys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Let's talk about the Democratic and Republican races right now. Colleen McCain Nelson, White House correspondent for "The Wall Street Journal" joins us right now.

Colleen, great to see you.

That CNN town hall last night was pretty, pretty interesting, with Donald Trump really taking on the Republican Party, the Republican National Committee head on.

Let's just listen one more time to exactly what he said here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I know that it's stacked against me by the establishment. We had a lot of delegates they were not heard because the Republican Party out there was 100 percent probably controlled by the RNC. They changed the rules a number of months ago.

COOPER: About eight months ago.

TRUMP: Well, it's not very long ago.

COOPER: But you had a long time to better prepare an organization.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: They saw what I was doing and didn't like it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: He went on to say he thinks the Republican Party, the Republican National Committee doesn't want him to be the nominee. Reince Priebus responded forcefully in a tweet overnight.

You know, Colleen, I'm wondering, does the Republican Party want to be in a fight like this with its front-runner?

COLLEEN MCCAIN NELSON, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, WALL STREET JOURNAL: Absolutely not. This is not what Reince Priebus signed up for. You can see his frustration spilling over into Twitter when he says the rules were in place, it's up to campaigns to understand them, complain now? Give us all a break.

So, I mean, clearly, Reince Priebus is frustrated, but for Donald Trump this is probably a good argument to make to his voters. I mean, he keeps sowing these seeds of discontent, kind of laying the groundwork in case he gets to a contested convention and faces the prospect of having the nomination going to someone else. He keeps telling his voters this system has been stacked against me. The RNC is out to get me and you should be angry about that.

And even though party leaders are frustrated with Donald Trump and say, it's up to you to understand the rules, I think for a lot of average voters, the rules seem a bit arcane at this point.

[05:05:03] And it is a little bit mystifying that if you get the most votes, you don't get the most delegates if Ted Cruz outmaneuvers you. And so, this could be a compelling argument to Donald Trump's voters.

KINKADE: Now, Colleen, Trump, of course, loves to use the word "loser". And Ted Cruz has used that word against him. He spoke on the Glenn Beck radio show. Have a listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald is a very sore loser. He doesn't handle losing well and he throws a fit. He's crying and screaming and yelling, and he insults people, and he curses at people. And he attacks people.

Donald loves to call people a loser. Donald wakes up at night in cold sweats that people will call him Losin' Donald.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

KINKADE: And now, going into the New York vote, Ted Cruz is well behind. He's coming in third. Is this a desperate attempt -- does he sound desperate?

NELSON: Well, he certainly is not elevating the discourse on the Republican side as we continue with all the name-calling. I mean, at this point, Ted Cruz just wants to continue his momentum. I mean, he -- he's had some wins, both in primaries and then we've seen it at the state level conventions.

And so, he wants to continue the momentum and continue the narratives, suggesting that he's a winner even though he's staring down the prospect of what is likely a very big loss in New York. He -- polls show him running a distant third there. So, at this point, he's just trying to emphasize to voters that he, in fact, has a chance to win, has a chance to catch up to Donald Trump, even though he's about to suffer what's expected to be a big loss.

BERMAN: You can also see Ted Cruz just wanting to plate game, mix it up a bit, throw the word loser around like that.

One guy apparently not playing the game or unwilling to play the game, unwilling to play the game for now is House Speaker Paul Ryan who ruled out yesterday conclusively forever beyond all reasonable doubt that he will put his name in nomination at the Republican convention in Cleveland. Let's listen to what the speaker said, or claimed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Let me be clear: I do not want nor will I accept the nomination from our party. I believe that you should only choose from a person who was actually participated in the primary. Count me out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right. Count me out. I just want to make two small points here. Number, he counted himself out from the speaker's battle initially, and he's now, he's the speaker of the House. He says, that's a very different thing.

Because it's early, Colleen, I want to engage in conspiracy theories here, but a different conspiracy theory, not on Paul Ryan but about the possibility that Paul Ryan may be opening up the door to others than the three guys still running being the ultimate nominee, because he specifically did not rule out the possibility that it would be someone who ran but now isn't running. Where he was asked very poignantly, are you saying it should be limited to the three guys in the race? He refused to answer that question. And Marco Rubio also used strange language yesterday, too. He also

refused to endorse Ted Cruz outright. I'm wondering if we might see a movement to open the door to a Rubio, or a Jeb Bush or a Scott Walker, these people who ran but backed off ultimately playing at convention.

