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New Day Saturday

Republican Rift Over Trump Widens; Trump To Meet With House Speaker Ryan Thursday; Sanders Plans To Win Over Superdelegates; Wildfire Wipes Out 1,600 Buildings, Displaces 88,000; Manhunt Over for Three Deadly Shootings; Trump Hunts for V.P. Candidate. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired May 07, 2016 - 06:00   ET

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

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]06:01:03] VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Your NEW DAY starts right now.

ANA CABRERA, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: Good morning, thanks for being here on this Saturday. I'm Ana Cabrera in for Christi.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you this morning. Donald Trump, he is tightening his grip on the GOP nomination and there is no sign of any change in tone. Will his primary strategy continue to work in the general election? Here's Trump at a rally last night in Eugene, Oregon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I just learned that crooked Hillary, along with her friend -- you know, she's got this goofy friend named Elizabeth Warren. She's on a Twitter rant. She's a goofous. She is a goofous. You ever see her? I mean this woman, she's a basket case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Now as Trump settles into the role of presumptive Republican nominee, the party he plans to lead is anything but settled around him. The lines are being drawn with big names, both for and against the billionaire.

Now in his corner, names like Dick Cheney, Bob Dole and seemingly reluctant, John McCain. Staying clear of Trump saying they will definitely not vote for him and they're not going to the GOP convention, Bushes 41 and 43, Mitt Romney and one of his consistent critics, Lindsey Graham.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I don't think he has the temperament or judgment to be commander-in-chief. Lot of my colleagues will vote enthusiastically, some will hold their nose. I just can't go there with Donald.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: All right, so those for and against are clear. Now somewhere in the middle still making up his mind, the highest ranking member of the party, Paul Ryan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPRESENTATIVE PAUL RYAN (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: I'm not there right now and I hope to though and I want to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: He says he's still not there yet in supporting Trump. A meeting is planned between Trump and Paul Ryan on Thursday. Trump is telling ABC this is what he plans to say to the speaker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You look at the Republican primary votes, millions and millions of people came in that nobody expected and they voted for me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what are you going to tell him in that meeting?

TRUMP: I'm going to say, look, this is what the people want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: "This is what the people want." Is this a preview of the general election ahead? Joining me now is CNN Politics senior reporter, Stephen Collinson.

Stephen, let's start with this meeting between Paul Ryan and Donald Trump. Initially the expectation that came from Reince Priebus was that this was Trump going to the speaker to find out what he has to do to earn his support, to get his endorsement.

Here's what Trump told the Washington. Let's put it up, "I told Reince that I thought it was totally inappropriate what Paul Ryan said and that I thought it was good for me politically.

But Reince feels -- and I'm OK with that -- that we should meet before we go our separate ways. So I guess the meeting will take place and who knows what will happen." So what is the point of this meeting? Just to simply say good-bye to one another before the general?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: That's a great question, Victor. It is an extraordinary scenario we're seeing unfold since Donald Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee. You have the most senior Republican official in the U.S. government at odds with the Republican nominee.

And that ostensively is a very bad thing because divided parties tend not to do very well in general elections. It's a battle for the soul of the Republican Party.

I guess, the point of the meeting would be to see if Ryan and Trump can come up with some kind of at least truce that can get them over this first ugly, difficult few days after the nomination was secured and perhaps reach some accommodation down the line.

But it's going to be very difficult. Paul Ryan believes he's protecting the orthodox conservative wing of the party. He's trying to protect his House majority. There are a lot of fears that with Donald Trump on the ticket that could be in jeopardy.

[06:05:04]Donald Trump has a point. He's won the Republican nomination. He's gone through multiple primaries and he says he has the voice of the people. So at this point it is very difficult to see politically and on policy terms where the compromise between Ryan and Donald Trump might come.

BLACKWELL: I'll put that question to a campaign surrogate for Donald Trump a little later to see from the campaign's perspective what this meeting is about.

But let me ask you, when Donald Trump says that it is good for him politically to have Paul Ryan, at least reluctant to endorse, does he mean that in the short term or for the entirety of the general election to have Paul Ryan standing on the outside of his campaign?

