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Remembering Muhammad Ali; Laila Ali Remembers Her Father; Ali Helped Plan Details Of His Funeral; GOP Divided On Trump As Attacks Intensify; Focus On Trump Campaign At Romney's Summit; Uber Is Taking Reservations; Season Finale Takes Anthony Bourdain To Buenos Aires. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired June 10, 2016 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:31:00] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: The legendary Muhammad Ali will be laid to rest today. A funeral procession begins in Louisville in about 90 minutes and it will be followed by a public memorial where Ali will be eulogized by the likes of Billy Crystal and former president, Bill Clinton.

President Obama also remembering Ali, reflecting on cherished mementos that he received from the man known simply as "The Greatest".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: First of all, we've got this book which says GOAT, "The Greatest of All Time: a Tribute to Muhammad Ali". The reason it's so important to me is the champ gave this book to me personally. What I learned was that he really was rooting for me the whole time that I was running for the U.S. Senate and running for the presidency. And he thought that having this book would be a nice way for me to know that I had a champ in my corner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Oh, wow, that is so powerful. Joining us now is Muhammad Ali's daughter, Laila Ali. Laila, good morning. Thanks so much for being here.

LAILA ALI, MUHAMMAD ALI'S DAUGHTER: Good morning.

CAMEROTA: Our condolences, of course, to you and your family. Tell us what today will be like for all of you.

ALI: Thank you so much, and on behalf of the family I would like to say that we appreciate all the outpouring of love and everyone sending their condolences. We don't really know exactly how today is going to go. I mean, we're going through the process just as everyone else.

But I do know that my father's wife, Lonnie, is carrying out everything as my father wished for it be considering, of course, taking into account all of the people that are here coming to Louisville. There's thousands of people here and everybody wants to say their goodbyes to my father, so I'm just hoping everything goes nice and smooth today and we have a positive, peaceful memorial for my father.

CAMEROTA: Let's talk about your father's wishes about how today would go because he was explicit about those. He had given a lot of thought to that, as I understand it. There was this document, I believe -- correct me if I'm wrong -- that he started years ago that sort of spelled out instructions. Tell us about that.

ALI: Yes. I'm not sure as to how much there was there. I don't have all the details but I do know that my father wanted to have the Muslim ceremony, which he did, and we did that yesterday. He wanted all people to be able to attend his memorials. He wanted it to be in a stadium so that there would be enough, and I think there's something like 16,000 people that will be there.

There's going to be a parade and a processional in the street. Probably more than 100,000 people will be there. So, I think that just as my father's life was about including everyone and letting -- he wants everyone to be there for his passing, as well.

CAMEROTA: Your father was a Muslim role model. How important was that role for him?

[07:35:00] ALI: My father was a role model. I think anybody in the public eye is a role model. He happened to be a Muslim and his religion was very important to him. I mean, there's so much history there, of course, and so much growth as a man of God. He started off one way and ended up another and we got to see that all unfold.

And, in the end, I look at him as a -- because I'm not Muslim. I didn't choose to be Muslim but I see that my father's a very spiritual man. He loves all people, people of all religions, and he believes that everyone has a right to be what they want to be.

But, you know, there's right and there's wrong. It doesn't really matter what religion you are. And like I said, all people, to him, were equal. He loved people the same and he just wanted peace and equality for all.

CAMEROTA: Your father was diagnosed in 1984 with Parkinson's disease, so on some level you've been mentally preparing for this day for a long time. Does that make it easier?

ALI: I definitely think so. I think it would be much harder if, you know -- anyone who's lost a loved one suddenly knows. You're just going about your life and everyone's healthy and all of a sudden someone passes away -- it's more of a shock. But, I do understand the circle of life. We all have to go at some point.

But when somebody's sick and they have a disease that progressively gets worse -- I mean, you're watching that happen. You know that that time's going to come, just as he did, and he planned for this day for himself. Imagine how awkward that is to be so detailed about your passing. But yes, it definitely makes it easy but we're still very sad.

And like I've said before, I've been sad for a long time just watching my father go through it. You don't show it, you suppress it because he doesn't want you to feel sad or feel bad. He wouldn't now because this is something that was bound to happen and now it's here and we just have to go through the process.

CAMEROTA: For those of us who only knew your father as this larger than life sports figure, what do you want us all to know about him personally?

