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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Clinton and Sanders Campaign in California; GOP Leaders Anxious About Trump; Remembering Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali; Iraqi Forces Advance on Fallujah. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired June 06, 2016 - 04:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:31:09] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Hillary Clinton wins a new primary overnight as Bernie Sanders vows to take his fight all the way to the convention. Millions voting in tomorrow's Super Tuesday election, but will it matter who wins?
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump, he increases his attacks on judges. He says one is unfair, even though he was born in America, his parents were born in Mexico. And now he suggests that maybe a Muslim judge won't be fair to him either.
Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It is 31 minutes past the hour this Monday morning. A big week, folks.
Breaking overnight. Hillary Clinton inching closer to the Democratic nomination with a win in the Puerto Rico primary. Six states, including California, are up for grabs on Tuesday. And Clinton has now an estimated 29 delegates shy of the 2,383 threshold to clinch. Even though she is certain to blow past that number by tomorrow night, Bernie Sanders is still predicting a contested convention no matter what happens on the final Super Tuesday of the primary season. His only chances to flip hundreds of superdelegates already pledged to Clinton.
We get more from CNN's senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny in California.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, a final full day of campaigning today for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders here in California. Making one last push for those 475 delegates at stake in Tuesday's primary.
Hillary Clinton making the case again and again about one of her rivals, but it's Donald Trump she is talking over and over about how he is not qualified to be president. She is barely mentioning Bernie Sanders on the campaign trail.
She had a closing rally in Sacramento on Sunday night. This was her final message to voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to finish strong here in California. It means -- it means the world to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: And Bernie Sanders making the case to his supporters here in California as well, telling them that they can still change the direction of this Democratic race for the presidency. But with Puerto Rico in the bag, now that only six more states to vote on Tuesday, followed by the District of Columbia next week, then this race is over. Bernie Sanders trying to keep this argument alive that he will need superdelegates to pull them over to his side. Increasingly that is an uphill battle. But this is what he told voters last night in San Diego.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Any objective analyst of the current campaign understands that the energy and the grassroots activism in this campaign is with us, not Hillary Clinton.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: The outcome of this Democratic presidential nomination does not hinge on California, but a Clinton win here in California would certainly cool the argument Bernie Sanders is trying to make that he can still take this to the convention. That's why all eyes today still on California as both campaigns, both candidates fight here until the end for those 475 delegates at stake -- John and Christine.
BERMAN: All right. Thanks, Jeff. Meanwhile, you can hear Republican leaders and big money donors getting nervous about Donald Trump's attacks on the judge in the Trump University civil case. House and Senate Republicans have publicly criticized Trump for claiming that Judge Gonzalo Curiel is biased because of his Mexican heritage. Judge Curiel, he's American. He was born in Indiana.
The party wants to win over Latino voters in November and its leaders are urging Trump to soften his tone. But as CNN's Jake Tapper tells us, Trump not doing it.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, is still campaigning hard here in California ahead of the Tuesday primary with no major Republican candidate still in the race and enough pledged delegates to secure the nomination at the Cleveland convention next month.
He is rallying the party as the GOP establishment is still lining up behind him, but that doesn't mean he is toning it down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TAPPER: I asked you about comments you made about the judge in the Trump University case.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Sure. Sure.
TAPPER: You said that you thought it was a conflict of interest that he was the judge because he's of Mexican heritage even though he's from Indiana.
[04:05:04] TRUMP: OK. Yes. Yes.
TAPPER: Hillary Clinton said that that is a racist attack on a federal judge.
TRUMP: She's so wonderful. You know what I mean. Here's a woman that should be put in jail for what she did for her e-mails and she's commenting.
I'll tell you what it has to do. I have had ruling after ruling after ruling that's been bad rulings. OK. I have been treated very unfairly. Before him, we had another judge. If that judge was still there, this case would have been over two years ago. Let me just tell you. I have had horrible rulings. I've been treated very unfairly by this judge. Now this judge is of Mexican heritage. I'm building a wall. OK, I'm building wall. I am going to do very well with the Hispanics, the Mexicans, the --
(CROSSTALK)
TAPPER: So no Mexican judge could ever be involved in a case that involves you?
TRUMP: Well, no, he is a member of the society where, you know, very pro-Mexico. And that's fine. It's all fine, but I think --
TAPPER: But you're calling into question his heritage.
TRUMP: I think he should recuse himself.
TAPPER: Because he's Latino?
TRUMP: Then you also say, does he know the lawyer on the other side? I mean, does he know the lawyer? You know, a lot of people say yes.
(CROSSTALK)
TAPPER: But I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about --
TRUMP: That's another -- that's another problem.
TAPPER: You are invoking his race when talking about whether or not he can do his job.