COLLINSON: I guess in the short term, it validates Donald Trump's core campaign philosophy that he is an outsider. That he has flushed out the establishment control of the Republican Party.

He blames leaders like Paul Ryan for failing to do what they said they would do when they got elected in mid-term elections, which is confront President Obama, overturn policies like Obamacare.

But as we get closer and closer to the general election, you have to question whether it is in Donald Trump's interests. He has a very tough road on the electoral map.

The electoral map demographically is tilted in favor of Democrats. Donald Trump is probably going to have to win five or six of the 11 or so battle ground states that Mitt Romney was unable to win in 2012 to beat the Democratic nominee, likely Hillary Clinton in the general election.

To do that, he's going to need almost every Republican voter in the country to turn out for him because he does so badly with some of the demographic groups like Hispanics and women which tend to sort of lean towards the Democrats.

So it's very difficult to see how Donald Trump can politically gain from going into the general election with a disunited Republican Party. So I think in the long term it has to be something that gets fixed.

BLACKWELL: All right, CNN politics senior reporter, Stephen Collinson, so many questions still to be answered as we shift from the primaries into the general election season. Stephen, thanks so much.

Next, we'll turn to the Democrats. Bernie Sanders vowing to remain in the race. Also, though, leaving the door open to a VP slot on the Clinton ticket.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like a scene out of a movie. It remind me of "Walking Dead," the TV show "Walking Dead," where you are on the highway and there is abandoned vehicles everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Look at these images. A massive wildfire raging out of control in Canada. It's expected to possibly double in size by the end of today. You'll see much more of the devastation it's causing.

BLACKWELL: Also a federal officer accused of killing several people in Maryland now in custody. How he was captured that's ahead on your NEW DAY.

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[06:11:32]

CABRERA: New this morning, Bernie Sanders holding a rally later today in New Jersey and although it looks extremely unlikely, he'll get enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination, in fact, he can't do it with just pledged delegates. He'd have to have some of those superdelegates flip to get there.

Sanders still says he's planning to keep on fighting until the end. But he's also not ruling out the possibility of being Hillary Clinton's running mate. Let's take a listen to what he told our Wolf Blitzer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, right now we are focused on the next five weeks of winning the Democratic nomination. If that does not happen, we're going to fight as hard as we can on the floor of the Democratic convention to make sure that we have a progressive platform that the American people will support and then after that, certainly Secretary Clinton and I can sit down and talk and see where we go from there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: All right, let's bring in Democratic strategist and Bernie Sanders supporter, Nomiki Konst. Also with us is a Hillary Clinton supporter, A. Scott Bolden. Nomiki, I want to start with you. First, reaction to what we just heard from Senator Sanders.

NOMIKI KONST, BERNIE SANDERS SUPPORTER: I think Senator Sanders is absolutely correct. The Democratic Party has a primary process that is a set of rules that we've had for the past 35 years really. One big rule is that both candidates, both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, have to reach a 2,383 pledged delegate mark.

That's really to encourage the primary system, to make it go through all the states. Really, the insurance policy for the Democratic Party was this superdelegate system and that was built for elected officials, who wanted to have more weight in the party.

But one superdelegate does equal 10,000 votes and it really wasn't designed so that you have those superdelegates pledged a year in advance like Hillary Clinton did.

So I think he wants to carry this out to the convention not just to show that he still has a chance because the rules are the rules, but also to show the Democratic Party that it is time -- and really try to reform the Democratic Party process, to highlight some of these things that I think a lot of Democrats aren't aware of.

Whether it is the fact that we stacked primaries, put conservative primaries towards the beginning to encourage establishment candidates, or the fact that we have closed primaries and semi-open primaries, or blocking out independents in a lot of races when 43 percent of the country is independent right now.

I think this is all going to be talked about at the convention. It is going to be fought over through the superdelegate system. But more importantly with the superdelegate system, I understand having elected. But party leaders, lobbyists, dignitaries, those people don't have an obligation to voters --

CABRERA: Let me get Scott into the conversation because I think everybody can agree that there has been criticism about the election process on both sides, both Republicans and Democrats. I don't think anybody is necessarily disputing some of the perhaps fallacies in the system.

