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Trump Says There's Nothing To Learn From Tax Returns; Suicide Bombers Kill Three At Baghdad Police Station; Interview with Sen. Angus King; ISIS Attacks Shiite Targets In Baghdad; America's Painkiller Epidemic; Colorado Inmate Claims He Is Prince's Son. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired May 12, 2016 - 07:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[07:30:00] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Investigators now say the Brussels terror attacks could have been far more deadly. According to "The Wall Street Journal", they credit luck, police work, and disarray inside the terrorist cell for lessening the injuries and loss of life.

They say after the first bomb detonated, the second attacker's bomb fell off a luggage cart and exploded upward, away from potential victims. The third attacker then abandoned his bomb and fled. The attacks, back in March, killed 32 people and injured more than 300 others.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: A bench trial begins in just a couple of hours for one of six Baltimore police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray. Officer Edward Nero faces three misdemeanor counts -- second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and misconduct in office.

Prosecutors are expected to make the case that he had no business arresting Gray in the first place, an argument that could change the way police apprehend suspects moving forward.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: A local North Carolina school board is taking a bizarre step to enforce the state's controversial bathroom law, voting to remove pepper spray and mace from a list of items banned in schools, letting students, effectively, carry them, right?

The law prevents transgender students from using the bathroom corresponding to their gender identity. One board member saying female students may need to defend themselves in bathrooms if this law is overturned in court.

BERMAN: Massachusetts State Police now investigating the dramatic end to a high-speed, multi-state police chase over the possible use of excessive force. (Video playing) Aerial video captured several officers beating the suspect after he is already on the ground.

The suspect, Richard Simone, was wanted on warrants for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, larceny, and failure to stop for police. He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and is expected to be arraigned today. CUOMO: All right, back to the election. Donald Trump is getting heat from both sides of the aisle for refusing to release his tax returns until an IRS audit is complete. Now, that could be after the election in November. It could be that he decides to just release them tomorrow. However, Trump says you know, this is much ado about nothing. You'll learn nothing in my tax returns.

Is that true? Let's discuss with someone who has seen Trump's tax returns. Journalist of great estimation, Timothy O'Brien, author of "TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald". It is a book Donald Trump sued him over. He is now the executive editor of "Bloomberg View". It's good to see you, Tim. How you doing?

TIMOTHY O'BRIEN, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, BLOOMBERG VIEW, AUTHOR, "TRUMPNATION: THE ART OF BEING THE DONALD": Chris, how are you? Good.

CUOMO: All right, let's deal with the lawsuit because oh, he's in a lawsuit. So, tell me if I'm wrong. Basically, this suit was -- you had sources that said Trump is a mega-millionaire worth $150 million or so. Trump reads it and says whoa, whoa, I'm a billionaire, not a millionaire. I'm suing you for libel.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

CUOMO: You hurt my reputation, which means what you said is untrue. It goes to trial, goes to appeal -- the result?

O'BRIEN: The result was it got tossed out of court. The court found nothing in that case or in his allegations to undermine the reporting in the book or the fact patterned around what I'd done, and ultimately they tossed it and he lost. That was in 2011.

He sued me in '06. It dragged on for about five years. Among other reasons that it dragged on was because he wasn't turning over documents requested in a timely way, including his tax returns.

CUOMO: Now, there was a time that journalists actually liked being sued, if they knew they were right about their reporting, because you get a lot of access to stuff you didn't have otherwise.

O'BRIEN: Right.

CUOMO: That happened in your lawsuit. You got to see the taxes. Now, I understand they were offered up under seal, which says something in and of itself.

O'BRIEN: Right.

CUOMO: But you've seen the returns and on the basis of that you have a piece out today for "Bloomberg View" where you say -- the headline is "I Saw Trump's Tax Returns. You Should, Too." and you offer reasons. So, let's go through them and I will give the benefit of what Trump says in resistance.

The first one is, you talk about income. He says you can't see much in these. I'm worth billions and billions. It's very complicated. The tax return -- it's very simple. You don't see enough to make it worthwhile. What do you say?

