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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; Steph Curry's Status in Doubt for Game 3. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired April 21, 2016 - 05:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE 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.

[05:00:05] Here's what he had to say.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I mean, honestly, do you think this happens with Lyin' 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)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Jim Acosta, thanks so much.

The Democrats, Hillary Clinton, also looking forward this morning after the big win in New York. There's a new poll in Pennsylvania that shows her leading Bernie Sanders by 13 points. Overnight, Clinton staged a big rally in Philadelphia. And that is where we find 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.

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.

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BERMAN: All right. Our thanks to Joe Johns for that.

Joining us now to discuss the road ahead, CNN politics managing editor, Zach Wolf.

Zach, thank you so much for being with us this morning.

A lot of questions right now for Bernie Sanders and the Sanders campaign. What is their path forward? What does Bernie Sanders want? "The Washington Posts" asks.

Jeff Weaver suggested, the campaign manager suggested that their only path forward may be to flip super delegates between now and the convention. Well, something interesting happened overnight, MoveOn.org, which has been a big supporter of Bernie Sanders, essentially said, not so fast. We don't like this whole "flip the super delegates" thing.

Listen to what the head, the DC director of Move On said, "Super delegates shouldn't overrule the will of the Democratic grassroots. If the primary and caucus winner is Hillary Clinton, then Clinton should be the nominee." It's a very interesting statement from big supporters of Bernie Sanders and the type of thing that might be weighing on him this morning, Zach.

ZACH WOLF, CNN POLITICS MANAGING EDITOR: You know, it is. This is going to be the time of this primary where it starts to get a little more uncomfortable for Sanders. His mathematical path is basically not there to take the nomination. So, he's going to have, using primaries and things.

So, if you are the grassroots candidate and you don't have the votes, your argument is getting more difficult to make. It will get more difficult to make to primary voters. Even as he still has a lot of buzz, especially in western states.

His campaign is not wrong. California could be a good state for him. There are western contests that could be very good for him.

So, the end of him doing well on election night might not be over, but it just -- the math seems very difficult for him to do much before the convention.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: All of the candidates on the r move before we head to Super Tuesday next week. Last night, Donald Trump was in the eastern shore of Maryland, where, you know, any question about whether it'd be a new more refined Trump was put to rest because he was -- he was vintage Trump last night.

[05:05:05] And he is still hitting the RNC and his party for what he calls being crooked. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Politics is a very dirty, dirty dishonest business, folks, and I've never seen anything like it. And we're running now for office and it's a rigged deal. This whole thing with delegates is rigged. It's a rigged system. Where I win Louisiana, and I don't get as many delegates as some guy that lost?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: So our Jamie Gangel sat down and revealed the day in a life of Reince Priebus and where he is in this fight, this very public fight with the frontrunner. And he told her that he thinks this is a campaign strategy for Donald Trump. Listen to what he told her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIE GANGEL, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you conspiring against Donald Trump?

REINCE PRIEBUS, RNC CHAIRMAN: Of course not, of course not. That's insanity.

GANGEL: Is there a plan to steal the nomination?

PRIEBUS: No, there's nothing to steal. I mean, either you have the votes or you don't.

GANGEL: And you will be at peace if he is the nominee?

PRIEBUS: I'm going to be at peace with whoever the nominee is because I know that whoever the nominee is, is going to beat Hillary Clinton.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: You take a look at that piece. You can see it on CNN politics. It is interesting. Is a strategy from Trump to continue to bash his own party and party leadership, is that working for him?

WOLF: You know, it is interesting. Reince Priebus said you have the votes or you don't. I'm not sure if he was talking about votes from primary voters or voters from delegates by state parties?

I think this process has been illuminating on Americans on how this primaries work. It's this kind of a very democratic system in a lot of ways. There are all these archaic rules and all of that.

In that regard, I think Donald Trump has a very potent argument that he's come out and he's done well in all these states and he's had more people vote for him, and why isn't it just his? So, that will be a hard thing to counter for Republicans who don't like him.

BERMAN: And there's a lot of talk right now, Zach, that the magic number for Donald Trump might not be 1,237. If he gets close, then maybe some of the unbound delegates will put him over the top in Cleveland.