But let's talk about where we are at because right now the rules are what they are. On the Republican side, this past week big, big changes, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, they both dropped out. So that essentially leaves Trump, last man standing. He's now able to attack Democrats.

But, on the Democratic side, it's still a battle within the party. Why is Sanders staying in the race and how is that impacting the party, do you think?

A. SCOTT BOLDEN, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTER: Well, I think Nomiki is absolutely right. His progressive agenda has got to be on the table. They can do that behind closed doors. They don't need to have a public fight right now. They can do it on the convention floor if they want.

But the target and the winning prize is the presidency and the target is Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

[06:15:04]I think you'll see if Bernie Sanders stays in -- he clearly is going to stay in -- then you're going to see both Hillary and Bernie turn their sights on Trump, one.

But, two, there will be no personal attacks. And, three, I think the Bernie Sanders folks are going to try to bring Hillary closer to the progressive side on certain issues and her people are going to negotiate to try to stay in the center.

Because the statistics show or the polls show that both Bernie and Hillary, if they get to the -- one of them gets to the general election and it is probably going to be Hillary -- they both trounce Trump. And so that's the Democrats' best shot here.

CABRERA: Nomiki, what do you say to those people who believe it is possible that if Sanders stays in the race as he plans to do, it could lead to a much deeper divide in the Democratic Party that would ultimately hurt Democrats in the general election?

KONST: I think that those people are really not understanding the history of the Democratic Party. We have a long history of very competitive primaries and this has been a pretty peaceful primary.

Bernie Sanders has been very respectful. Really what they need to look is the numbers. This isn't about Bernie Sanders. The Democratic Party I think has been a little blind to the fact that 80 percent of the party is under the age of 50, is supportive of Bernie Sanders.

What does that mean for the party? The party is 70 percent more progressive than it used to be. The number one issue concerning Democrats today other than the economy is transparency in politics and campaign finance.

These are all issues that I think in the last 25 to 30 years since the party has become much more corporatist they've lost touch with. Part of that is just the design, the way the party works.

So I think that if Democrats are concerned about him dividing the party, they really need to look at the reports, studies after each election. The past five elections we've done these diagnostic reports that show that we have these splits already.

But I don't know why the establishment has been blind to them. I'm concerned over that as a Democrat and I am especially concerned over that for my generation of Democrats who really don't seem to have a place in the party.

And for once Bernie Sanders is not only bringing in a new generation but bringing independents because we are losing 10 percent of Democrats a year.

CABRERA: A. Scott, let me bring you into that because the truth of the matter is Sanders is the candidate we've seen on the Democratic side that is igniting a passionate following that is drawing thousands to his events.

So let's say he doesn't win the Democratic nomination, which is more likely than not. Maybe he doesn't become Hillary Clinton's running mate. What does Hillary Clinton need to do and the party need to do to motivate those Sanders supporters to still turn out and vote for Clinton?

BOLDEN: They've got to figure out a way to make them turn out and vote in droves for Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee. Absolutely. Nomiki is right again about these younger voters want transparency in government who are showing up in throngs in hundreds of thousands at these rallies and stuff, the Clinton campaign has to figure out a way to reach them to effectively use Bernie --

CABRERA: What do they need to do? What do you think is the answer in order to do that?

BOLDEN: I think, one, she's got to embrace Bernie Sanders and they've got to stand together and they've got to do that outreach together. That's the first thing. Second of all, she's going to probably have to negotiate some of the more progressive items on her agenda to make them part of the Democratic platform.

Then not only talk the talk, but also walk the walk, because that is the future of the party and Bernie Sanders has tapped in to something not anger, if you will, but agitation, if you will, that these young voters who are Democrat, whose parents were probably Democrats, they want more from this party.

While the establishment is still winning, Hillary Clinton is going to get more delegates and going to be the nominee, you have to address that issue not for now, but for the future of the party.

CABRERA: All right, we have to let there. A. Scott Bolden, Nomiki Konst, thanks to both of you for joining us at this early hour on Saturday. We appreciate it.

BLACKWELL: Look at these flames. There are fears that this massive wildfire in Canada could double in size by tonight. Ahead on NEW DAY, a look at the destruction it is causing and the rush to escape these flames.