ALI: You know, it's -- my father was larger than life but he was such a regular person, too. That's the thing. He never wanted to feel like he was better than anybody else or above anybody else. He happened to be known around the world but he could still walk down the street and eat in restaurants and never feel like he had to be secluded from anyone. He always included everyone.

He loved people, and I think that's the main thing. He loved kissing babies. He loved making everyone feel special, especially those that most people wouldn't notice, whether it's the housekeeper, or the janitor, or the trash man. Those are the people that he really paid extra attention to.

So I think that he loved God, he loved himself, and he loved all people, and I think that's something that we all want to strive for -- well, maybe not all, but I would say to my standards we strive to be the best that we can be, and I felt that he did.

CAMEROTA: And he loved you. We're looking at these pictures of you from the time that you were a toddler on and how much -- how proud he was of you and how much he loved you. I know that you posted this powerful picture to your Instagram account and it is of the sign being hung on West 33rd Street that says "Muhammad Ali Way". What does this picture mean to you?

ALI: I think it's great. My father fought at Madison Square Garden and was a part of making New York City what it is now. And I thought -- when I first saw it I thought to myself, my dad probably was thinking what took them so long? And it's a temporary sign, you know. It's a temporary sign, but I thought it was a great honor for him and a very nice way to pay homage to him.

CAMEROTA: People are gathering right now outside of your father's childhood home in Louisville, Kentucky. Obviously, we'll be following everything that happens and unfolds today. Laila Ali, we'll be thinking of you. Take care. Thanks for sharing everything with us.

ALI: Thank you so much. We appreciate it. Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Stay with CNN today for coverage of Muhammad Ali's funeral and memorial service. It starts at 1:30 eastern today -- Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, now this statement is not news. Mitt Romney is not a fan of Donald Trump. You know that. But now, what is Romney's role? What is he going to do as Trump starts to court donors? Is Romney going to do something to block that -- to take down his own party's presumptive nominee? We're talking to a top GOP fundraiser who's going to be at this Romney summit, next. [07:39:50]

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[07:43:15] CUOMO: The E2 Summit in Utah brings together many of the best minds and fundraisers in the Republican Party, but this year it's an odd dynamic. The summit's host is Mitt Romney and he's sharply at odds with the party's presumptive nominee, Donald Trump.

So, let's talk with one of the most prolific fundraisers in the GOP, Spencer Zwick. He was Mitt Romney's 2012 national finance chair and is managing partner of Solamere Capital. Good to have you, Spencer. Thanks for being on NEW DAY.

SPENCER ZWICK, MANAGING PARTNER, SOLAMERE CAPITAL: Hey, Chris, good morning. Good to be with you.

CUOMO: First question is, do you think that what we are all experiencing with Trump right now -- the comments about the judge, his refusal to apologize, how he's doubled down, the GOP leadership response of negativity. You think it's going to hurt his ability to fundraise?

ZWICK: Well, it's certainly created some uncertainty among the donors here in Utah and around the country. I think donors want to see the party come together but comments like that create some uncertainty.

CUOMO: What do you say if somebody says look, they're saying in our leadership that what this man just said is bigoted, maybe racist. How am I supposed to justify my decision to give him money if that's true? What do you tell them?

ZWICK: Well, donors do ask that question. They wonder how can they support a party whose nominee is going to say racist things. They hope that he doesn't continue to say those things. But for many of the donors, Chris, that will be it for them. I think there are donors, certainly here and that I've talked to around the country, who have decided that those comments, as well as others, are going to prevent them from supporting Donald Trump.

[07:45:00] CUOMO: I hear from other deep pockets, though, that there's somewhat of an existential battle going on. That, well what is my alternative? This guy won the process. He vanquished a big field. And my alternative is Clinton as president, who to many in the GOP is being likened to evil incarnate. So, is that what it is? That you have to go with Trump because you can't have Clinton?

ZWICK: There's no question that that feeling exists. Last night we had a chance to hear from Sec. James Baker, former Secretary of State, as well as Leon Panetta, former Secretary of Defense. They gave differing points of view and I think that the donors came away from a meeting like that saying, you know what? I can't support Hillary Clinton. There are only two options and, therefore, I have to support Donald Trump, but many are doing so reluctantly.

But they are Republicans. They want to support the party. They believe in party unity. But their optimism and their excitement for supporting Donald Trump when he makes comments like that bring that into question.

