Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Trump & GOP Present United Front; Sanders Fight for Democratic Nomination; Schools Get Transgender Orders. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired May 13, 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] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump and the Republican Party touting a new unity. But a key endorsement is yet to be made.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Bernie Sanders meantime not giving up. How he says he can defeat Hillary Clinton in the Democratic race for president.
HOWELL: And new this morning, the Obama administration instructing schools across the country to accommodate transgender students.
Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm George Howell, in for John Berman.
KOSIK: Good morning. I'm Alison Kosik. I'm in for Christine Romans. It's Friday, May 13th, 4:00 a.m. in the East.
Up first, talk of unity but still no endorsement. Donald Trump and Paul Ryan hashing it out at the RNC headquarters in Washington, D.C. The presumptive GOP nominee and the House speaker searching for common ground. Both men emerging from their closed door meeting with a message of optimism about unifying the Republican Party.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't mind going through a little bit of a slow process. It's a very big subject. We have a lot of things. I think for the most part, we agree on a lot of different items, and we're getting there.
REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: The process of unifying the Republican Party which just finished a primary about a week ago, perhaps one of the most divisive primaries in memory, takes some time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: RNC Chairman Reince Priebus was in the room with Ryan and Trump and he says the two men agreed to speak again soon, maybe even today.
We get more now from CNN's Dana Bash.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: George and Alison, it's hard to believe that just one week ago, we were all talking about the Republican Party split straight down the middle, starting at the top with Paul Ryan, the House speaker, and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Well, fast forward to now, we are ending the week in a very different place, thanks in large part almost exclusively to Donald Trump's trip here to Washington yesterday. His meeting with Paul Ryan at the behest of and with the help of the RNC Chair Reince Priebus. This was the first of several meetings that Trump had. It was just the three of them.
It was a chance for Ryan and Trump to get to know each other. They hadn't spent time together at all. Then, it was expanded to the rest of the House Republican leadership, and then later Trump was able to go over and talk to Senate Republican leaders. At the end of the day, unity was the name of the game.
This is not to say there aren't deep differences. There very much are. Paul Ryan, for example, has still not endorsed, and he still very much disagrees with the tone that Trump had taken during the primaries. Very much disagrees on really core policy issues from immigration to trade to how to fix the entitlements in this country, Medicare and Social Security.
But when it comes to trying to heal an incredibly fractured Republican Party and a primary system and a primary process, I should say, that was a lot tougher than a lot of people realized, coming out with a nominee that nobody here in Washington in their wildest dreams would have imagined this week ended a lot different than last week -- George and Allison.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOSIK: All right. Dana, thanks for that.
Donald Trump's former butler at the Mar-A-Lago in Florida is under investigation. The Secret Service looking into Anthony Senecal's Facebook posts, threatening the president and his family. One of them says President Obama should be hanged for treason. The Trump campaign is condemning the comments.
HOWELL: Turning now to the Democrats, as we're seeing Hillary Clinton staying focused on Donald Trump in the general election, Bernie Sanders keeps making the case that he is the best hope for the party to be the next president. Sanders is still out on the campaign trail, hitting it hard and predicting a contested convention this summer.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: George and Alison, Bernie Sanders is campaigning today in North Dakota. It's part of his pledge to fight for every vote in every state. This week alone has taken him from Montana to South Dakota where he saw Mt. Rushmore for the first time and on to North Dakota.
This weekend, Kentucky as well as Puerto Rico. He's campaigning in every state remaining. There are 11 contests remaining in this race. Eight states, three territories, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and District of Columbia here.
Now, Bernie Sanders is far behind in delegates, but he's increasingly making the argument that superdelegates, those party officials, should be coming to his side, particularly from states he actually won like New Hampshire, West Virginia, Minnesota. He won big majorities in those states but the superdelegates are siding with Hillary Clinton.
[04:35:01] He says that's point blank that's unfair but he has increasingly started more talking about Donald Trump, and the need to defeat him no matter who the Democratic nominee is.
Let's listen to what he said last night in South Dakota.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not here to say that Hillary Clinton can't defeat Donald Trump. I absolutely believe that she can. But I believe quite honestly that Bernie Sanders is the stronger candidate.
ZELENY: So, it is clear that Bernie Sanders is going after any of those voters who may be disaffected Bernie Sanders supporters. Donald Trump has been saying for weeks that Bernie Sanders has been treated unfairly, trying to win some of those Bernie Sanders voters over should he happen to not win the nomination. Bernie Sanders saying we'll do what it takes to defeat Donald Trump, that he will be on the Democratic side here.
So, one of Hillary Clinton's most biggest, most secret weapons in the nominating fight could actually be Bernie Sanders if they resolve their differences in the final month here after these primary contests end -- George and Alison.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Jeff, thank you.