Also ahead, this man, a federal law enforcement officer, will have his picture up in a moment, accused in several deadly shootings. He's finally taken down. We'll tell you exactly how.

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[06:22:57]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those flames were bright, they were big. The smoke, the embers. Your eyes start to get watery. Yes. I can't describe. It was a lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: The images are like out of a movie. This is a massive wildfire raging in Canada right now and it could double in size by tonight. Just to give you some perspective at how big this fire actually is, it's larger than New York City and there are no signs of it slowing down.

BLACKWELL: Nothing but rubble and scorched remnants left behind in many areas. Get this -- the flames have wiped out 1,600 homes and businesses, displacing about 88,000 people. The smoke is so intense that it could be seen from space. NASA released these two images of the wildfire. Dan Simon has more from near Fort McMurray.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Flames and smoke filling the skies as a convoy of desperate residents flee the danger zone.

(on camera): What have these last few days been like?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hell on earth. Just like hell.

SIMON (voice-over): And the scenes are hellish. The first that started five days ago is still out of control. And for the displaced, it's gone from bad to worse because food and water is running low. Canadian authorities are moving some 25,000 people from camps. A double evacuation.

(on camera): What was it like being in the camp?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hard. They ration food. Low water. People are upset because they don't know what's going on.

SIMON (voice-over): The fire has burned nearly 250,000 acres, more than ten times the size of Manhattan. In one of the more remarkable surveillance videos ever captured, a homeowner can watch his own house go down in flames only 20 minutes after evacuating, 1,600 structures, including homes and businesses, destroyed. The heaviest damage in Fort McMurray.

[06:25:00]A resident films his burned-out neighborhood after seeing it for the first time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my house. This was my house. Ashes are cool now. Nothing left. It's gone.

SIMON: In another video we hear a woman's desperation as she drives by the flames destroying her community. As weary residents leave the area, they are greeted by fuel trucks with gas stations either destroyed or downed due to power outages, fuel is a precious commodity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It makes a guy feel good to actually help these people because they've been through so much loss and devastation.

SIMON: Dan Simon, CNN, Near Fort McMurray, Canada.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: That's horrible to see what's happening. You hear the cries from the woman that your entire life, all the memories and everything you've collected over your lifetime up in flames in minutes.

CABRERA: More than 1,600 structures destroyed now.

BLACKWELL: But they did escape with their lives. They did escape with their lives.

All right, ahead on NEW DAY, turning to politics now, Trump is the presumptive nominee and it's time to unify. The important element here is how did that happen? We will show you the steps to acceptance.

CABRERA: And later, the hats, the mint juleps, and of course the horses. We're talking about the annual Kentucky derby happening today. We'll see who the favorite is.

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[06:30:06] BLACKWELL: 30 minutes after the hour now. And turning to politics, as Donald Trump settles into the role of presumptive Republican presidential nominee. The party plans to lead is still divided over supporting him.

In his corner, you've got Dick Cheney, Bob Dole, John McCain. But keeping the distance at the G.O.P. convention, we've got Bushes 41 and 43, Mitt Romney and Lindsey Graham. House Speaker Paul Ryan says he has not yet made up his mind and he is planning a meeting with Trump on Thursday.

CABRERA: Now Bernie Sanders is not backing down on the Democratic side. He says he plans to fight Hillary Clinton all the way to the Democratic convention. But he says if he doesn't win, the Democratic nomination, he is open for talking about being a possible V.P. pick.

BLACKWELL: A massive wildfire in Canada rages on this morning and could double in size by tonight. The flames have wiped out 1,600 buildings near Ft. McMurray. About 88,000 people have been displaced. Officials say another 15,000 are still stranded north of that devastated city.

CABRERA: Well, there is no denying it, the Republican presidential primary has been unlike any other since Donald Trump jumped in this race. He has certainly evoked a range of emotions from his G.O.P. rival.

BLACKWELL: Yes. His candidacy has been viewed with disbelief from some outraged eventually for a growing number of acceptances.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REINCE PRIEBUS, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: I don't think anyone predicted what happened.

SEN. TED CRUZ, (R-TX) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump will not be the nominee.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's leading right now. You look in that camera and said he's a coward. Will you support him as the nominee?

