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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Bracing For The "Acela Primary"; Trump: It Would Be Easier To Be Presidential; Police Gather 18 Pieces Of Crucial Evidence; Two Hundred Fifty More Special Operations Troops To Syria. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired April 25, 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] ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Back to you, guys.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Athena Jones with the well-traveled president these days. Thank you very much.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, overnight, Ted Cruz and John Kasich joining forces to block Donald Trump from clinching the nomination.

The two campaigns simultaneously releasing statements announcing they are dividing upcoming primaries between them in order to keep Trump from gaining the 1,237 delegates he needs to take the nomination on the first ballot.

Cruz's campaign saying it will, quote, "clear the path for Kasich in Oregon and New Mexico. Kasich's campaign says it will cede in Indiana to Cruz.

Trump blasting the plan in a late night tweet, "Wow, just announced that Lying Ted and Kasich are going to collude in order to keep me from getting the Republican nomination, desperation."

MARQUEZ: Now all of this comes with just one day to go now until the so-called "Acela primary." Tomorrow is Super Tuesday along the eastern Seaborg.

Joining us to break all this down, very interesting politics these days is "Newsday" columnist, Ellis Henican, co-author of "The Party Is Over: How The Extreme Right Hijacked The GOP and I Became A Democrat." Good morning to you.

ELLIS HENICAN, COLUMNIST/CO-AUTHOR, "THE PARTY IS OVER": Good morning, guys. Tag team time, right?

ROMANS: What about the voters? Here's what I have a question about, the Ted Cruz, John Kasich issue here. Coming together to decide how they are going to divide up these upcoming primaries. What if you are a voter in Indiana and you like John Kasich?

HENICAN: You are a moderate Republican in Indiana and all of a sudden you're supposed to vote for Ted Cruz? It is a little strange. You know what? What else are they going to do? Trump is romping toward the nomination at this point. It makes a certain amount of logical sense. You take the ones you are strong in. You take the ones you're strong in and we'll hope for the best.

MARQUEZ: This all comes down to Indiana, 57 delegates at stake here. Trump needs a good chunk of those. The latest Fox News poll, he is up by a few points in Indiana. Without Kasich in that race, obviously, it helps him, 41 percent to 33 percent. But doesn't this just make Donald Trump's point for him? It will make Republicans who may have been on the fence about him say they are doing that.

HENICAN: It is a good argument. I think it does a little bit. On the other hand, if these guys lose, who cares what kind of point it makes, right? I mean, their backs are against the wall at this point. Kind of running out of options. I'm not saying it will work, but I'm saying it may be better than anything else.

ROMANS: Let's listen to a montage of sound we put together for you from these two from Sunday that doesn't sound like they are working together. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KASICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A vote for Cruz or Trump, frankly is a vote for Hillary Clinton. At the end of it all, I think when we are at the convention, the delegates want to know who can beat Hillary. These guys don't have enough time to turn around super high negatives.

SENATOR TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: As we stand here today, there are two people and only two people who have any plausible path whatsoever to winning the Republican nomination, me and Donald Trump. As I said, plausible path.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: In just a few hours later, we get these simultaneous statements from the candidates.

HENICAN: Are you expecting consistency from political candidates? That's your problem. Yes, of course. It is completely different from what they were saying 12 hours ago. But again, maybe with few choices at this point I think.

MARQUEZ: Politics makes strange (inaudible). The other thing that is interesting is that Trump was not looking like he would get close to 1,237. They must be seeing something in the numbers that suggest he is either going to make 1,237 or get really close.

HENICAN: Two things. One was the victory in New York. The other of the five primaries tomorrow, all of which he's doing well. In Pennsylvania, these are big votes.

MARQUEZ: Even if he does well on those, he is not going to get -- I mean, if he ends up with 1,100 going into the -- that's going to be a problem. It didn't look like he was headed for even the 1,200 at this point.

HENICAN: Yes, but it may be the close is good enough. If he is just a smidge away, it is pretty hard to deny him in Cleveland I think.