TRUMP: Here's what I'm saying, Jake. I'm building a wall, OK. I'm building a wall. I'm trying to keep business out of Mexico. Mexico is fine. There is nothing --
TAPPER: But he is an American.
TRUMP: He is of Mexican heritage and he's very proud of it, as I am where I come from my parents.
TAPPER: But he's an American. Is it not, when Hillary Clinton says this is a racist attack and you reject that. If you are saying he can't do his job because of his race, is that not the definition of racism?
TRUMP: I don't think so at all.
TAPPER: No?
TRUMP: No. He is proud of his heritage. I respect him for that.
TAPPER: You're saying he can't do his job because of that.
TRUMP: Look, he is proud of his heritage, OK. I'm building a wall.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TAPPER: Now Trump is ready to take the fight to Hillary Clinton would could secure enough delegates on Tuesday to become the Democrats' nominee next month at the convention in Philadelphia. If you include the superdelegates, that's a big if of course, Clinton told me this week that she is happy to compare her record with Donald Trump's.
ROMANS: All right, Jake Tapper, thank you for that excellent interview.
He really pressed him more than a dozen times. He pressed him on that point.
Let's get more on the fight for California and the growing anxiety in the Republican Party about the positions specifically about this judge with Donald Trump.
Want to go to Washington and bring back CNN Politics reporter Eugene Scott.
So nice to see you again this morning.
EUGENE SCOTT, CNN POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: You too.
ROMANS: You know, look. Trump suggests that Muslim judges may not be fair as well. He was on CBS' "Face the Nation" and he went beyond sort of his race based criticism of the Trump University judge and he seemed to expand his concerns to religion. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it were a Muslim judge, would you also feel like they wouldn't be able to treat you fairly because of that policy of yours?
TRUMP: It's possible, yes. Yes. That would be possible. Absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: So there are some pretty big Republican donors and Republican politicians and their heads is -- their heads are popping off because of this position of Donald Trump. SCOTT: Yes. Very much so. He's gotten quite a bit of push back from
Republican leaders who believe that singling out people based on religion or race in regarding rulings in judicial situations is unhelpful in terms of winning voters and attracting people to the party. It's very surprising, quite frankly, that he is concerned about people's faith when so many people on the right are interested in Donald Trump because they believe that he could nominate judges who would support Christian values. So it seems that there are some concern about bias in one area, but not in others.
BERMAN: It's interesting. You listen to Mitch McConnell right now, the Senate majority leader. He was on with Chuck Todd over the weekend. And you can see the difficulty faced right now by some of the Republican Party who want to distance themselves from Donald Trump but have a hard time doing it too much because he is the Republican Party presumptive nominee right now.
Watch this sort of discomfort right here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MAJORITY LEADER: I couldn't disagree more with a statement like that.
CHUCK TODD, "MEET THE PRESS": Is it a racist statement?
MITCHELL: I couldn't disagree more with what he had to say.
TODD: OK. But -- do you think it's a racist statement to say?
MITCHELL: I don't agree with what he had to say. This is a man who was born in Indiana. All of us came here from somewhere else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: "All of us came here from somewhere else." Again that's the Senate majority leader. Paul Ryan said largely the same thing. Senate candidates in key swing states saying the same thing.
This is not the space that Donald Trump wants to be creating right now. He wants to be bringing the party together heading into the convention.
SCOTT: No. Very much so. Especially considering how poorly he is doing with Latino voters as well as black voters. I think what was very interesting about that interview is he declined so very clearly, at least in that clip, say I do think it is a racist statement. I'd be very surprised if it gets to that turning point to see if key leaders in the party say that Donald Trump has been engaged in racial attacks which has been a common criticism from the Democrats.
[04:40:01] So yes, I do see themselves distancing themselves from Donald Trump. To what degree will be telling.
ROMANS: It's sort of interesting, Eugene, because I was listening to surrogates for Donald Trump and supported Donald Trump all weekend, talk about how, you know, they're not concerned really about the 74 percent, you know, disapproval rating among Latinos for Donald Trump because they say the Republican Party has always had a problem with the Latino electorate. And that it's not Donald Trump's fault, it's not this language that you're hearing from Donald Trump, it's just the position the party has been in.
I found that really interesting.
SCOTT: That is very interesting. I mean, the whole idea that we've always lost this base so we're not going to compete for this base hasn't been really effective in terms of winning the White House in the last two elections. You would think that there would be a different perspective in looking at this group as an opportunity.
We had an article this weekend on CNNPolitics.com about some leaders fearing that this could be another Barry Goldwater moment. You remember that when he voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that was one of the points that led a lot of black voters to leave the Republican Party which the party has not regained.
ROMANS: Right.
SCOTT: And so there is some significant concern that that could happen again with the Latino voters.