CRUZ: Donald Trump will not be the nominee.

TRUMP: Kasich. You know, the man that eats with large bites. You ever see --

FMR. GOV. JEB BUSH, (R-FL) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's a chaos candidate and he would be a chaos president.

TRUMP: Little Marco.

BUSH: You're never going to be president of the United States by insulting your way to the presidency.

TRUMP: Oh, let's see. I'm at 42 percent and you're at 3 percent.

BUSH: It doesn't matter.

TRUMP: So far, I'm doing better.

BUSH: It doesn't matter.

TRUMP: Lyin' Ted.

CRUZ: Breathe. Breathe.

This man is a pathological liar. He combines it with being a narcissist.

TRUMP: I cannot believe how civil it's been up here.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R-NJ) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Show time is over, everybody. We are not electing an entertainer-in-chief.

I am proud to be here to endorse Donald Trump for president of the United States.

LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC), SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: If you nominate Trump and Cruz, I think you get the same outcome. Whether it's death by being shot or poisoning, does it really matter?

TRUMP: Many, many people are calling that you wouldn't even believe, and they're saying we'd love to get on the train. The Trump train, they call it. But we'd love to get on the team.

PRIEBUS: Look, we're here. We're going to get behind the presumptive nominee. That's pretty obvious that Donald Trump is going to get to 1,237.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: All right. Here with me now, Scottie Nell Hughes, national political commentator for U.S.A. Radio Networks and Donald Trump surrogate.

Scottie, good morning to you. SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, NATIONAL POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, U.S.A. RADIO NETWORKS: Good morning, Victor. And thanks for going down that walk down memory lane this morning. What a great way to wake up Saturday morning to realize what a roller coaster we have been through.

BLACKWELL: It has been. It has been. Starting out with 17 and now down to the presumptive nominee. But, you know, not everybody is getting to stage five which is acceptance.

We are hearing so many people who are refusing to back Donald Trump.

I want to start with what we saw from "The Washington Post," and this statement that was sent to the "Post" from Donald Trump.

This is after Reince Priebus said that he had a conversation with Donald Trump after Paul Ryan, the speaker of the house, said that he's not there yet in endorsing Trump.

And according to the "Post," Donald Trump said this, "I told Reince that I thought it was totally inappropriate what Paul Ryan said and thought it was good for me politically. But Reince feels, and I'm OK with that, that we should meet before we go our separate ways. So I guess the meeting will take place and who know what will happen."

What's the point of the meeting? Just to talk about what they don't agree upon and then nothing? What's supposed to happen on Thursday?

HUGHES: Well, I'm hoping at the end of Thursday, they'll bust out the marshmallows and the chocolate and the Graham crackers and make S'mores and sing "Kumbaya."

And I'm optimistic, Victor, that they actually will be able to do that, because they both had the same intentions. You also have to remember, Chairman Ryan is also chairman of the convention in Cleveland. So he has a lot to do with the planning of this party that is going to be about at the end nominating Mr. Trump as the G.O.P. front-runner.

[06:34:10] So I think at this point we need to sit here and realize that I think this might have just been all talk for three days. I felt like I was dealing with a power struggle between two men.

And you had the Washington, D.C. elites represented by Ryan saying, nope, we've got the power, Mr. Trump.

And Mr. Trump going, no, I actually have the power because I have the people behind me right now. So I think that power struggle happened very publicly. 24 hours. There might have been some bruised egos involved as well in that. And I'm hoping this week we're going to start a new, fresh week where both guys will see eye-to-eye.

Like I said, we might be hearing some "Kumbayas" coming out of the RNC by the end of this meeting.

BLACKWELL: So should Donald Trump go in there and ask for Paul Ryan's endorsement? HUGHES: I think that -- I think that would be a nice thing to say, but I don't think he had to ask Paul. I think Paul Ryan has to realize. And let's realize, Paul Ryan also has a very contentious race possibly going to be happening in his own seat in Wisconsin right now.

It will be interesting to see how the people are reacting to Ryan right now continuing this divide. I am very -- like I said, I am very optimistic that Paul Ryan is going to come through and say -- it is not necessarily asking, it's called 50-50.

