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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
The Race for President: New Strategies; Flint Water Crisis: Charges Filed; Obama Meets With Saudi Leaders. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired April 21, 2016 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:13] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Presidential candidates back on the campaign trail. New strategies in play as a critical day of primary elections nears.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Criminal charges filed in the Flint water crisis, and prosecutors say this is just the beginning.
ROMANS: A chilly reception for President Obama in Saudi Arabia. A summit set for how to fight ISIS. But will a strained relationship prevent any progress?
Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
BERMAN: Nice to see you today. I'm John Berman. It's Thursday, April 21, it is 4:00 a.m. in the East.
And this morning, it seems it is a new/old Donald Trump on the campaign trail. Right after his big win here in New York, Trump was more succinct, more refined, less nasty. Many wonder whether that was a version of Trump we would see in the campaign trail from now on.
Overnight, though, Trump held a rally in Maryland and the clear answer was no. Tonight, he will be in Pennsylvania, all part of the mid- Atlantic, or Acela primary next Tuesday, super in its own right.
CNN's Jim Acosta with the Trump campaign in Maryland has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, Donald Trump is back on in the attack, laying into this archrival Ted Cruz and previewing the one liners he will use to go after Hillary Clinton. Trump ditched the softer town that was on display this election night event in New York Tuesday night and adopted some of his toughest rhetoric yet. The GOP frontrunner suggested, as president, he will investigate Clinton's e-mail practices and return to the nickname he uses for Cruz.
Here's what he had to say.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I mean, honestly, do you think this happens with lying Ted Cruz? Believe me. First of all, the crowd would be about 25 people. That would be a
problem. Then they'd start falling asleep listening to this guy with the dramatics. We will fight. Oh, geez. Ay, yi, yi.
Lyin' Ted Cruz, you know he walks in, the bible held high, right? The bible held high. He puts it down. Comes over here and starts ranting and raving. And he starts lying, right?
ACOSTA: Trump and his advisers are feeling confident about his chances to reach that magic number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination. An internal memo obtained by CNN, the campaign boldly predicts Trump could have 1,400 delegates by the start of the convention in July. That is well ahead of the 1,237 he needs -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Jim Acosta -- thanks, Jim.
Donald Trump also returning to his message that the Republican Party's delegate system is rigged and crooked. But behind the scenes, Trump's doing the best to work that system. Tonight, the Trump campaign makes its pitch to members of the Republican National Committee at its spring meeting in Florida. Presentation will lay out Trump's path to victory.
But the RNC already pushing back hard against Trump's suggestion that if he gets close to a majority of delegates, the nomination should be his.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN SPICER, RNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: It takes 1,237 delegates to pass any order of business. And I think we've got to remember that. There is no other time that would ever say, you know, whether it's politics or sports, hey, if you get to the two yard line, that counts as a touchdown. That's just not how the rules work. That's the process that we've gone through dating back to 1856. Ultimately, a majority of the delegates will decide every aspect of our convention.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Ted Cruz and John Kasich left the campaign trail Wednesday to personally woo Republican leaders in Florida. The only path for either candidate at this point is a contested convention. Ted Cruz argue that he is the only plausible alternative to Donald Trump. But John Kasich was defiant, insisting that RNC leaders are encouraging him to stay in the race.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: John Kasich has no path whatsoever to the nomination. He has lost now, I think it's 31 states. He's won a total of one, his home state. His plan, apparently, rests upon losing 49 states, going to the convention and having all of the delegates say, the guy that lost every state in the Union except his own state, that should be the nominee.
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Oh, no, they all tell me please stay in the race. Nobody says get out. I don't hear anybody say get out except Mitt, I can't figure out where he is on Monday and then Tuesday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Today, both men are back in the campaign trail. Ted Cruz in Indianapolis, John Kasich in Pennsylvania.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton also taking momentum from her New York win to the campaign trail with her to Pennsylvania. Less than a week before that state's primary, Clinton is beating Sanders in a brand new poll by 13 points. Overnight, Clinton staged a rally in Philadelphia. That's where we find our Joe Johns.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, two stops for Hillary Clinton here in Philadelphia after her big win in New York.
[04:05:00] The first at an African-American church, an event on guns and violence, featuring among others, mothers of victims along with former attorney general, Eric Holder, a long time supporter of Hillary Clinton.
The second stop here at the Fillmore in Philadelphia, an organizing event, Hillary Clinton talked among other things about her connections to Pennsylvania, including the fact that her father is from Scranton. She also wants again touched on that issue of guns and violence which polls so well for her in urban areas.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've read the news before I got here today. You had 12 shootings in Philadelphia over the weekend. Four people killed. A police officer shot.