BERMAN: Let's talk about California right now and talk about this big Super Tuesday, final Super Tuesday really in the Democratic side right now.
ROMANS: Tomorrow.
BERMAN: And you can see the tensions in the race between the Bernie Sanders supporters and Hillary Clinton supporters. Hillary Clinton could wrap up numerically, you know, with the help of superdelegates the race tomorrow night. The Bernie Sanders team vowing to fight until the conventions.
Bill Clinton at a rally in California. You sort of saw that tension bubble to the surface. His frustration. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I don't want to pick a fight, but if I was him, I'd be screaming, too, because if you figure this out, there are tests for Election Day. So have a good time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: He's talking to the hecklers. He's being heckled by Bernie Sanders supporters and he's talking to the hecklers. You know, one of the things, he's been, I'm not going to make news. He wants to support his candidate, his wife. But he just couldn't help himself.
SCOTT: Yes. Very much so. I know we've seen this campaign has been very personal for Bill Clinton. And not just because his wife is running, but his own presidency has been so under attack by so many people. Not just on the right, but also Democrats. We saw this weekend Bernie Sanders was in an interview where he expressed some concern about the Clinton Foundation which Bill Clinton has been at the forefront of even before Hillary Clinton. And so I'm not very surprised to see him push back on people who have been pushing back. Not just on his wife, but himself.
ROMANS: All right, Eugene Scott, thank you so much. Nice to see you again this morning.
SCOTT: Thank you.
ROMANS: We'll talk to you again very, very soon.
SCOTT: Yes.
ROMANS: Big Monday morning for your money as well. Time to get an EARLY START on that.
Switzerland votes down a proposal to give guaranteed income to residents. But could it be the solution to income inequality? 77 percent of Swiss voters were against the measure. It would have bumped up pay for lower income workers to $2500 a month. Those who made more than that already wouldn't get any additional money.
This program would replace various welfare payments. The government says it would cost the equivalent of $25 billion. That would have come from higher taxes or spending cuts, something opponents say would hurt the economy. But supporters argue this idea, I mean, you know, don't look at Switzerland, but look at the idea. The simpler way to help those on welfare, give them the autonomy to spend the money however they want.
A guaranteed minimum income as a solution to income inequality. Finland is considering scrapping its welfare programs and giving residents just $10,000 a year. There's a study at Oakland, California, that will launch soon testing the same strategy, giving the people a pot of money and say go do with it what you want. But basically guaranteeing that you have a minimum income. And it's interesting. On the Democratic side, on the left, people say it is social justice. On the right, they say it's more efficient than the government being involved in all these welfare programs and handouts and earning them tax credits. Just give people the money to do with what they want. It's an admission that there is income inequality and maybe you have to fix it by giving the lower the money to do with what they want.
BERMAN: It'd be interesting --
ROMANS: Isn't it interesting?
BERMAN: These Europeans models, if they work or if they ever get implemented.
All right. This morning, the world mourning the loss of Muhammad Ali. We have new information about the memorial planned in his hometown. That's next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:48:28] BERMAN: The body of boxing champ Muhammad Ali has been brought back to his native Louisville in Kentucky. Memorial services are taking place across that city. A big week there planned. Capped off by a huge celebration on Friday.
CNN's Martin Savidge has the details.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Good morning, Christine.
Muhammad Ali has finally come back home and the efforts to memorialize his life are fully underway. There was, last night, an interfaith service that was organized by the Islamic community. There are other services that are being talked about today. But, of course, the big events are for the latter part of the week.
Thursday is set aside primarily for the family of Muhammad Ali, but Friday, that is the day when the world can celebrate his life. And, in fact, Louisville, Kentucky, has put out the welcome mat for the entire world to come because they know that their hometown son is one who has been shared by so many people in so many other places.
It will begin 9:00 in the morning with a motorcade, a procession that will actually wind through the streets of Louisville, sometimes on highways, sometimes on side streets, and that's designed to allow as many people as possible to bid their final farewell.
Two o'clock, though, there is going to be an interfaith service. Among those who will eulogize, former president, Bill Clinton, will be on hand. About 20,000 may be able to squeeze into that facility. It is going to be quite remarkable.
These plans have been years in the making and we're told that it's just not from the family and not just from the city, but also one of those who helped make the plans was Muhammad Ali himself -- John and Christine.
[04:50:05] ROMANS: All right. Martin Savidge, we know you'll be there for us. Thank you.
Several key rulings are expected as early as today from the Supreme Court. The justices could decide an affirmative action case involving a white woman who sued the University of Texas in 2008 claiming she was denied admission based on race. Also on the docket the most significant abortion case in two decades involving a Texas law imposing tight restrictions on clinics and doctors. And a decision is expected on a challenge to the president's executive actions on immigration. Those actions currently shielding millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation.