O'BRIEN: Right. Well, he correctly said that his income isn't going to be a reflection of his total wealth, which is true. However, his income is a reflection of how much money he's making, and it's not the American public who's put how much Donald Trump is worth or how much Donald Trump makes into the mix.

He does it at every campaign stop. He put it out there when he ran. I think what he means to suggest when he talks about himself as a mega-billionaire is that he's incredibly successful. And that's one standard of that so he should show it.

CUOMO: And, do you think if people were to see the tax returns they'd be blown away by the number or you have to put it in context?

O'BRIEN: I think the numbers are going to show what the true scope and scale of his business operations are. That's a very fundamental thing that would come out in those returns. And he, again, has made his prowess as a business operator and a successful entrepreneur part and parcel of his history and his appeal to voters, and taxes get right to that.

[07:35:00] CUOMO: You say it's mostly marketing, business activities. One of his big claims works very well with his bases. This is the only guy who has created jobs -- thousands and thousands of jobs.

O'BRIEN: Right, right.

CUOMO: What do you say?

O'BRIEN: Well, let's see him put that to the test. Again, the tax returns would show the scale of his operation. He's said for years that the Trump organization employs thousands and thousands of people. The operation itself, in Trump Tower, is a fairly boutique operation so it would be very interesting for him to put some real clothing on how big of a jobs generator he's actually been.

CUOMO: Stop chasing me about this $6 million, his campaign says, that we raised for veterans. We've given so much more than that already. Do you know how many millions upon millions of dollars Donald Trump has given to veterans personally, professionally within his corporations? That would be reflected, somewhat, in taxes, for sure.

O'BRIEN: Of course. All of his charitable and philanthropic donations would be reflected in those returns. He's made supporting war veterans one the standards of his campaign. As you recall, when he skipped one of the debates, he actually did a separate fundraiser for veterans on the night of one of the debates he skipped. There's been controversy around how much of that money got remitted to vets.

But overall he's said, for the better part of three decades, that he's a very generous philanthropist. Again, his tax returns would put some clothing on that concept. CUOMO: Now, one of the things that -- Trump has benefitted from having it both ways and I mean this in a non-skeptical way. He says look, this system is rigged. Our tax system is rigged. I know because I benefit from it. I know the political system works on graph because I've worked with these politicians. I know what they ask you for, so he has some cover on it.

But within the tax returns, based on your experience, you think that there are things in his tax returns that would make people see how he works the system and see how it's different for him than it for them?

O'BRIEN: Well, Chris, remember, one, he's gone after U.S. corporations for operating their companies overseas and stealing jobs, in essence, from American workers. Let's see what Donald Trump has overseas, both in terms of his own business operations and in terms of his own investments.

Secondly, we're in an era right now, or a period right now, where there's a lot of attention being paid to the use of shell corporations and offshore tax havens by the wealthy or powerful politicians to protect or hide their wealth. Let's see if Trump's making any use of those sorts of shelters. That also would be reflected in his tax returns.

CUOMO: And, obviously, you're not going to talk about what you saw specifically, but you wouldn't be sitting here setting yourself up to get pummeled by Trump if you hadn't seen things that you think raise legitimate questions.

The biggest point you make in this piece is he's running for president of the United States. He's made claims about himself and why he is worthy of people's respect and vote. The taxes, you believe, go to the legitimacy of what he has said about himself.

O'BRIEN: There's 40 years of tradition here, Chris, around presidents or presidential candidates releasing their tax returns. He's deciding not to comply with that legacy. But the reality is he's seeking the most powerful office in the land. I think voters are due an early airing of any of the financial or business pressures that might come to bear on him if he reaches the White House.

CUOMO: "I Saw Trump's Tax Returns. You Should, Too." by Timothy O'Brien, of Bloomberg.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Chris.

CUOMO: Thank you for starting the conversation this morning.

O'BRIEN: Great to see you.

CUOMO: Appreciate it, as always.

O'BRIEN: Good to see you.

CUOMO: Alisyn. CAMEROTA: OK, Chris, ISIS says it's behind a wave of bold and bloody attacks in Baghdad. Coming up, we'll find out what's happening in the fight against ISIS when Sen. Angus King joins us.

