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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Donald Trump Pivots to General Election; Clinton Takes Aim At Trump; Attorney: Prince Sought Help for Opioid Addiction. Aired 4- 4:30a ET
Aired May 05, 2016 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:12] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The last man standing. Donald Trump on the campaign trail as the only Republican left in the race for president, speaking to CNN about the general election fight in front of him.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hillary Clinton taking aim at Donald Trump speaking with CNN about the presumptive Republican nominee and the Democratic primary challenger she still can't shake.
Good morning, everyone. Nice to see you. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.
ROMANS: Two great interviews to go over this morning.
I'm Christine Romans. It's Thursday, May 5th. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East.
Good morning, everyone. This morning, Donald Trump has cleared the field. He is the presumptive Republican nominee. Even so, he is on the campaign trail in West Virginia, which votes new Tuesday, along with Nebraska. Trump now officially the last man standing after Ohio Governor John Kasich dropped out less than 24 hours after Ted Cruz did the same.
Trump now tells CNN he now has his eyes fixed firmly on November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you think the general election campaign already started, you versus Hillary Clinton? That for all practical purposes, Bernie Sanders is out?
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I think what has happened is there's been a little flip, and I'm even surprised by it. I thought that I'd be going longer and she'd be going shorter. She can't put it away. That's like a football. They can't get the ball over the line. I put it away. She can't put it away.
So, I thought that I'd be out there and she'd be campaigning against me. I didn't realize, so yes, I'll be campaigning against her while she is campaigning --
BLITZER: So, the general election campaign from your perspective starts today?
TRUMP: It essentially started. I mean, yes, started today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Trump also tells Wolf Blitzer he is now starting to look at potential running mates.
CNN's Jim Acosta has more on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, with Cruz and now John Kasich out of the race, Trump campaign sources say the presumptive GOP nominee will start to focus on building a 50- state general election campaign with a much bigger staff that will begin to join forces with the RNC. And advisers to Trump say names are already beginning to surface as early favorites in the search for a running mate. Trump has said repeatedly he wants a politician as his vice president to help balance out the GOP ticket.
TRUMP: I would want somebody that would help me from a legislative standpoint, getting things passed through Senate, through Congress. And to me, that's why I think probably in terms of vice president, I'm going to go the political route. I don't need the business route. I've got that covered.
BLITZER: You think some of your former Republican presidential rivals would be on that list?
TRUMP: Could be. Could be. I mean, I have a lot of respect --
BLITZER: Even people who have said nasty things about you?
TRUMP: Well, I feel differently about that. When somebody says nasty, I don't -- I never like them quite the same.
ACOSTA: And a Trump source tells CNN, Ohio Senator Rob Portman, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley are the early favorites inside the campaign, as they'd be on anybody's shortlist.
Trump's daughter Ivanka is expected to offer her input on the process, which is said to be in its early stages. But all three of those potential running mates now tell CNN they are not interested. Portman through a spokesman said he won't be Trump's vice president. And Haley offered a statement to CNN that says, quote, "While I am flattered to be mentioned and proud of what that says about the great things going on in South Carolina, my plate full and I am not interested in serving as vice president."
Other names will undoubtedly come up, and Trump told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he would like to vet John Kasich -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: All right. Jim Acosta, thanks so much.
Clearly uniting Republicans is going to take a lot of work. Many party leaders are either dodging reporter's questions or simply saying outright, they will not back Trump. Both Presidents Bush, father and son, are making it clear they will not participate at all in the campaign, which seems to me no other endorsement or anything close.
But others reluctantly or not are climbing on the Trump bandwagon. Late last night, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell put out this statement. He said, "I have committed to supporting the nominee chosen by Republican voters and Donald Trump, the presumptive nominee, is now on the verge of clinching that nomination. He now has the opportunity and the obligation to unite our party around our goals."
ROMANS: On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are on the campaign trail. She is on the West Coast, fighting for the last big prize on the road to the Democratic nomination, California.
With the Republican fight now settled, Clinton is trying to turn her full attention to the general election and Donald Trump. But, you know, Sanders is complicating that effort. He is vowing to stay in this race all the way to the convention -- a move Clinton says she has no quarrel with.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know there are still contests ahead and I respect Senator Sanders in whatever choices he makes and I really -- I have a lot of empathy about this, Anderson. You know, I ran to the very end in 2008.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: You've been there. You know what it feels like.
CLINTON: And I won 9 of the last 12 contests. People forget that. I won Indiana. I won West Virginia. I won a lot of states. But I could not close the gap in pledged delegates.
[04:05:04] And the gap between me and Senator Sanders is far wider than it was between me and Senator Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny has more on Hillary Clinton's two-front battle.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, Hillary Clinton is campaigning today in California today, a reminder that her primary fight with Bernie Sanders is still on. The California primary on June 7th, will be one of the last contests in this long Democratic fight.
But the campaign is suddenly making a hard turn to the general election. She is sharpening her battle plan for Donald Trump and intentionally choosing two words to describe him. She said those two words again and again when she sat down yesterday with Anderson Cooper.
