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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Trump & Ryan Tout Party Unity; Sanders Fight for Democratic Nomination; Schools Get Transgender Orders; Syria Ceasefire Expires. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired May 13, 2016 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:30:58] ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump and Paul Ryan presenting a united front. Republicans praising Trump after a day of meetings on Capitol Hill, but will key endorsements follow?
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Bernie Sanders is on the campaign trail today making the case that he is the best Democrat to take on Donald Trump.
KOSIK: New this morning, the White House ordering public schools to accommodate transgender students.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Alison Kosik, in for Christine Romans.
HOWELL: And I'm George Howell, in for John Berman. Friday the 13th and 4:31 at this point on the East Coast.
And, up first, Donald Trump and Paul Ryan moving toward unifying the Republican Party but still a key endorsement from the House speaker yet to be had. The GOP heavyweights hashing it out at an RNC meeting at headquarters in Washington hoping to find common ground. Both men emerging from their closed door meet with a message of optimism about uniting 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)
BERMAN: The chairman of the RNC, Reince Priebus, was in the room with Trump and Ryan. 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)
HOWELL: Dana, thank you.
And the key question, is this true unity or a grin and bear it moment, because you have, you know, Mitt Romney, the former presidential nominee, not attending the convention. The former presidents of the United States, Bushes, not attending the convention. Are we starting to see unity? We'll have to wait and see.
KOSIK: I think it's interesting that you saw Paul Ryan come out and say this is a process. What's going to happen in this process to make him come over the edge and to see Trump's side?
HOWELL: More conversations for sure.
KOSIK: Yes.
HOWELL: Donald Trump's former butler at Mar-A-Lago club in Florida is under investigation. The Secret Service looking into Anthony Senecal's Facebook posts, threatening the president of the United States, Barack Obama, and his family.
[04:35:04] One of them says President Obama should be hanged for treason. The Trump campaign is condemning the comments.
KOSIK: All right. Turning to the Democrats, Hillary Clinton staying focused on Donald Trump and the general election while Bernie Sanders keeps making the case that he is the best hope for the party to hold on to the White House. Sanders is hitting the trail hard 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.
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)
KOSIK: Jeff Zeleny, thanks for that.
The Democratic race may have been very different if 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.
HOWELL: 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. Nearly 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.
KOSIK: 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 but 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.
HOWELL: 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.
So, if you are planning to travel this summer, we have some bad news to share with you from the TSA. The TSA will be holding a briefing this afternoon to warn about increased passenger volume and the steps that are being taken to secure the nation's airports. Twenty-two airports across the country have already turned to private firms to handle security screening. Lawmakers are calling for 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. Markets closed lower in Asia. European markets slightly low are and U.S. futures are following their lead. The Dow fell 217 points Wednesday. That almost wiped out all of Tuesday's triple digit gains. The Dow closed Thursday with a small gain. The S&P 500 ending the day slightly lower. The NASDAQ fell half a percent.
Mark Zuckerberg wants to meet conservatives amid allegations of bias. The CEO says Facebook is investigating allegations the company suppressed news about conservatives from its trending box. Facebook says it's found no evidence so far that it's true, and released its guidelines for determining trending topic. Zuckerberg will invite leading conservatives to discuss their points of view in the coming weeks.
[04:40:04] HOWELL: They are taking a lot of heat for this.
KOSIK: Me thinks Zuckerberg is trying to save face here. That's just my opinion.
HOWELL: Looks like it.
KOSIK: A crisis in Syria, ceasefire collapsing. Peace talks going nowhere. CNN takes you live next.
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KOSIK: Intense fighting erupting overnight in Syria. A cease-fire in the war-ravaged company now expired. Peace talks facing difficult challenges with Syria's information minister telling CNN there are terrorists sitting at the table.
CNN senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen joins us live from Damascus with the latest.
You know, it was just a week ago, Secretary of State John Kerry gave a hard and fast deadline of August 1. That starts the political transition in Syria, without Bashar al Assad. So much for that.