ROMANS: Donald Trump had a Maryland rally yesterday. He was talking about this idea that he will turn more presidential and why he hasn't used a presidential tone. Listen to what he said yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is so much easier to be presidential. I don't have to use energy. I can just walk out. So much easier. You think this is easing? Ranting and raving? Wouldn't it be interesting? I changed and everyone said, this is the most presidential candidate since Abraham Lincoln and then we started to lose. Won't that be terrible? We have to be careful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Just about every week for the past month or so, there has been this, well, this is the week he's going to start to sound more presidential and he doesn't. He has the same performance in front of the big crowds. It has been working for him.

[05:05:04]HENICAN: Yes. I think it takes Donald more energy to restrain himself. I mean, he has that kind of wild beast thing about him. He's trying. His aides thinks he needs to. He probably thinks he needs to and then he gets in front of a crowd and talking about Lying Ted and Hillary.

MARQUEZ: I thought he was meant to sort of rein all of that in. That hasn't -- he seems to be doubling down on what --

HENICAN: I don't think he can. I'm not sure he can. He will have the meeting with Putin and it will come out and do the nicknames.

ROMANS: But this is what has been working for him from day one.

HENICAN: People like it.

ROMANS: If you are talking about turning more presidential, then you are talking about delegates and the mainstream Republican voter who is trying to decide now between Ted Cruz and John Kasich and not Donald Trump.

HENICAN: They don't like Trump anyway. Remember they used to say let Reagan be Reagan. I don't think you can stop Trump from being stump.

MARQUEZ: What is a win for Trump in Indiana? If he gets half those -- because those are divided up by congressional district and winner take all portion of them. How many does he have to win in Indiana to say --

HENICAN: I don't think we can know that until we see what happens tomorrow. You tell me how those five add up and I'll tell you what he needs in Indiana.

MARQUEZ: The Kasich stuff in Indiana is fascinating. He is rating at 16 percent in Indiana, Cruz at 33 percent and Trump at 41 percent. I mean, this late in the game with the Kasich game still sort of -- the principals haven't even discussed this. I mean, is this really going to have much of an effect?

HENICAN: No. The problem on Kasich's end. His pitch is electability. Come November, he will be the guy who can win. You have to win some elections other than his home state at some point. He doesn't seem to be able to find the place where can he turn that around.

ROMANS: Let's me ask you about the Dems here. Charles Koch was fascinating in his interview -- let's listen to this. He was asked about Hillary Clinton. He was asked about who he would support in the election. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it possible another Clinton could be better than another Republican?

CHARLES KOCH, CEO, KOCH INDUSTRIES: It's possible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You couldn't see yourself supporting Hillary Clinton, could you?

KOCH: Well, her -- we would have to believe her actions would be different than her rhetoric. Let me put it that way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: This is a conservative mega donor.

HENICAN: I'm trying to get inside Hillary's head as she is hearing that. Do I want this endorsement? Do things really go better with Koch for me? That's a bad pun.

MARQUEZ: Since you got up early for us, we'll forgive you. This sounds like a poisoned pill, though?

HENICAN: You think he is suckering her? That's interesting.

MARQUEZ: Why would he -- I mean, he didn't -- it wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement, but it is pretty bizarre.

HENICAN: Here's what I would say about Koch and his brother is that they fundamentally are libertarians. They want government out of business. You got to say that in the George W. Bush years, the deficits went up. There were a lot of regulations that they were concerned about.

They really can reasonably look back and say, you know what, we've done pretty well with the Dems. I think it's probably really what he's saying.

MARQUEZ: They are such a lightning rod. This cannot help her.

HENICAN: It is weird, isn't it? ROMANS: It's a hallmark of what has been a weird campaign. This is what she said, "Not interested in endorsements from people who deny climate science and try to make it harder for people to vote."

HENICAN: That's a tough one to accept, isn't it?

ROMANS: Ellis Henican, we'll talk to you again very, very soon. Thank you. Thank you for dropping by.

It's 8 minutes past the hour. Time for an EARLY START on your money this morning. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders blame bad trade deals for America's economic woes. Trump claims China is winning, America losing.

A new CNN Money analysis illustrates a difference the Chinese middle class is booming. Incomes in China have surged 70 percent from 1988 to 2008. Over that time, American incomes have risen just 4 percent.

The average Chinese middle class family still earns just $9,000 a year. The median household income in the U.S. is around $54,000. That is about the same amount American families were making in 1995.