CLINTON: And I don't think we can take a risk on a loose cannon like Donald Trump running our country. You know, Donald Trump has said it's OK for other countries to get nuclear weapons. I think that's just downright dangerous. He has said wages are too high. I think we need to have a raise for the American people, raise the minimum wage, get wages going up.
I think when he says women should be punished for having abortions, that is beyond anything that I can imagine. I think most women can imagine.
COOPER: He did walk that back.
CLINTON: Well, he's a loose cannon.
ZELENY: So, as she uses the words "loose canyon" and "risky", he is calling her "crooked Hillary". Now, she starts with considerable advantages here, leading Trump by 13 points in a new CNN/ORC poll. With all the Republicans except Trump out of the race, Sanders is truly the third there, but he says he's staying in through at least California and the convention -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: Our thanks to Jeff Zeleny.
A federal judge has approved a plan for top aides to Hillary Clinton to give deposition in the Freedom of Information lawsuit over her personal email server. The judge left open the possibility that Clinton herself may have to testify later. A conservative watchdog groups wants proof the State Department did an adequate search of emails from the personal server Clinton used while she was secretary of state. Among those who will give depositions, Clinton's former chief of staff Cheryl Mills and current senior advisor, Huma Abedin.
ROMANS: All right. Time for an early start on your money this Thursday morning. Stock futures are higher after a drop yesterday. Investors can thank oil prices. Oil up more than 3 percent right now. Stocks in Europe and Asia, as you can see, are mixed.
Takata's air bag recall issues just got a whole lot worse. The company's recalling an additional 35 million to 40 million air bags. That nearly doubles the total number of recalls to 69 million in the U.S. This is the largest recall in U.S. history.
That means 20 percent of all cars on the nation's roads have air bags that pose a risk to drivers. Only 8 million have been repaired. Takata says it will not have enough parts to fix all of them until -- drum roll, please -- the year 2019. Three more years, dangerous airbags on the roads.
The air bags inflators can malfunction. They sent shrapnel flying at drivers. The faulty airbags have been tied to ten deaths and a hundred injuries in the U.S. Government regulators say the situation is urgent. Takata says it will continue to offer its best efforts to fix the problem, three years, one in five cars on the road in the U.S. needs an air bag fixed is really shocking.
BERMAN: That doesn't seem soon.
ROMANS: No, it doesn't.
BERMAN: All right. New details pouring in about Prince's final days. We'll tell you what we're learning about his battle with addiction.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:12:38] BERMAN: A new picture is emerging this morning of the final days and hours of Prince. He was scheduled to meet with representatives from a California doctor specializing opioid addiction. But he died the day before that meeting was to take place. The singer's inner circle is frantically trying to get help for a situation they described as a grave medical emergency.
Let's get more from CNN's Stephanie Elam.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine and John, Dr. Howard Kornfeld was unable to clear his schedule to travel to Minnesota from California on the 21st, but planned to arrive on the 22nd. That's according to William Mauzy, the Minneapolis lawyer representing the doctor. Instead, Kornfeld sent his son Andrew, a pre-med student who works with him on a red eye flight to meet with Prince Thursday morning at Paisley Park. His job was to explain to the musician how a treatment works.
Mauzy says this was an intervention being waged by Prince's team and the icon knew it was happening.
WILLIAM MAUZY, ATTORNEY: He set into motion a plan with what he felt was a life-saving mission. And that mission was to get Prince to a doctor in Minnesota on Thursday morning. He contacted a trusted colleague of his. That Minnesota doctor cleared his schedule for Thursday morning to provide privacy to Prince. Prince did not show up for that appointment on Thursday morning.
ELAM: The lawyer says Andrew, who arrived at Paisley Park around 9:30 a.m. Thursday with two of Prince's associates was the one who called 911 after Prince was discovered in an elevator. Prince was declared deceased about a half hour later.
In another development, a former lawyer for Duane Nelson, that's one of Prince's half siblings, claims to CNN that Duane told him that Prince used Percocet decades ago to calm down after his performances. Attorney William Patton says Duane told him he would sometimes ever procure the powerful painkiller for Prince.
Now, CNN cannot independently confirm the lawyer's account because Duane has already passed away. Duane did work for Prince at Paisley Park, but was fired and ended up suing his famous half brother -- Christine and John.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Stephanie, thank you for that.
The Justice Department is giving the state of North Carolina until Monday to remedy a controversial new transgender bathroom law that it calls a violation of the Civil Rights Act. The law also neutralizes a local anti-discrimination ordinances like the one passed in the city of Charlotte. Critics claim it opens the door to discrimination against the LGBT community. If the ruling stands, North Carolina stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal education funding.
BERMAN: California is the second state in the nation to raise the legal smoking age to 21. Governor Jerry Brown signed the measure into law on Wednesday. California will also begin regulating monitor electronic cigarettes under the same rules as tobacco products. The governor vetoed a bill that would have allowed local governments to impose taxes on tobacco products.