Now, when it comes to the Democrats, the race might have looked very different had Joe Biden decided to run. A source tells CNN the vice president met several times last year with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, with hopes of having her as a potential running mate. No formal offer was extended with Biden formally ruling out a presidential bid last October.
KOSIK: The Obama administration is planning a series of immigration raids targeting mothers and children in the country illegally. It will be focused on individuals who crossed the border after January 1st, 2014. Almost 28,000 unaccompanied minors from Central America have been detained in the first six months of the current fiscal year. That's triple last year's rate. Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have come out against the raids.
HOWELL: A setback to tell you about in court for Obamacare and its supporters. A federal judge ruled the White House overstepped its constitutional powers by spending billions of dollars on subsidies without congressional approval. It is a big win for Republicans us about the ruling will not have an immediate impact because the judge put her own decision on hold pending an expected appeal by the Obama administration.
KOSIK: Later today, the White House will be directing public schools across the country to provide suitable bathroom and locker room accommodations for transgender students. The order specifically calls for facilities that match their chosen gender identity it affects all public schools and most colleges and universities receiving federal funds.
HOWELL: You're planning to travel this summer? Well, there may be a potential nightmare to tell you about. The TSA holds a briefing this afternoon to warn about increased passenger volume and the steps being taken to secure the nation's airports. 22 airports across the country have already turned to private firms to handle security screening. Lawmakers are calling for a suspension of checked baggage fees to speed up the process.
KOSIK: Time for an early start on your money. I'm seeing a lot of red arrows around the world. Markets closed lower in Asia. European markets are slightly lower and U.S. futures are following their lead. It's been a wild week for stocks. The Dow fell 217 points Wednesday, almost wiping out all of Tuesday's triple digit gains. The Dow closed Thursday with a small nine-point gain. The S&P 500 ended the day slightly lower and the NASDAQ fell half a percent.
Apple losing its spot as the world's most valuable company. Alphabet, Google's parent company, yes, that's in the top spot now. It's worth $498 billion. That's compared to Apple's $495 billion. The tech giants have battled for the top spot before. Alphabet topped Apple just three months ago but Apple quickly retook the lead.
Both companies have been poor performers on the stock market. Apple falling about 7 percent this year. But Apple, if you've watched it, it's been the worst stock in the Dow. That's a sentence I never thought I'd hear myself say.
HOWELL: And it's surprising.
KOSIK: Shares of Apple sitting at $90 a share which is a bargain to some.
HOWELL: Really surprising for people that are looking on -- waiting on that.
It is 4:09 here on the East Coast. This is EARLY START.
And still ahead, a crisis in Syria unfolding right now, a cease-fire collapsing. CNN takes you there live, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:13:33] HOWELL: Welcome back. In Syria, intense fighting erupted overnight. A cease-fire in the
war-torn country has expired and peace talks are facing difficult challenges there with Syria's information minister telling CNN there are, quote, "terrorists sitting at the table."
CNN is live in Syria this hour. Our senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen on the ground in Damascus with more on this very complicated conflict -- Fred.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, George, you're absolutely right. Complicated is the right word to describe it. While here in Damascus, a ceasefire is still going on. You're absolutely right. Up in Aleppo, it's absolutely fal1ing apart with some heavy fighting going on there.
At the same time, the international community's efforts to try and got some sort of peace deal going really hitting a lot of heavy water. What's going on there now is that both sides are trying to negotiate some sort of longer term ceasefire, but the big problem is that the opposition wants Bashar al Assad to step down.
However, the Syrian information minister in an interview told me that is absolutely not going to happen. Now, that alone makes the prospects for any sort of tangible headway in these peace talks very, very difficult. The U.S., of course, is trying to get to all of these sides to agree on a long-termer term ceasefire but also to a political transition process.
But there again the big problem is the violence in this country simply won't stop. After a ceasefire in Aleppo expired, it was not renewed. There were some heavy fighting that started on Thursday, went on all the way into Friday, and shows no sign of letting up.
[04:15:06] Both sides at this point in time, or all sides of this conflict don't seem to believe that they have enough trouble on the battlefield to go into these political negotiations and try and get some sort of tangible headway. They talk to the Syrian government. They've said they believe they can take back all of Aleppo, the opposition for their part said they're not backing down either.
So, some very, very difficult negotiations ahead. Secretary of State John Kerry, of course, is going to be at those negotiations trying to work with the Russians, the Iranians and the Saudis to try to get some longer term ceasefire going because in all of this, of course, as these parties continue to go at it, it's the Syrian civilians that continue to get crushed in the middle with hundreds of thousands already killed and wounded, and many, many more fleeing the country, George.
HOWELL: And, Fred, that's what I want to talk about. We talk about the politics of these ceasefires. But, really, the main focus is to bring relief to people, to get humanitarian aid into places like Aleppo. So, is that still happening? Are they able to get, you know, the food, water, medicine that people need into that war-torn area?