A survey shows 47 percent of Americans think trade deals are a good thing and 43 percent say they are a bad thing. In 2014, just 30 percent said that trade deals are bad.

Trade deals have undoubtedly helped China's economy grow, but it's not the sole cause of disappearing jobs in U.S. economic struggles. You got globalization, automation and American consumer's desire for cheap goods. All of that is in the mix.

MARQUEZ: Incredible with as much heat as trade deals have taken in the election year, 47 percent still support trade deals.

ROMANS: I was surprised that more support than do not support trade deals.

MARQUEZ: New information in the investigation into the execution- style shootings of the family in Ohio. A marijuana grow site found at the scene. Could a drug operation could have lived to the brutal killings?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:14:02]

ROMANS: New developments this morning in the execution style murders of eight family members in rural Ohio. Investigators now saying the victims were targeted. It may have been linked to a marijuana operation.

CNN's Nick Valencia has the very latest for us.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miguel and Christine, we now have a potential clue in the investigation with the attorney general here in Ohio, Mike Dewine, and the local sheriff in Pike County announcing that marijuana grow operations were found at three of four crime scenes where the eight members of the Rhoden family were shot in the head execution-style.

Now that has fueled speculation here by many residents that these murders could have been drug-related, though, officials did not make that connection.

They did however say that they've received more than 100 tips and interviewed between 50 and 60 people. They've also gathered 18 pieces of crucial evidence some of which is being tested by DNA.

We have been talking to members of this community. They say that they are fearful and the local sheriff trying to put some of those fears at ease saying that this was a pre-planned execution.

[05:15:02]A sophisticated operation specifically targeting the Rhoden family. We have caught up with friends and family of the Rhodens. The bestfriend of Dana Rhoden, we asked her directly if they had any connection to drugs or nefarious under world.

All she was willing to tell us is that everyone has skeletons in the closet including the Rhodens, but that overall they were good people. There is still no official motive or suspect or suspects. A lot of people in this community so very fearful that they could be targeted next -- Miguel, Christine.

MARQUEZ: Thanks, Nick Valencia.

Wild scene in Kansas as authorities close in one of the states most wanted fugitives. Two U.S. Marshals and an FBI agent shot Sunday after they've gotten to a gun battle with Orlando J. Collins at a motel where he was holed up.

A fire then ignited inside the 28-year-old's room eventually engulfing the entire building. Authorities later found an unidentified body in the room where they believed Collins was staying. The three federal agents hit by gunfire are expected to be OK.

ROMANS: A Wisconsin teenager is dead after police say he opened fire on two students outside a high school prom. An officer shot Jakob (ph) Wagner, who is accused of showing up at the Antigo High prom with a rifle. Authorities say the 18-year-old who used to attend that school began shooting as students left the dance. The victims are expected to be OK. So far no motive has been released.

MARQUEZ: Severe weather in the forecast for the central part of the country. Let's get to meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri, for the latest -- Pedram.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Christine and Miguel, the busy start to the week with severe weather this morning that's rolled across portions of the upper Midwest. Reports of tornadoes in the past 24 hours. Over 70 severe storm reports as well.

Take a look across Minneapolis and into Milwaukee. Potentially down towars Chicago. The Storm Prediction Center giving a 2 for severe weather concerns across Milwaukee and south to Chicago. About 13 million people live across this region that is going to be impacted.

Mainly for some large hail and damaging winds this afternoon. You can't rule out an isolated tornado. When you look at the climatological norms, we know the month of April, the third most active month in the calendar year when it comes to tornadic activity.

Up to 155 is what you expect. We've been in a tornado drought, only 39 tornadoes reported so far in April 2016. The reason I bring this to your attention is a major severe weather outbreak potential is here for Tuesday and Wednesday across the expansive area of central and southern plains.

Upwards of 23 million people in particular across Kansas City down towards Oklahoma City with a level four of a scale of one to five for severe weather we are going to follow -- guys.

ROMANS: All right, thank you so much for that, Pedram.

All right, a surprising wedding announcement made by a former lawmaker from Pennsylvania. Former Democratic Senator Harris Wofford coming out in the "New York Times."