BERMAN: Motions expected to be heard today in the case of a Baltimore Police officer facing the most serious charges in the death of Freddie Gray. Prosecutors say Officer Caesar Goodson was negligent when he failed to buckle the 25-year-old Gray into a seatbelt and failed to call for medical attention. Gray died from a spinal injury suffered in the back of the police transport vehicle. Officer Goodson faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
ROMANS: The parents of the 3-year-old boy who fell in the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, they'll find out later this morning from prosecutors if they will criminal face charges. Zoo officials had to shoot and kill Harambe the gorilla fearing for the life of the child. When the gorilla exhibit reopens tomorrow, it will feature a new higher barrier. And there will be a press conference I think 1:00 this afternoon Eastern Time announcing those results.
All right. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew is in China this morning. Will his presence be enough to smooth over economic relations between the world's two biggest economies? We'll get an EARLY START on your money next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:55:45] BERMAN: All right. Iraqi forces backed by U.S. airstrikes are said to be advancing on Fallujah this morning. They've now secured a large area along the southern edge of the city. Poised to move into the heart of town, when that will happen that's unknown. But that is where ISIS fighters are entrenched.
Tens of thousands civilians caught in the crossfire. Many who have tried to escape word is they've been killed.
CNN's senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman has the latest for us from Baghdad.
Ben, how soon do you think the Iraqi forces will be heading in to the heart of Fallujah?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Difficult to say, John. We are just getting news this morning that 12 members of the Iraqi Army were killed by three ISIS suicide car bombings. And therefore that gives you an indication of just how difficult this operation is going to be.
Also in the town of Saklaviya which is 10 kilometers northwest of Fallujah, they believe the Iraqi forces they discovered a mass grave with the bodies of more than 400 Iraqi soldiers killed about two -- about a year and a half ago in fighting with ISIS.
And of course, there's the e problem of the civilians. Tens of thousands still inside. Essentially being used as human shields by ISIS.
We went to a displaced person's camp outside Baghdad where about 350 families are staying. And they tell us stories of basically civilians being rounded up and forced at the threat of death to go into Fallujah and serve as those human shields. One man said that they managed to hide in their home by keeping the door open so that when the militants came by to round them up, they would think that the house was empty and that nobody was there. But people right next door, apparently, who had stayed in their homes were discovered by ISIS and shot on the spot -- John.
BERMAN: Horrible stories. You know, horrible existence right now for so many caught in the middle in Fallujah.
Ben Wedeman, thanks so much.
ROMANS: All right. Let's get an EARLY START on your money. Dow futures inching higher. Stock markets in Europe higher. Shares in Asia they finished mixed overnight. Oil trading right about at $49 a barrel. It's up a bit.
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew is in China today taking part in annual economic talks with officials there. With the slowing Chinese economy and a tense presidential election in the U.S., Lew told CNN's Christiane Amanpour ahead of this trip the stakes are high.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK LEW, TREASURY SECRETARY: The U.S. and China have the two largest economies in the world. The global economy will either do well or badly depending on how well our economies do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The two sides will likely talk steel. China has been accused of flooding the global market with excess cheap steel while its economy slows. There's also concern about China manipulating its currency and a growing feeling among U.S. companies that China is an unwelcoming place to do business.
All right. If you are planning to fill up your gas tank this morning, you may be paying the highest gas prices of the year. I'm sorry to report. The national average for a gallon of regular hit $2.36 overnight. That's the highest price of 2016. It's up 14 cents over the past month. But still below what drivers are paying last year.
So what's going on here? Well, crude oil is the biggest factor in the price of gasoline, obviously. Crude oil has nearly doubled in price after crashing to lows in February. Plus the summer blend of gasoline is more expensive. And more drivers are on the road which means more demand for gas. Now analysts don't see $3 gas any time soon, but prices will likely follow the price of oil.
BERMAN: Still low enough. I mean, it's still a lot lower than it was over the last, you know, five or 10 years.
ROMANS: Yes.
BERMAN: All right. EARLY START continues right now.
Breaking overnight. Hillary Clinton wins a new primary election as Bernie Sanders vows to fight all the way to the convention. Just one day from the last Super Tuesday election. Who will win the most votes and will it matter?
BERMAN: Donald Trump continues to say that American judge is unfair to him because of his Mexican heritage and now Donald Trump expanding those claims even further suggesting that a Muslim judge could not be fair to him either.
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It is Monday, it is June 6th. 5:00 a.m. exactly in the East. Good morning. Or maybe you're up late in California.
Breaking overnight Hillary Clinton inching closer to the Democratic nomination with a win in Puerto Rico. And the Puerto Rico.