[07:38:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:42:00] CAMEROTA: Overnight, three Iraqi police officers killed by suicide bombers in Baghdad. This follows three separate bombings Wednesday that killed more than 90 people. ISIS claiming responsibility for those attacks. Meanwhile, we're learning the FBI is tracking nearly 1,000 ISIS-related cases here in the United States.

Joining us now to talk about this and much more, Sen. Angus King, independent from Maine and member of the Intelligence and Armed Services Committee. Senator, thanks so much for being here.

SEN. ANGUS KING, (I) MAINE: Good morning, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Great to have you. So, Wednesday was a tragic and bloody day in Baghdad -- 90 people killed, 160 injured. At the same time, FBI director James Comey talking about how still susceptible people are to the ISIS ideology online and elsewhere. How do you describe where we are in the fight against ISIS?

KING: Well, I think it's a classic good news and bad news. I mean, Director Comey did say that last year at this time six people a month were being tracked going to Syria. Now it's down to one a month. His general conclusion was that a great deal of the appeal of ISIS to disaffected people in this country seems to have diminished. We don't have definitive data on that but that seems positive.

The bombings in Baghdad are very bad news and what it seems to demonstrate is that ISIS is -- they're losing on the ground in terms of the size of the territory that they control, but that means they're attacking in other ways.

I think Brussels and Paris were an indication of their feeling squeezed in Iraq and Syria. Now what they're trying to do is foment a sectarian war in Iraq between Sunnis and Shia and that just further complicated the situation.

So, the key question now is can the government in Baghdad gain control, gain some consensus, and actually start to govern that country? Or, is it going to splinter on sectarian grounds, in which case it's going to be very difficult -- very difficult to control ISIS.

CAMEROTA: And, of course, another key question is, is the U.S. doing all it can to fight ISIS? Are you confident that we are?

KING: Well, I think we are doing a lot. You know, you can always say well, maybe you can do more here or there. But thousands of airstrikes, advisors, training, working with the Peshmerga, the Kurdish forces, the Iraqi security forces -- I think the big gap in the strategy, frankly, is an army on the ground

in Syria. That's not where Americans should be. That would be a gift to ISIS. But finding the people to take the fight to ISIS in those towns, that's a problem.

CAMEROTA: Senator, there's another deadly fight going on. This one, back here at home, and we're talking about opioid addiction.

KING: Yes.

CAMEROTA: We saw it on full display last night in CNN's town hall on this subject and all of the heartbreaking stories. Let me just play one of them, from a mother, for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAUREEN MORELLA, SON SUFFERED BRAIN DAMAGE FROM OPIOID OVERDOSE: At 16, he began experimenting with opioids with friends and we saw nothing. He remained a clean-cut, all-American boy, doing his activities. His GPA was high. So, what are we missing?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[07:45:00] CAMEROTA: I mean, you just see it time and again. Lives ruined by painkiller addiction. I know that you've worked so hard on this issue. How do you describe what's going on?

KING: Well, first, I want to say I watched the program last night beginning to end, and it choked me up. I mean, it was so real and it reflected exactly what we're seeing in Maine. I've had half a dozen town halls just like that. I've sat next to a deputy sheriff who'd lost his 18-year-old daughter to an overdose.

I mean, it's an epidemic of just awful proportions and it starts -- I think the key fact from last night is that four out of five new heroin addicts start with prescription drugs and that means that's where we've got to start really focusing a lot of attention.

You man, Dr. Gupta, published a very powerful essay last night on cnn.com that talked about the fact that the medical community has to step up and take some responsibility here because these drugs are dangerous and they should not be handed to young people, 30, 40, 90 at a time with no warning about how significant the addiction problem is.

CAMEROTA: Yes. I mean, it seems like that's the place to start. That doctors have to stop over-prescribing this.

KING: Absolutely, and it's become just routine. Now, there are some government policies that inadvertently provide an incentive for this. Under some of the rules, a hospital or a doctor's office -- one of the checkmarks that you have to put on as a patient is did you leave the facility pain free?