Now, look, Sean Spicer and others have come out and said, no, no, 1,237 is 1,237. If you're not there, you're not the winner. But that misses the point which is that you might be able to get there, even if you don't get there after the last primary on June 7th.

WOLF: Right, there are a lot of delegates at the Republican level who can basically are not bound. I think going to Pennsylvania, they elect a bunch who can change their mind. And there are not a ton of them, but enough to put him over the edge in the first ballot and that would be something to look for.

ROMANS: Let's talk about the RNC meetings in Florida. Last night, you had John Kasich talking to Erin Burnett talking about trying to drum up delegates and how no one has told him to get out.

Listen to what John Kasich said about how he will not drop out of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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: That, by the way, is Mitt Romney, the last nominee of the Republican Party. So, that's not exactly nobody.

ROMANS: We are still the same players. Here we are late April, the same players, all marching toward the conventions.

WOLF: John Kasich, you know, he will stay in the race, I guess, until the convention in the hopes something happen for him there. Way more than halfway through the states. He still doesn't have as many delegates as Marco Rubio who's been out for a good long while now.

BERMAN: That's not a good thing --

ROMANS: That's not a good strategy. Shows you how crazy this entire process has been.

All right. Zach Wolf, nice to see you. Talk to you again soon. Thanks for getting up early for us.

Speaking of getting up early, time for an early start on your money this morning. Famous American women will be featured on three U.S. currency bills. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew is going to put Harriet Tubman, replacing Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill. This is our version of what it would look like. Jackson moves to the back of the bill.

Alexander Hamilton, he will stay on the front of the $10 bill. He had a resurgence of popularity following this hit Broadway musical. The back of the bill will feature a montage of women involved in the American 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 feature scenes from historical events that took place at the Lincoln Memorial. Lincoln stays on the front.

The announcement follows months of debate and controversy, a lot of controversy, over how to incorporate a woman's portrait unto the $10 bill. And there are some very famous women, by the way, who are still mad about this, who are not happy about this.

[05:10:02] They think a woman should be in the front of the $10 bill, period. A woman should be on the front of a $10 bill --

BERMAN: That is because it would happen more quickly, right?

ROMANS: It will happen more quickly, and they say a montage of the suffrage movement relegate Susan B. Anthony to, you know, to not as prominent of Alexander Hamilton. So, it's interesting controversy but these new bills will be coming.

BERMAN: It is creative solution they came up and I think there are a lot of women honored. The timeframe takes a long time.

ROMANS: That is because of anti-counterfeiting measures. Harriet Tubman, I mean, there's just overwhelming support for putting her on the front of the twenty. BERMAN: Tensions high for President Obama as he tackles really difficult topics with leaders in Saudi Arabia, the war on ISIS and the nuclear deal with Iran. That's all next.

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[05:15:05] BERMAN: The president is in Saudi Arabia this morning where the White House insists the air has been cleared between the U.S. and its long time ally. President Obama spent 2 1/2 hours for the Saudi King Salman, tackling several thorny issues, including Iran's role in the Middle East, the conflict in Yemen and the fight against ISIS.

Administration official claim that progress has been made between the two countries. The member of the Saudi family is looking for a recalibration of the relationship.

Let's get more on these meetings, let's turn to Ric Robertson live in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, and some really delicate diplomacy going on in Saudi Arabia for the president, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Really, this is the case. It will be the toughest days of his 24 hours here. If you were yesterday meeting with King Salman in a bilateral. But today, sitting down with all King Salman's Gulf allies, the GCC, the Kuwaitis, the Emiratis, the Bahrainis, the Omanis, and the Qataris.

So, if you will, he's going to hear and reinforce what he heard, what he would have heard during that over two-hour meeting with the king yesterday amplified. There is excellent cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States and their allies in counterterrorism efforts. Saudi Arabia plays a big role there. Saudi Arabia wants to be seen as a strong ally with the United States.

But what really clouds the relationship at the moment is the United States nuclear deal with Iran. That seems through a negative prism in this part of the world. Indeed, it clouds pretty much everything. So, although the air will have been cleared in the meeting yesterday, I think President Obama today is going to face a lot of sort of tough diplomacy and this talk of recalibration from this former, very, very senior Saudi diplomat really echoes from what we hear from Saudis, that the United States turns toward Asia that its importance is falling. And that's a real concern.