CUOMO: And, of course, money can always just choose to stay out, right? That's what makes it different than the electeds and what they have to do with staying with the party. So, give me some scoop. What do you expect Mitt Romney to make this summit about?

ZWICK: Well, this always been a summit about ideas. He has done this summit since 2012. He's brought together leaders in business, in industry, in politics, in public policy, and it's a chance to talk about ideas on American leadership. We've had Democrats, we've had Republicans.

What we do is find common ground on ideas that are important related to American leadership. And I think this year will be -- we'll do that as well. We won't have any presidential candidates here at the summit this year, but certainly presidential politics is a topic at every conversation.

CUOMO: He has been so outspoken, even uncharacteristically so, about Donald Trump. He's gone after Trump in ways that Mitt Romney doesn't usually go after people. What do you think he's going to ask people here at the summit? What are you hearing from it already? I mean, you're very close with him so what does he want? Does the want the money to stay out? Does he want you to make the convention about bringing in an insurgent? What does he want?

ZWICK: Well, let me be clear. This is not a #NeverTrump gathering. That is a very important point. This gathering has been going on for four years. It's not designed to try to stop Donald Trump. Likewise, it's not a pro-Trump gathering, although we will hear from Republican leaders. We're going to hear from Paul Ryan, we're going to hear from Reince Priebus.

The donors here are obviously largely Republican donors, but this is not an effort to try to stop those donors. Governor Romney has good friends that are supporting Donald Trump. He has good friends that are supporting Hillary Clinton at this point, and a lot who are sitting on the sidelines waiting to see what happens.

And some, frankly, who have said you know what, I'm going to stay out of the presidential. I'm going to focus my effort, instead, on protecting a working majority in the House of Representatives and Paul Ryan's agenda is something I want to get behind.

CUOMO: That's what we're hearing more and more of from people in and around the GOP, is how do we avoid Trump. I mean, this is a really bizarre conversation to have. You can't ignore the guy at the top of the ticket but that's what we're starting to hear. What was the sentiment like last night when the summit opened?

ZWICK: Well, when the summit opened people were highly interested in certainly what James Baker --

CUOMO: Right. ZWICK: -- and what Leon Panetta had to say from different sides of the aisle. I think people are going to be very interested in what Paul Ryan has to say, as well as Gov. Romney. Reince Priebus, of course, will talk about party unity and why it's so important to bring the party together.

But donors are, by and large, still on the sidelines. If you go back to 2012, in the month of June Gov. Romney raised $100 million in a month -- in one single month, along with the Republican Party. There was a sense of complete party unity among the donors. That hasn't happened yet in the Trump organization. Maybe it will, there's still time. He's pulling donors together. But certainly among the group here I would say it's split.

CUOMO: Spencer Zwick, you've got your work cut out for you this year, my friend. I'll look forward to checking in with you throughout this process. Appreciate you being on NEW DAY. Have a good weekend. Enjoy the summit.

ZWICK: Thanks for having me.

CUOMO: All right. We have a CNN exclusive coming up. Wolf Blitzer is going to interview the man at the middle of this summit, Mitt Romney. He's going to be on "THE SITUATION ROOM" at 5:00 p.m. eastern, only on CNN -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, time for "CNN Money" now. Chief business correspondent Christine Romans is in our money center. What are you seeing, Christine?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn. It's looking like a rough start for the stock market and potentially your retirement account today. Dow futures are down. Fears about global growth and that Brexit vote in Great Britain have investors rushing into bonds. The 10-year Treasury down to 1.66 percent. That's the lowest yield since that market turbulence back in February.

Uber will start taking reservations, something it said it would never, ever do. Riders can now book 30 minutes to 30 days ahead of time. Now, it's only available so far to UberX business accounts. Right now launching in Seattle, it will spread to other cities later this year -- Chris.

[07:50:00] CUOMO: Thank you very much, Romans. So we have the latest season of "ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN" and it's wrapping up this weekend. Guess where his last adventure is to? Buenos Aires. Bourdain is going to join us next to talk about the Paris of South America.

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[07:54:40] CUOMO: Season seven of "ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN" wraps up this weekend in the South American gem of Buenos Aires. Joining us right now is the guy with the best gig at CNN after taking eight incredible voyages around the world, Tony Bourdain, himself, here with us now.

How do you feel after all this traveling? Do you feel better than ever?