[04:45:02] FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're absolutely right, Alison.
One of the other things the information minister said in an interview that I conducted with him yesterday is he said that any sort of notion that Bashar al Assad would step down is something that the Syrian government, quote, rejects. Of course, that's one of the main things that the opposition actually wants as these talks that are going to happen on Tuesday are getting ready to get under way. So, certainly, that's something that could throw another wrench into the whole machination of trying to get any cease-fire going.
At the same time, what you have is a situation in Syria that's deteriorating even more than it was before. Over the past couple of days here in Damascus, there's been a cease-fire that's been holding. People were very happy with that here on the ground, ordinary folks.
At the same time, there was one in Aleppo as well. That has completely fallen apart. It was not renewed. There was fighting going on, there were some really heavy shelling and, of course, the killing has resumed again as well. And it's really something that's taking a very heavy toll on the civilians here in Syria. People have been talking to me here. They say, look, all we want at this point is some peace and quiet.
They're quite angry at the fact there's little headway being made at these international talks. Now, of course, the U.S. has said they want to team up with Russia to try and get some sort of longer term cease-fire going to get all these sides to abide by it. But if you don't make any sort of political headway and certainly judging by some of the comments I heard yesterday from the Syrian government and from the opposition as well, any sort of political headway is something that seems very difficult to come by. But as long as that is not here, the hope of any sort of lasting
cease-fire, any sort of peace process is one that is pretty remote here in this country that has gone through these five years of devastating civil war with more than 300,000 people kills.
KOSIK: And devastating it is, because as you see officials go around and around truth to find peace, try to get talks under way, you have a huge humanitarian crisis happening there.
PLEITGEN: Yes. I mean, look, 7.5 million people internally displaced inside Syria. More than 4 million possibly over 5 million that have fled the country. Most of them to Europe but some also to the U.S. and Canada as well. And well over 300,000 people killed, hundreds of thousands of people wounded.
Of course, it's a major humanitarian disaster. And the other thing is that aid that's supposed to get to some of these people is having a very difficult time getting through. There's a lot of areas in this country that are besieged, some besieged by the Syrian government, others by rebel groups. Even worse, some areas besieged by ISIS, and in many cases, the aid isn't getting through.
I was talking to the Red Cross yesterday. And they were telling me they sat at a checkpoint in the Damascus area for seven hours and were then turned back, not allowed to bring food and medical aid to the people they want it to go to. It's bad for the civilians and something they feel the international community should have more of a sense of urgency than what they are seeing right now, Alison.
KOSIK: Absolutely. All right. Fred Pleitgen live from Damascus, thanks very much.
HOWELL: 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 this statement saying, quote, "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 sale of this weapon, saying they are focused on ending gun violence in America.
KOSIK: 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.
HOWELL: Take a look at this video. Officers in two states suspended after a violent arrest was caught on tape in Nashua, New Hampshire. You see the suspect identified as Richard Simone being swarmed and then punched by authorities. The 50-year-old appeared to be trying to surrender to officers, dropping his hands and going to his knees following a high-speed chase.
The governor of Massachusetts calls the video incredibly disturbing. New Hampshire's state attorney has opened an investigation into that case.
KOSIK: Sad news to report this morning. A man featured on CNN's "Chicagoland" shot and killed. Chicago police found Lee Mccullum Jr. with a gunshot wound to the head. It's unclear who is behind the murder.
The 22-year-old features on the CNN series sharing his struggles to stay out of gangs. He ultimately went on to graduate as an honor student, a star athlete, a prom king.
[04:50:05] This is really heartbreaking.
HOWELL: It really is.
KOSIK: Someone is trying to get out of all of that.
HOWELL: Yes.
KOSIK: And he accomplished so much in his short life.
HOWELL: I covered Chicago for a couple of years in the Chicago bureau. We focused a lot on the violence there on the south side. There are so many families just trying to make their way out of that situation. And the sad fact of the matter is regardless of what they do, many times, they still fall victim to these gangs and violence.