He wrote a column detailing his plans to marry a man. The same-sex marriage coming 20 years after the death of his wife. He said he never thought he would find love again.

But all that changed when he met a young man on a beach in Florida that was nearly 15 years ago. Now he is 90 years old. His fiance is 40. They are set to be married on Saturday.

MARQUEZ: He was married to his wife for 48 years.

ROMANS: He said that love was real and pure and he had never felt -- he never thought he could feel that again. He did find it again with this man.

MARQUEZ: I am blown away by that story.

The Golden State Warriors taking a commanding lead in their playoff series with the Houston Rockets, but the defending NBA champs have a big concern. The status of superstar Stephen Curry who went down with a knee injury. Coy Wire with "The Bleacher Report" coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: On behalf of the American people, I want to thank Angela for being a champion of our alliance. On behalf of all of us, I want to thank you for your commitment to freedom and equality and human rights, which is a reflection of your own inspiring life.

I truly believe you have shown us the leadership of steady hands. How do you call it? The Merkel rata? And over the last seven years, I've relied on your friendship and counsel and your firm moral compass.

So we very much appreciate your chancellor, Angela Merkel. To the members of the (inaudible), Prime Minister Vile (ph), Mayor (inaudible) and distinguished guests and people of Germany and across Europe.

We also have some proud Americans here. There you go. I have to admit I have accepted a special place in my heart for the German people. Back when I was a candidate for office, you welcomed me with a small rally in Berlin where I spoke of change that is possible when the world stands as one.

As president, you treated me and Michelle and our daughters to wonderful hospitality. You offered me wonderful beer and you hosted our delegation here in Handover. My regret is I have never been to Germany for Oktoberfest.

So I will have to come back and I suspect it is more fun when you are not president. My timing will be good. As always, I bring the friendship of the American people.

[05:25:06]We consider the German people and all of our European allies to be among our closest friends in the world because we share so much experience and so many of the same values.

We believe that nations and people should live in security and peace. We believe in creating opportunity to lift up not just the few, but the many. And I'm proud to be the first American president to come to Europe and say in the United States, health care is not a privilege, it is now a right for all. We share that as well.

Perhaps most importantly, we believe in the equality and inherent dignity of every human being. Today in America, people have the freedom to marry the person that they love. We believe in justice that no child in the world should ever die from a mosquito bite.

No one should suffer from the ache of an empty stomach. That together we can save our planet and the world's most vulnerable from the effects of climate change. These are the things we share. It's born of common experience.

This is what I want to talk about today. The future that we are building together. Not separately, but together and that starts right here in Europe.

I want to begin with an observation that given the challenges that we face in the world and headlines we see every day may seem improbable but it's true.

We are fortunate to be living in the most peaceful, most prosperous and most progressive era in human history. That may surprise young people watching TV or looking at your phones and seems only bad news comes through every day.

But consider that it's been decades since the last war between major powers. More people live in democracies, more wealthier, and healthier and better educated.

With a global economy that has lifted up more than a billion people from extreme poverty and created new middle classes from the Americas, to Africa, to Asia.

Think of the health of the average person in the world. Tens of millions of lives that we now save from disease and infant mortality and people now living longer lives.

Around the world, we're more tolerant with more opportunity for women and gays and lesbians as we push back on bigotry and prejudice.

And around the world, there's a new generation of young people like you that are connected by technology and driven by your idealism and your imagination and you're working together to start new ventures and hold governments more accountable and advance human dignity.

If you had to choose a moment in time to be born, anytime in human history, and you didn't know ahead of time what nationality you were or gender or what your economic status might be, you would choose today.

Which isn't to say that there is not still enormous suffering and tragedy and so much work for us to do. It is to remember that the trajectory of our history over the last 50 to 100 years has been remarkable.

And we can't take that for granted and we should take $, confidence in our ability to be able to shape our own destiny. That doesn't mean we can be complacent. Today, dangerous forces threaten to pull the world backwards. Our progress is not inevitable.

These challenges threaten Europe and they threaten our transatlantic community. We are not immune from the forces of change around the world. As they have elsewhere, barbaric terrorists have slaughtered innocent people in Paris and Brussels, and Istanbul, and San Bernardino, California. And we see these --