ROMANS: An emotional visit to Flint, Michigan, for President Obama. He spoke to hundreds of residents at a local high school where the tap water is still contaminated, where the tap water is undrinkable. He told the people of Flint he has their back and he did his best to show them progress is being made.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There you go. You know, generally I have not been doing students here, but, you know? And this used a filter. The water around is table, you know, was Flint water that was filtered. It just confirms what we know scientifically which is that if you are using a filter, if you're installing it, then Flint water at this point is drinkable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The president announced a $10 million allocation from Health and Human Services for new Medicare services in Flint, as well as lead contamination testing and treatment.
BERMAN: Attorneys for Bill Cosby are trying to delay a May 24 hearing in a criminal assault case against him in Pennsylvania. They just file an emergency stay asking the state's superior court to keep the case from moving forward. Cosby's team arguing a former district attorney promised their client immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony in a civil suit against him in 2005.
ROMANS: Johnny Manziel faces a Texas judge this morning. The former Cleveland Brown's quarterback was booked yesterday on a misdemeanor charge stemming from a domestic violence complaint by his ex- girlfriend. That charge carried a sentence of up to one year in jail, a $4,000 fine. Manziel has pleaded not guilty.
BERMAN: Firefighters with a difficult time gaining ground against a wildfire in Canada. More than 80,000 people forced to evacuate in the town of Fort McMurray. A state of emergency is now enforced. Look at these pictures.
Authorities say 1,600 structures in Alberta's oil sand region have been destroyed. Winds are pushing the flames toward a local airport. Firefighters are trying to get a handle on the blaze by air and ground. So far, luckily, no injuries.
ROMANS: You can just see how devastating it has been.
Chilly temperatures ahead for the Northeast. I want to bring in meteorologist Derek Van Dam.
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, John and Christine.
I hope you have not put away the sweaters and jackets just yet. We do have cool weather once again for the Northeast. We're talking temperatures around 10 to 15 degrees where they should be this time of year. All thanks to a slow moving low pressure system that's just moving off the New England coastline, that continues to wrap in the cool air from the North and also from a showery weather from the nation's capital through Boston, as well as New York City, even as far as the Carolinas.
Otherwise, across the Central U.S., we have lots of sunshine with high pressure in control and nice warming trend across the Colorado Rockies.
Going forward over the next 24 hours or so, you can still see the cooler weather holding on tight. There's our showery weather into the weekend, at least the early parts of the weekend, and yet another cold front diving south. That one not as strong as what we're experiencing now.
Fifty-seven in New York today, 58 degrees in D.C. Raleigh, 63, St. Louis, 69. Chicago at 61. Temperatures starting to go up from here, though. In the Big Apple, we'll reach to 70s by next week. The four- day forecast is looking pretty good as well.
Back to you.
ROMANS: All right. Derek, thank you for that, I think.
New information and dramatic new video on that ISIS attack that killed a U.S. Navy SEAL in Iraq. We've got that for you next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:23:24] ROMANS: New this morning, brand new footage from right in the middle of an intense firefight against ISIS militants in Iraq. It's our first look at the gun battle that killed a U.S. Navy SEAL who was trying to save his outnumbered colleagues from an attack.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh live in Amman, Jordan, for us this morning with that video.
What do we know new about exactly what happened there that killed the Navy SEAL, Jomana?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, this obtained exclusively by Britain's "Guardian" newspaper really gives you a glimpse into the intense battle that took place on Tuesday.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
KARADSHEH: You can see and you can hear U.S. Special Operation Forces there trying to fight back this ISIS assault. We also heard from Colonel Steve Warren, the U.S. spokesperson in Baghdad, telling reporters, giving them more information about this attack and how it unfolded on Tuesday.
He says that an advise and assist team was visiting. They had a meeting with the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the town of Tal-Skuf, that is north of Mosul. Now, this town he said, is about two miles back from the Kurdish frontlines.
But at about 7:30 a.m. local on Tuesday, ISIS militants launched this massive, surprise, coordinated and complex attack using bulldozers, suicide truck bombs and their infantry. And they managed to punch through the Kurdish frontlines and they sprinted toward this town where the U.S. team happened to be.
Now, a U.S. quick reaction force, QRF, which is made up of Navy SEALs, in this case responded to this attack to assist to U.S. forces on the ground. That is the team that Navy SEAL Charlie Keating IV was a part of and was killed in this firefight that ensued there.
Now, according to Colonel Warren, we heard that a medevac operation happened. That they managed to medevac the Navy SEAL and choppers came under fire from the ISIS forces on the ground. They took small arms fire and the operation, this medevac operation happened at the right time to try to get him the medical help he needed, but his wounds were unsurvivable.
We also heard again that the U.S. used drones and they also used fighter jets, dropped more than 30 bombs on the ISIS positions. And this is a battle, Christine, that is being described by the U.S. military as one of the most intense and largest they have seen that ISIS has managed to pull off in months now since December of last year.
ROMANS: All right. Jomana Karadsheh, thank you for that.
Of course, our thoughts and prayers are with his family this morning.
Thank you so much for that, Jomana.
Just a tragedy out there.
BERMAN: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, they are taking aim at each other. Two interviews with CNN, the frontrunners -- not the frontrunners -- well, the presumptive nominee and the Democratic frontrunner taking aim at each other.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