Well, the problem with that is that is an incentive to give them these opioids just so they'll say yes and you get a higher rate of reimbursement. So, we've got to really look at this because it starts in the medical area --

CAMEROTA: Yes.

KING: -- and that's a place we have some control over.

CAMEROTA: Senator, I have to ask you about the presidential race and things that are -- all of the news that's happening with Donald Trump. Should Donald Trump release his tax returns?

KING: Well, I think he should, number one, because it's precedent. As you pointed out, it goes back to the mid-70's that his has been the rule for presidential candidates. Secondly, this is a guy who's made the centerpiece of his campaign his business success, his financial success, his wealth.

If you're going to, you know -- what's good for -- what is it? What's good for the goose is good for the gander. If you're going to promote yourself on your business and financial success, then it seems to me you owe the American people the factual story about just what's really going on in that area of your life.

CAMEROTA: Senator Angus King, thanks so much for talking about all of these things. Great to have you.

KING: Thank you. Glad to be with you.

CAMEROTA: Let's get over to Chris.

CUOMO: All right. This is a tough turn in the story surrounding the artist, Prince. There's a federal prison inmate that claims he is the son of Prince. Is he the real deal? Why is this coming up now? Is this about an inheritance? The picture of him is with him as an inmate. What does this all mean? We'll take you through it.

[07:48:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:52:00] BERMAN: A new claim to the estate of superstar Prince has been filed. Carlin Q. Williams, a 39-year-old federal prison inmate, claims he is the son of the music legend and, therefore, the sole heir to his estate. Williams filed his claim on Monday in the same court as Prince's siblings were also seeking their share of the singer's fortune.

Joining us now, nation reporter for "The Daily Beast", Kate Briquelet and co-founder of "Heir Hunters", John Hilbert. Kate, let me start with you. Carlin Q. Williams -- you wrote the story. What is his story?

KATE BRIQUELET, NATION REPORTER, THE DAILY BEAST: Well, if we thought that the fight for Prince's will was a circus, it's certainly a madhouse now. This man is a violent felon in federal prison. He has a history of violence against women. And now, he's suddenly appeared to say that he is the rightful heir to the Purple Rainmaker's throne.

BERMAN: Because his mother --

BRIQUELET: His mother allegedly slept with Prince in 1976 at a Kansas City, Missouri hotel. They had unprotected sex and she says that she hadn't been with anybody since then.

BERMAN: We all have roughly 300 million reasons to come forward now and say that we are the son of Prince, right? He, though -- has he ever said it before? Did he say this before Prince died?

BRIQUELET: Certainly. Before Prince died this man had gone on Facebook and said that he is the son of Prince. He posted professional photos of Prince, calling him his dad. And also, Carlin Williams is an aspiring rap star and in his songs he mentions Prince.

BERMAN: There's one other peculiar element here, too. The guy he's using as a lawyer right now is an attorney who at one point did some civil work for Prince?

BRIQUELET: Sure, and I think that's what might lend some legitimacy to his case. Apparently, this attorney in Florida had done trademark work for Prince and years before Prince died, Carlin Williams reached out to him and said I want to get in touch with my father.

The attorney blew him off at the time and said this is just a crazy fan who wants a piece of a rock star, but now it seems that the two have reunited. It's unclear how Carlin Williams contacted the attorney from federal prison, but --

BERMAN: Just one of the questions out there. But wait, there's more, and John, we turn to you for that because you have heard, in your role for Heir Hunters, from a lot of people claiming in the last two weeks to be the son or daughter of Prince, I'm sure.

But you have heard from one person in particular, and it's not Carlin Williams, and find this one person credible. Explain.

JOHN HILBERT, CO-FOUNDER, HEIR HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL: Well, first of all, he's a gentleman. He does not want to rush to the courthouse. He wants his anonymity. He came to our firm, Heir Hunters International, knowing that's what we do. We find missing heirs to estates.

[07:55:00] He contacted us and said I'm under the impression that I may be an heir to Prince. Would you please lay out the procedure for me? My partner, Shar Mansukhani, and I then met with him. We've had extensive conversations with him. He was always consistent in his story. He dotted his i's, crossed his t's, and it's a very detailed description of what went on.