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, HOST, "ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN": I do, though after you spend a week or 10 days in Argentina, and Buenos Aires in particular, I -- when I saw my first vegetable on returning to the States I almost fell to my knees and wept with joy. I mean, it is -- I'm a carnivore, but meat, meat, meat, meat and more meat.

[07:55:00] CUOMO: So, it's just beautiful. I mean, they really -- they take their meat very seriously down there. You took this shoot very seriously.

BOURDAIN: Yes.

CUOMO: You say on a show that is known for being gorgeous, you're saying you've seen nothing yet.

BOURDAIN: We worked really, really hard. Buenos Aires is a beautiful city with a -- we were there in their off-season so there's a beauty, and a sadness, and a texture, and a color scheme that's really unique in the world. And we put a lot of effort into depicting it in a particularly cinematic way. If you like good travel porn this is as lush as it gets.

An interesting factor about Portenos people from Buenos Aires, psychotherapy is really, really big there. Everybody has a therapist. There's no shame or dishonor in admitting, oh, I'm going to go talk to my therapist about my problems. I mean, everybody -- you know, middle-class, working-class, upper-class -- it is not uncommon to have some kind of -- someone to talk to.

CUOMO: What did you get in terms of derivation and development of that? Why?

BOURDAIN: I have no idea where this comes from and why it seems to be unique to Argentina. But we run that as a kind of a through line. I get psychoanalyzed and we run that as a through line through the show, so --

CUOMO: Really interesting. They call it the Paris of South America. I mean, it's very big with food. They're obviously known for their barbecue, but different than we are here in the States. You know, barbecue means so many different things to people here. There, there is a purism about it. What did you find?

BOURDAIN: Basically, they grill. They pile wood -- tons and tons of wood -- burn them down in coals and slow-grill every cut you can imagine and every type of sausage, accompanied by more meat, mostly. I'm joking, but I don't think I saw a salad the entire time I was there.

CUOMO: Well, you've got to go with what they're doing. When you're trying to get as deep into the organic nature of a place that it is, that's what you do best. BOURDAIN: Wine and meat.

CUOMO: What do you find in the hope metric -- the hope aspect of the people down there, Argentina, Buenos Aires, specifically because it's such a pivot point? People are watching it in South America to see which way the entire continent is going to go. What are you seeing?

BOURDAIN: Well, they teeter back and forth --

CUOMO: Yes.

BOURDAIN: -- from the precipice many times. I don't know. There's a morbid sense of humor. I think, resignation. They've been through some really, really awful times and survived. I think, you know, reasonably cautiously hopeful, but not optimistic in a foolish way. I mean, expect the worst, you'll never be disappointed. I think this is --

CUOMO: That's exactly what they would say down there. So how do you feel now that the season's done?

BOURDAIN: I feel good. I'm looking forward to another one. I mean, I have the best job in the world and I'm milking it for everything I can.

CUOMO: Any obvious bucket list item that you're still waiting to check?

BOURDAIN: I'm hoping that we can find a safe way to shoot in Northern Afghanistan, you know, in a responsible way. Bangladesh, Yemen -- I'm waiting for -- I'm hoping that -- a lot of the places we haven't filmed yet it's probably for security reasons, so there are parts of the world that I'm intensely curious but I'd have to be cautious.

CUOMO: You do, because you've got to do it right and you have to be safe before you give such great access to the rest of us. Thank you so much, Tony Bourdain.

BOURDAIN: Thank you so much.

CUOMO: Congratulations on another amazing season.

BOURDAIN: Thank you.

CUOMO: So, always great to have him here and you want to watch him, and you can. Sunday at 9:00 p.m. all for the season finale of "PARTS UNKNOWN" with Anthony Bourdain, and only on CNN.

CAMEROTA: Man, that looked delicious. We're following a lot of news this morning, including Hillary Clinton's big endorsement, so let's get right to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I'm with here. She's got the courage, the compassion, and the heart to get the job done. SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN, (D) OKLAHOMA: Donald Trump is a loud, nasty, thin-skinned fraud.

JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: God willing, in my view, it will be Sec. Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump huddling with top donors and RNC chairman, Reince Priebus.

NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER U.S. REP.: Trump is learning how to be a candidate.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that Donald Trump does not become president.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a sentence that shocked the country. Six months in jail for sexually assaulting a defenseless, unconscious stranger.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brock Turner will not serve his full six-month sentence in jail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Six months reduced to three for so-called good behavior.