PLEITGEN: Absolutely, absolutely. Great question, George. And at this point in time, it's difficult. Part of the cease-fire agreement was also that they said that aid needs to reach besieged areas. But we were speaking yesterday to the Red Cross that's working here with the U.N. to try to get some aid to people under siege. They waited at a checkpoint for seven hours and were then not allowed to pass, had to go back, were not able to deliver their aid.
The same is true in other areas as well. There's rebel forces who are besieging government-held towns with people almost starving to death. There's, of course, ISIS that are besieging towns as well. So, the humanitarian situation is one that continues to be very difficult.
And one of the things when you speak to Syrians on the ground, they'll consistently tell you is they are downright angry at the fact that they feel that its international powers that are conducting battles between each other on this turf here in Syria and they feel that they are the ones who are suffering in the middle and that no one really has their best interest at heart in any of these negotiations or on the battlefield either, George.
HOWELL: You know, we look at those images in Aleppo. You get a sense of the hell so many people are deal with and have dealt with for years and years and years.
Senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen live for us in Damascus. Fred, thank you for your reporting.
KOSIK: Breaking overnight, another website pulling the plug on George Zimmerman's attempt to sell the handgun used to kill Trayvon Martin. It happened hours after the first listing was taken down from another auction site. United Gun Group releasing a statement saying this, "Our mission is to esteem the Second Amendment and provide a safe and secure platform for firearm enthusiasts and law-abiding citizens. Our association with Mr. Zimmerman does not help us achieve that objective."
Trayvon Martin's family declining to comment on the attempt to sell the weapon, saying they are focused on ending gun violence in America.
HOWELL: Prosecutors say Edward Nero, one of the six Baltimore police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray did not follow proper training protocols while making the controversial arrest. They claim Nero knew about seat belt protocols but chose to ignore them when Gray was being transported. The defense argues the officer wasn't even involved in Gray's apprehension.
KOSIK: Officers in two states suspended after a violent arrest was caught on video in New Hampshire. Here you can see the suspect identified as Richard Simone being swarmed and punched by authorities. The 50-year-old appearing to be trying to surrender to officers, dropping to his hands and knees following a high-speed chase. Oh, boy, look at that.
The governor of Massachusetts called the video incredibly disturbing. New Hampshire's state attorney has opened an investigation. That's just amazing.
HOWELL: My goodness.
The names of the unindicted co-conspirators in New Jersey's bridgegate scandal are expected to be released today. The action comes after journalists demanded their identities be made public. A list of the co-conspirators has been released to defense attorneys in the case against two of Governor Chris Christie's associates. They are accused of shutting down traffic lanes at the George Washington Bridge for political purposes.
KOSIK: And oh, yes, we heard the outrage from that.
HOWELL: Oh, you did. You shut that bridge down, there are problems.
KOSIK: Jihadi recruiters convicted and then set free. A CNN exclusive live in Brussels next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:24:06] KOSIK: Welcome back.
They prey on society's most vulnerable. Jihadist recruiters radicalizing young men and women. Sometimes right under the noses of their parents. The terror attacks in Brussels exposed Belgium as a fertile breeding ground for such extremists. One reason, a legal system that allows them to walk free even after they've been convicted in court.
Erin McLaughlin confronted a member of one of the most dangerous recruitment networks in Belgium. She joins us live from Brussels with this CNN exclusive.
Good morning, Erin.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alison.
That's right. Last week, some 28 individuals were convicted of being part of what's called the Zarkani network. It's the same network believed responsible for recruiting some of Europe's most dangerous terrorists. Terrorists behind the Paris and Brussels attacks. Now, a CNN producer was in the courtroom for that verdict and watched as two individuals convicted of being leaders within the network recruiters were allowed to walk free pending their appeal, even though they'd been sentenced to six to seven years in prison.
[04:25:15] Now, we managed to track one of those recruiters down to his home address. He confronted us, but refused to talk on camera. Now, convicted alongside him, an 18-year-old teenager Sabri Refla who is believed to have been killed in Syria in 2013. He was tried in absentia.
We spoke to his parents who are absolutely outraged that their son is dead while his recruiter, the man they believe is responsible for radicalizing him, is walking the streets of Brussels. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SALIHA BEN ALI, MOTEHR OF SABRI REFLA: I don't really believe in human justice, but in God justice, and he will pay. Not here, but by God. And I just want to tell him that my son didn't have a second chance like him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLAUGHLIN: Now, we spoke to the president of the tribunal. He told us he stands by the court's decision. It was based on the good behavior of the recruiters during the trial. And he also noted that if the decision is upheld in appeal, those men will be going to prison -- Alison.
KOSIK: It is outrageous, the things you are saying, to see how these terrorists are being recruited at such a young age.
Erin McLaughlin, thanks so much.
HOWELL: Donald Trump and Republican leaders presenting a new united front, but key differences still remain and keep that party divided. We'll have more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