The story that was so heartbreaking was the father handling his gun and it went off and killed his 4-year-old, because of those 33,000 deaths, we have homicides, we have suicides, and we have all these tragic avoidable accidents. So we have work to do to save lives.
JOHNS: A handful of African-American protesters after the fashion of the Black Lives Matter movement were seen in the room holding up signs and chanting. They were removed by police officers in plainclothes wearing arm bands. They did not cause much disruption because the crowd noise in the room for Hillary Clinton was so loud -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Interesting. Joe Johns, thanks for that.
All right. Time for an early start on your money this morning. Famous American women will be now featured on three U.S. currency bills. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew says Harriet Tubman will replace Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill. You are seeing our version of what that might look like, the whole thing will be redesigned.
Jackson will move to the back. Alexander Hamilton will stay on the front of the $10 bill, you know, due in part to his popularity following a hit Broadway musical. In the back of the $10 bill, we'll see montage of women involved in the African -- or the American, rather, suffrage movement. That is the first of the updated bills to go into circulation. That will be in the year 2020.
And the back of the $5 bill will change. It will feature scenes from historical events that took place at the Lincoln Memorial. Lincoln stays on the front. The historical events are not likely to be paddle-boating. I'm sure it's going to be more like --
(CROSSTALK)
BERMAN: -- the historical significance of paddle boating.
ROMANS: The announcement follows months of debate and controversy over how to incorporate a woman's portrait unto the $10 bill. And I'll tell you, Jack Lew himself had told me that they didn't realize how much input they would get from the public about who should be on those bills.
You know, Andrew Jackson on the $20, a lot of people say that was a very easy choice to make. He, the seventh American president, he of the trail of tears fame, a slave owner himself. Several American presidents were from that era.
BERMAN: "The Washington Post" did a great story some months ago, saying no one can tell you why Andrew Jackson, or how he ended up in the $20. There is no historical record of how he got there to begin with.
ROMANS: Well, if you think about it, it's one of the most -- in the highest currency --
BERMAN: I think it is more circulated than the $100 and the $1 bill. It is rather stunning.
All right. Tensions high for president as he tackles tough topics with leaders in Saudi Arabia, from the war against ISIS, to the nuclear deal with Iran. This is already been the tense visit. What happens today? That's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:12:43] BERMAN: Families who lost loved ones in the 1983 marine barracks attack in Beirut and other attacks linked to Iran can now collect damages from nearly $2 billion in frozen Iranian assets. That ruling comes from the U.S. support. The decision affects more than 1,300 relatives of the victims, including families of the 241 U.S. service members who died in that Beirut bombing.
ROMANS: First on CNN, a senior Democratic senator challenging the airline industry to address a growing number of cases of alleged anti- Muslim discrimination. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois sending a letter to the Airlines for America Trade Association, urging respects for rights for all passengers. Many Arab and Muslim Americans report being removed from planes or not being allowed to board at all. Airlines for America says it is reviewing the senator's letter.
BERMAN: Britain's foreign office is using an advisory to all air travelers heading to the United States, warning them about controversial laws in North Carolina and Mississippi. The advisory is directed for members of Britain's LGBT community and talks about America's diverse attitudes from state to state. It advises LGBT citizens to exercise discretion in rural areas of the U.S. and to avoid excessive physical shows of affection in public.
ROMANS: All right. New this morning, retired all start pitcher Curt Schilling fired from his job as analyst for ESPN for his anti- transgender post on Facebook. Schilling commented on a photo saying, quote, "A man is a man no matter what they call themselves." He went on with more graphic comments.
Last year, Schilling was suspended for comparing Muslims to Nazis. ESPN put out a statement saying it is an inclusive network, and Curt Schilling has been advised his conduct was unacceptable.
BERMAN: The death toll is climbing, and severe flooding around Houston. Officials now say at least eight people have died in high water there. Storms today are expected to pound Texas, including Houston. Authorities are keeping a close eye on two major dams that the Army Corps of Engineers deems extremely high risk.
ROMANS: All right. For more on today's severe weather threat in Texas, let's get to meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: John and Christine, more thunderstorms in the forecasts. In fact, it actually resembles what we saw this time yesterday with wet weather really beginning to pick up in intensity in the early morning hours in northern Texas. That line eventually made it out towards Houston by the afternoon hours.
[04:15:02] In fact, look for the models want to do yet again this afternoon. We get a pretty large complex of thunderstorms right there across eastern Texas by this afternoon. And I think the bulk of the heavy rainfall, at least we hope the bulk of it comes down east of Houston where we know the vast majority of recent days have impacted areas west of Houston.
But notice this -- around, say, Beaumont, out towards Lake Charles, that's where we could see up to four, maybe six inches of rainfall Thursday afternoon. So, that is a tremendous amount of water in a short time period. But all indications this is moving to the east.