KOSIK: As in this case, very sad. Our hearts go out to his family.
HOWELL: Another story we're following here --
KOSIK: Joe's Crab Shack tried getting rid of tips but it didn't last long. Why the fast food chain is backing away from the policy. We'll get an early start on your money, next.
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HOWELL: Welcome back.
They prey on society's most vulnerable. Jihadist recruiters radicalizing young men and women, sometimes right under the noses of their parents.
[04:55:06] 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.
CNN's Erin McLaughlin confronted one member of the most dangerous recruitment network in Belgium. She's live in Brussels this hour with a CNN exclusive -- Erin.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: George, this is all part of a terror trial that concluded here in Brussels last week. Some 28 individuals were being convicted of being part of what's called the Zarkani recruitment network. That's responsible for recruiting some of Europe's most dangerous terrorists -- terrorists behind the attacks in Brussels, as well as in Paris.
Now, CNN was there for the verdict and watched as two of the lead members of this network convicted recruiters were allowed to walk free after the trial, even though they'd been sentenced to six or seven years in prison, allowed to walk free pending their appeal.
We actually tracked down one of the recruiters to his home address. He confronted us. Less than thrilled to see us but refused to answer questions on camera.
Now, one of the individuals convicted alongside that recruiter was an 18-year-old by the name of Sabri Refla, believed to have been killed as a foreign fighter in Syria in 2013. We spoke to Refla's parents. They are outraged the man they hold responsible for recruiting their son for radicalizing their son is walking the streets of Brussels. 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 that was due to overcrowding, also citing the good behavior during the trial of the recruiters. Also noting that if their verdict is upheld in appeal, they will be going to prison -- George.
HOWELL: Erin McLaughlin on the ground in Brussels with a CNN exclusive. Erin, thank you so much for your reporting.
KOSIK: All right. Let's get an early start on your money. Seeing a lot of red arrows around the world. Markets in Asia, they closed lower. European markets are in the red as well. U.S. futures are following everybody's lead today.
A monthly retail sales numbers are coming out later today. They'll be more closely watched after poor earnings reports came out from Macy's and Kohl's. We're going to be hearing from JCPenney this morning.
Are you tired of waiting in long security lines at the airport? Who isn't? But I hear that help is on the way. I am a little skeptical.
Congress approved the TSA's request to reallocate funds to increased security officers at airports. So, the big question, what's all this new money for? Well, about $26 million of it is going to go to pay for extra hour employees, the extra hours that employees will work. And about $8 million of that will be used to hire more security officers. The extra staff coming in just in time because the summer tends to be the busiest travel season.
The no-tipping policy at Joe's Crab Shack just isn't working out. The casual seafood chain has been testing a no-tipping model at 14 locations since August but the company is moving back to accepting tips, whether they are good or not. The test restaurants increased menu prices to cover employee wages but it turns out by increasing those prices, those locations lost an average of almost 10 percent of its customers.
Customers said they like to reward good service with higher tips and they don't trust management to pass along money to its workers. So in theory it sounds great, but --
HOWELL: The workers, of course, they want the tips. The tip can be anything. It can be huge.
KOSIK: Sometimes you can get 1,000 bucks for serving a couple of beers.
HOWELL: It's incentive driven, absolutely.
KOSIK: Yes.
HOWELL: EARLY START continues right.
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KOSIK: Donald Trump and the Republican Party touting a new united front, but a key endorsement still waiting to be made.
HOWELL: Bernie Sanders not giving up. He says that's he can defeat Hillary Clinton in the Democratic race for president.
KOSIK: New this morning, the Obama administration ordering schools to accommodate transgender students.
Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Alison Kosik, in for Christine Romans.
HOWELL: I'm George Howell, in for John Berman. This is Friday the 13th for you out there that are suspicious and worried about that.
KOSIK: Only good luck on Friday the 13th.
HOWELL: Oh, yes, of course. Yes.
First up, though, we talk about Donald Trump and Paul Ryan moving toward a unified Republican Party, but still no endorsement from the House speaker.