NELSON: I think that's an interesting and plausible theory, because when Paul Ryan says it needs to be someone who decided to run, someone who is in the primaries, that doesn't rule out that many people. It leaves 17 possibilities on the Republican side. And so, he could have very easily said it needs to be someone running right now, and Reince Priebus has said that, he narrowed it down to the three people running right now and Paul Ryan didn't do that.

And Marco Rubio's comments were interesting when he said it needs -- when he said Ted Cruz is the only conservative in the race and he thinks the nominee should be a conservative. But he didn't say I think he'd be great for the job, I think he should get the nomination. So I think both of them are choosing their words carefully at this point. And as we keep seeing with Republicans, anything is possible heading into Cleveland.

KINKADE: And just quickly, looking at the Democrats, Hillary Clinton has been endorsed by "The New York Daily News", but given she's already well in front in the polls in the New York vote, what can that endorsement do for her?

NELSON: Well, it may not help Hillary Clinton as much as it hurts Bernie Sanders at this point. Bernie Sanders is trailing by double digits in every poll in New York. He needs to win New York. He needs to win a contest in a big way.

And so, even though the endorsement for "The New York Daily" isn't a surprise, Bernie Sanders needs big things to happen right now, and it also kind of gives Hillary Clinton more license to continue talking about the Bernie Sanders interview with "The Daily News" editorial board which did not go well. The Clinton campaign has really hammered on that.

[05:10:00] "The New York Daily News" editorial was not just an endorsement of Hillary Clinton but it was also an indictment of Bernie Sanders, they called him utterly unprepared for the job of president.

And so, that's not what Bernie Sanders needs as he is trying to make up a double digit deficit in New York.

BERMAN: It's a dramatic un-endorsement if you will.

Colleen McCain Nelson, great to have you here with us this morning. Thanks so much.

KINKADE: Thank you.

BERMAN: Tonight, more politics, Ted Cruz appears at a CNN Republican town hall. The final event this week. He'll be with his wife Heidi. They'll answer questions from Anderson Cooper and from voters. That's at 9:00 p.m. tonight, only on CNN. KINKAID: And we are just a day away now from the CNN Democratic

presidential debate in Brooklyn. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in a critical faceoff, that's tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

BERMAN: Time now for an EARLY START on your money. Alison Kosik here with that.

Good morning.

ALISON KOSIK, CNNMONEY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

I'm seeing green arrows across the board, which means it's a pretty good start of the day. Asian markets ended higher. European markets are in the green. U.S. stock futures, they are looking up as well.

And yesterday, it was a great day for Wall Street. The Dow gained 165 points. That's almost 1 percent. The S&P and NASDAQ also gained about 1 percent.

So, what the heck was this rally all about? Well, it's all about oil prices jumping to the highest levels for the year. The price for crude rising to $42.17 per barrel, that's 4.5 percent. All of that on rumors -- rumors that Saudi Arabia and Russia reached a deal to freeze oil output.

Oil prices have tumbled, as you know, the last two years because of a major oil glut over supply. OPEC countries so far have refused to pump less, but even those countries, they're beginning to feel the pinch. They're feeling the affect of the collapse in oil prices.

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia cut government spending because of declining oil revenues. But keep in mind, it's still rumor and conjecture. They're all meeting those OPEC and non-OPEC producing countries. They are meeting Sunday in Doha. We shall see if they, in fact, agree to freezing output.

BERMAN: There's a sense that maybe U.S. output is slowing, so the supply going down. Maybe that will keep the prices rising.

KOSIK: Yes.

BERMAN: Alison, thanks so much.

KINKADE: New surveillance video capturing the hit and run crash moments before the New Orleans saints star Will Smith was shot and killed. That story is just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:16:33] KINKADE: Welcome back.

The coroner's office is expected to release Will Smith's autopsy report later today. The former New Orleans Saint star was shot and killed. And there are new developments in the investigation. Police say a fully loaded .9 millimeter handgun was found inside Smith's SUV. New surveillance video appears to show a hit and run between Smith and suspect Cardell Hayes minutes before the fatal shots were fired.

Let's get the latest now from CNN's Jean Casarez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are learning more and more about what happened last Saturday night.

First of all, we want to show everybody this surveillance video. And as you can see there are two SUVs in the video. The first is a Hummer SUV, and that is allegedly driven at that point by the now defendant Cardell Hayes. Behind it is the Mercedes SUV believed to have been driven by former NFL player Will Smith.