As it does, we get a brief cooling trend in the forecast. In places like New York, you go from upper 70s of Friday afternoon, eventually down to lower 60s, with sunny skies for the weekend even around Chicago, we're going to a see-saw battle of 60s and to 70s before 80s try to come back there Sunday, potentially into Monday as well, guys.
ROMANS: All right. Thanks for that. We'll take that.
Fifteen minutes past the hour. Criminal charges filed in the Flint Water crisis. More could be coming. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:20:24] BERMAN: Three government employees are the first to face criminal charges in connection with the Flint water contamination crisis. Two members of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and one Flint city worker are facing felony and misdemeanor charges that could lead to jail time. And the state attorney general says this is only the beginning.
Let's get more now from CNN's Sara Ganim in Flint.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, after 18 months of residents here being called liars and complainers about their water, this was a significant day for the people of Flint. Officials with the State Department of Environment Quality, Steve Busch and Mike Prysby now facing charges of official misconduct, tampering with evidence and violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Prosecutors say they deliberately failed to treat the water properly leading to high lead levels and leading to disease. In addition, a city official who worked at the water plant has also been charged with tampering with evidence and neglect.
Mike Glasgow talked to me last month in his first sit-down interview. He told me that he tried to do the right thing, but says Busch and Prysby convinced to change a crucial water quality report in January 2015.
So, you changed the report with lead numbers in Flint residences. Did you do that to try to cover up what was happening?
MIKE GLASGOW, CITY OF FLINT EMPLOYEE: No, I only did it because I was instructed to.
GANIM: Did you argue with them on whether or not you should change it?
GLASGOW: No, I just asked the question why. And they gave -- they cited some, I guess, solidified reasons to remove a couple items. So, I didn't question it much further. I mean --
GANIM: Glasgow told me he believed he was changing the report for technical reasons. He thought it was because of some homes only had partial lead piping. He says he didn't feel he have the power to overrule their decision, but prosecutors say that simply isn't enough, even comparing his defense to Nazi war criminals. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That defense didn't work in several places when
you are ordered to do something, right, Nuremberg and the like. That is tough with regards to Mr. Glasgow. But when you did a criminal act, an overt act, and you had the corrupt mind to do that act, you're going to be charged.
GANIM: Now, Steven Busch and Mike Prysby were both arraigned today and pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. Mike Glasgow has yet to be arraigned.
It is important to note that many state officials above these three men who made the significant decisions over the course of the crisis. The prosecutors are saying they're not done. Their investigation continues. They expect more charges to be filed and they say they are ruling no one out, not even the governor -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Sara Ganim, thank you for that.
Sad news this morning from the world of professional wrestling. The legendary WWE star known in the ring as "Chyna" found dead in her California home on Wednesday. Police say there are no signs of foul play. There are reports that the case is investigated at least as a possible drug overdose. Chyna was 45 years old.
BERMAN: New strategies deployed in the race for president. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump out in front, but can they stay there? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:28:15] BERMAN: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump trying to ride that momentum for their wins in New York. Will that momentum last into Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut and beyond?
ROMANS: Criminal charges filed in the Flint water crisis and this could be only the beginning.
BERMAN: A chilly reception for President Obama in Saudi Arabia. A Senate set for how to fight is, but will a strained relationship prevent progress?
Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman.
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It is Thursday morning. Twenty-eight minutes past the hour.
Nice to see you all. Nice to see you, John, this morning.
BERMAN: Even me?
ROMANS: Even you, especially you.
This morning, it seems it is a new/old Donald Trump on the campaign trail. Right after his big win in New York, Trump was more succinct, more refined and less nasty. Many wonder whether that was the version of the Trump we would see on the campaign trail from now on.
Overnight, Trump held a big rally in Maryland. The answer? Clearly no. Tonight, he will be in Pennsylvania, all part of the mid-Atlantic or as John called it, the Acela primary, next Tuesday, super in its own right.
CNN's Jim Acosta with the Trump campaign in Maryland has more for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: John and Christine, Donald Trump is back on in the attack, laying into this archrival Ted Cruz and previewing the one liners he will use to go after Hillary Clinton. Trump ditched the softer town that was on display this election night event in New York Tuesday night and adopted some of his toughest rhetoric yet. The GOP frontrunner suggested, as president, he will investigate Clinton's e- mail practices and return to the nickname he uses for Cruz.
Here's what he had to say.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I mean, honestly, do you think this happens with lying Ted Cruz? Believe me.
First of all, the crowd would be about 25 people. That would be a problem. Then they'd start falling asleep listening to this guy with the dramatics. We will fight. Oh, geez. Ay, yi, yi.
Lyin' Ted Cruz, you know he walks in, the bible held high, right? The bible held high. He puts it down. Comes over here and starts ranting and raving. And he starts lying, right?