BERMAN: Nic Robertson for us in Riyadh this morning, thanks so much, Nic.

ROMANS: Families who lost loved ones in the 1983 marine barracks attack in Beirut and other attacks linked to Iran, they can now collect damages from the nearly $2 billion in frozen Iranian assets. That ruling coming from the Supreme Court. The decision affects more than 1,300 relatives of victims, including families of the 241 U.S. members who died in the Beirut bombing.

BERMAN: 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.

ROMANS: The death toll climbing in a severe flooding around Houston. Officials now say at least eight people have died in the high water. Storms today -- more storms expected to pound parts of Texas, including Houston. Authorities keeping a close eye on two dams the Army Corps of Engineers deems extremely high risk.

BERMAN: Sad news from the world professional wrestling. Legendary WWE star Joan Laurer known in the ring as "Chyna", she was 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 as a possible drug overdose. Joan "Chyna" Laurer, she was 45 years old.

ROMANS: All right. The Golden State Warriors may have to play without Steph Curry again tonight. How serious is the superstar's ankle injury? Coy Wire with the morning's bleacher report, next.

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[05:22:58] BERMAN: ESPN broadcaster Curt Schilling, he was fired by ESPN for what's seen as an anti-transgender post on Facebook.

ROMANS: Coy Wire has more on this morning's bleacher report.

Hey, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine and John.

This was the last straw for ESPN. The former pitching start posted a meme which was since deleted, showing a man dressed as a woman with a comment "a man is a man no matter what they call themselves." Now, Schilling is no stranger to controversy. He was suspended by ESPN while covering last year's Little League World Series for posting a meme comparing Muslims to Nazis. That suspension lasted through MLB season. Now, yesterday, ESPN put out a statement saying it is an inclusive network and Curt Schilling has been advised, his conduct was unacceptable.

It was a big night for LeBron James and the Cavs against the pistons in game two of the playoff series. Second quarter, Matthew Dellavedova finds James and he might get charged for vandalism because he just abused that rim. Now, Cleveland, they went and summoned the three-point genie. They had 20 three-pointers. Cavs win 107-90. They got two games to none over Detroit.

Reigning NBA MVP Steph Curry tested out that twitched ankle at the Warriors' practice court yesterday after not playing game two against the Rockets, where they didn't him anyways. Warriors fans are hoping he can play tonight in Houston. Curry isn't sounding so confident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN CURRY, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: Based on how I feel right now, I could not play. But tomorrow could be different.

STEVE KERRY, WARRIORS HEAD COACH: If he is not quite OK and a risk of him injuring himself or making it worse, then we won't play him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Warriors and Rockets tip-off on TNT at 9:30 Eastern. Thunder and Mavericks play in the early game at 7:00 also on TNT. Raptors/Pacers get going at 7:30 on NBA TV.

Don't look now, people. A dust devil.

[05:25:01] Lynchburg, Virginia. Puts this college softball game on pause. The Lynchburg Hornets and Bridgewater Eagles, they were caught off guard.

Now, this whirlwind is impressive. But I'm more impressed by the players. No fear. I would have been out of there running.

The Falcons and Bills calling me back for a tryout I was running so fast. But this thing was gone, as you can see, almost as quickly as it appeared. It gets up to 40 miles an hour, maybe even 60 miles an hour out west. What a scene there in Lynchburg, Virginia, guys.

BERMAN: Not moving. Not moving at all.

Coy, on the Steph Curry thing, they don't need him. I mean, this could be the chance to rest Steph Curry for the first time after 82 games. He gets to playoffs, so he can get his rest from where he really needs.

WIRE: That tweaked ankle may be the best thing to ever happen to the Warriors in their attempt to repeat as champs. You're right. He's going to get some rest. And look out. Does that guy need any more energy? Whoo!

ROMANS: All right.

BERMAN: Coy Wire, thanks so much.

ROMANS: Thanks, Coy.

BERMAN: All right. New strategy and new states in the race for president. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump out in front and out on the trail. Can they stay in front? That's next.

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