As you can see, that Mercedes SUV hit the Hummer SUV. It pulls over, as you normally do when there is an accident. But the Mercedes SUV pulls out and leaves the scene. So, now, you have the Mercedes SUV in front of the Hummer SUV.

And that's really where police take it, they say that a few blocks down, that the Hummer SUV actually hits the Mercedes SUV, that Cardell Hayes gets out of his vehicle. He's got a gun. He shoots multiple times Will Smith killing him at the scene.

Well, an alleged eyewitness on cell phone video says there is a bit more to that story and there may be more than one weapon involved. Watch this.

WITNESS: He starts freaking out on this guy, like "I'm going fight you". And then he's like, I guess this guys was like, "Get out! I have as gun!" And then he goes, (EXPLETIVE DELETED) you all, I've got one too!" And he grabs his gun and then he shoots him in the back. He's dead.

CASAREZ: Law enforcement says they processed the scene for 12 hours. They only found one weapon. The defense attorney still adamant that his client was not the aggressor after the accident. But Cardell Hayes remains charged with second degree murder. His bail continues to be set at $1 million.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: A big night in the NBA. The Warriors bidding for the all- time win record. Kobe Bryant bidding farewell.

Coy Wire with this morning's bleacher report, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:23:17] BERMAN: All right. The final night of the NBA regular season tips off tonight with two huge story lines, three if you include the Celtics trying to get a good playoff position. The one everyone is talking about is the Warriors going for the all-time NBA record and Kobe playing his final game.

KINKADE: Coy Wire has more in this morning's bleacher report. Good to have with us. Big night for Kobe Bryant.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Lynda. Good to see you and John as well.

The last opportunity to watch an NBA legend in action or seeing perhaps the greatest offensive team in history attempting to make history. How do sports fans choose which game to watch tonight? Better warm up that thumb. Probably a lot of channel flipping.

The Warriors are hosting the Grizzlies tonight at Oracle Arena at 10:30 Eastern. If they win, it will be their 73rd win of the season, surpassing the '95/'96 Bulls for the best record in NBA history. The Warriors have said all along that their main goal was to win back-to- back titles. But those 15 men, they also understand and appreciate the significance of being in a position to do what no other team has done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN CURRY, WARRIORS GUARD: We put so much effort and energy into today, enjoy it. Tomorrow's not promised, obviously. So, why cheat that experience.

DRAYMOND GREEN, WARRIORS FORWARD: The way this thing played out, to be at home, one shot at it. It's pretty amazing. I'm excited about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: So that's a potentially momentous moment.

And then there's Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest of all time, taking the court one last time in Los Angeles. His Lakers take on the Jazz. It's going to be a true Hollywood sendoff, too.

[05:25:00] At least 30 of Kobe's former teammates are expected to be there, including Shaquille O'Neal, and then Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers will sing the national anthem.

The team says they denied hundreds of media credentials. And if you want a courtside seat, John Berman, it's going to cost you around 30Gs. That's right, $30,000. Now, L.A. loves them some Kobe. On Monday, he talked about how much he loves L.A. and how much the past 20 years have meant to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOBE BRYANT, RETIRING AFTER 20 NBA SEASONS: It means everything. You know, I grew up a die-hard Laker fan. So, you can -- it's like a dream come true for a kid to grow up, play for his favorite team and play here for 20 years, his entire career.

I've seen the city grow, I've seen the city develop and vice versa. There's no place I would rather end my career.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: An historic night in the NBA. About ten hours ago I posted a poll on Twitter. If you could have two courtside seats to either game, Warriors go going for the 73rd win or Kobe Bryant's last game, about 200 votes so far, and it's 50/50.

Now, John, you're an erudite sports fan for whom I have the utmost respect, kind sir. Who would you choose to see in action tonight?

BERMAN: First of all, flattery gets you everywhere. Second, I would go to the Warriors, right? I mean, unless Kobe is going to score 150 points and pass to him every time which they might, let's be honest, but I would want to see history with the Warriors. I think that's a bigger deal.

WIRE: I'm with you, buddy. I mean, I'd be like -- going to see Kobe would be like a kiss farewell tour, it'd be great, but you want to see some people in their prime, my humble opinion. But let me know. @coywire. Vote on Twitter.

BERMAN: All right. Coy, thanks so much.

WIRE: All right.

BERMAN: Donald Trump going after the RNC. Are the rules right now being stacked to keep him from the nomination? This morning, the party chairman fires back. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)