Thirdly, and more importantly, he has to understand our reputation has to be protected. We're not a circus firm. We're a boutique firm that handles these type of matters. He had seen us on T.V. and read about us. His demeanor was such that we felt we'd bring our expertise to bear.

Now, at this point, Shar Mansukhani and I have sifted through the facts. We've written a long memorandum and we've referred it to Minnesota counsel who now has it on their desk, and we expect something back from them in the next week or so.

BERMAN: Again, you know, both of you -- excuse me -- while, you know, you can understand why people would be skeptical of all this, right? Prince died and he left a lot of money. He left no will. This would beg for people to come forward and say I am the heir, I am the heir. John, you've worked on a lot of cases like this. How does it usually work?

HILBERT: Thousands.

BERMAN: Yes, thousands of cases. How does it come out in the end usually? Is there a usual outcome here?

HILBERT: Well, yes, there is. The beauty of intestate succession is you're either in or you're out. It's not a will contest. A will contest, as counsel will tell you, is very, very ugly. You look at whether or not the decedent was defrauded. Whether there was undue influence. Here, and particularly, you have to praise what Tyka, her siblings, Bremer Trust, and their counsel have done.

They, all of a sudden, had a sibling die unexpectedly. He left behind a massive and complex estate. And then they made the public declaration that Prince may have died with unknown heirs and please, court, let's set up a procedure to prove this. And to the court's credit, we've never seen it done before where they said let's type the decedents DNA, put it on file, and if you have a claim you have four months to come ahead -- come with your claim.

And now, with our gentleman down in the supermax, all he has to do is take a cheek swab, send it up to the court, and within days they'll know if he is a legitimate heir to Prince.

BERMAN: And quickly, we have about 20 seconds left right here. John, what happens if either your client or Carlin turns out to be the child of Prince? Do they jump to the front of the line for the music, the fortune, everything?

HILBERT: Your children -- everyone's children is at the top of the pyramid. They take everything. A natural child trumps your siblings, your first cousins, even your parents, so you get it all. And, by the way, I have to say this. It's very early in the game to say this gentleman in the supermax -- that he's the sole heir. I very much doubt that.

BERMAN: All right. Raising a lot of questions.

HILBERT: Thank you.

BERMAN: Obviously, a lot of intrigue around this and it's important to a lot of people, not just the fans, but obviously the family as well. Thanks, guys. Really appreciate it.

We're following a lot of news, including Donald Trump's arrival, any minute, in Washington. He is set to meet with House Speaker Paul Ryan shortly, so let's get right to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), HOUSE SPEAKER: We have an obligation to merge and to unify.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We'll see how it goes, and I think it will go well.

RYAN: We're just getting started.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would hope that all Republicans would get behind him.

TRUMP: A tax return, you learn very, very little. Hopefully, before the election I'll release them.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump's tax plan was written by a billionaire for billionaires.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is a little bit weird that Sec. Clinton received 400 superdelegates before anybody else got into the race.

CLINTON: The choice in this campaign could not be clearer.

SANDERS: This is the future of America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is the presumptive nominee. The party has to unite around him. A year ago, nobody thought that Donald Trump would be the nominee for the Republican Party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.

CAMEROTA: And, good morning, everyone. Welcome to your new day. It is Thursday, May 12th, 8:00 in the east. John Berman is here.

BERMAN: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: Great to have you here this morning. Donald Trump expected to arrive in Washington, D.C. in just minutes for that big meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan. The goal of their summit is unity, but what will that look like? And will Speaker Ryan wholeheartedly endorse Trump after today's meeting, after saying he was not ready to do so?

CUOMO: Maybe the unity will look like this on the eve of the meeting. Donald Trump seemed to walk back a stance that boosted his campaign early on. His proposed ban on Muslims entering the U.S. Now, Trump says it was only "a suggestion". The self-described billionaire also drawing fire from both sides of the aisle for refusing to release his taxes.

So, we have the 2016 race covered the way only CNN can.