And Reince Priebus has been very good about bringing both parties to the table, and say, ok, both of you are important. If we want to beat Hillary Clinton, which is the ultimate goal of the Republican Party is to win the White House in 2016, let's both come eye-to-eye, let's put the egos aside and let's actually work together.

And I think we'll, I think we're going to have a good "Kumbaya." It's in both of their interests.

BLACKWELL: OK. We'll continue to look ahead to that meeting on Thursday. But on Friday, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, we just got some -- this morning already, he did not fully rule out the possibility that although Donald Trump is the presumptive nominee, that he would not leave the convention in July without the official nomination.

Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRIEBUS: My personal views, it's highly, highly doubtful. As I said before, the rules committee of 2016 writes the rules for the convention. I don't write the rules. And in fact, the RNC's role at the convention is fairly limited.

Nothing is impossible, but it's -- like I said, I've said this many times -- highly -- and I add another one -- highly unlikely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: OK. So he says it's highly, highly unlikely that Donald Trump will not be the nominee. But the "Never Trump" people say they're never Trump. Not "Maybe Trump." And you do have all of those Trump delegates who still in their hearts want Ted Cruz to be the nominee.

Your response to what you're hearing from the chairman of the RNC.

HUGHES: Oh, I don't call them "Never Trump" anymore. I call them "Always Hillary" at this point, because that's exactly what they're doing. And they realize that.

And what Chairman Priebus said, he is right. Nothing has been impossible this campaign season. That's the reality of it. But you're going into the convention. And I think this is where Senator Ted Cruz is very important to Mr. Trump's campaign right now, that he does stand up and set the leadership tone and say, you know what, guys, we did fight the fight.

You might not have liked it, you might not have liked some of the words exchanged, but at this point right now, whatever your beef might be with Mr. Trump, I can guarantee you, they are better choice than Secretary of State Clinton.

And I think right now that's up to Senator Cruz. I think he is going to do it, because he is a good man to do that. But I am like Chairman Priebus.

I think we're going to come out of Cleveland. It's going to be actually a really good -- it's going to be a great convention. It's going to have some great people involved. And I think we'll definitely going to have Mr. Trump as our nominee. There is very little chance that that's not going to happen.

BLACKWELL: Scottie Nell Hughes, always good to have you.

HUGHES: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Thanks so much.

CABRERA: This morning, we're learning more about a suspect in a killing spree.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tactical teams located his car. Then spotted the suspect in a restaurant across the street from the supermarket shooting site, where reporters were set up to cover the story.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're telling us to get back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But police say they wanted until he came out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: We'll have details on the capture and this man's ties to law enforcement -- next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: 18 before the top of the hour now.

The manhunt for a suspected gunman believed to be linked to three deadly shootings outside the nation's capital, well, that search is now over.

CABRERA: Police have now charged this man with first degree murder after a brutal two-day rampage. In the end, three people killed, three others wounded.

CNN's Brian Todd has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Apprehended by tactical teams only 15 miles from downtown Washington, a sworn officer in the federal protective service who was believed armed and dangerous.

ASSISTANT CHIEF DARRYL MCSWAIN, MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE: Mr. Eulalio Tordil has been taken into custody just minutes ago. Thankfully, it was wild incident.

TODD: Officials announcing his arrest say fatal shootings at three locations in less than 24 hours are likely related.

MCSWAIN: We do have reason to believe that this incident and the one in Aspen Hill, potentially the one also in Prince George's County, was in fact related.

TODD: Police put out a bulletin for Officer Eulalio Tordil, Thursday, wanted for first degree murder after he allegedly shot dead his estranged wife outside this high school. From the high school, only a dozen miles away, three shot, one fatally at the Westfield Mall. And then five miles away, another victim shot dead at a supermarket.

With the gunman on the loose, children were kept inside under shelter and placed warnings at schools nearby.

Police fanned out on a manhunt to find one of their own, a trained law enforcement officer.

ART RODERICK, FORMER U.S. MARSHALL: You're dealing with a worst case scenario for responding officer to take down a police officer who's had this type of training.

TODD: Tactical teams located his car, then spotted the suspect in a restaurant across the street from the supermarket shooting site where reporters were set up to cover the story.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're telling us to get back.

TODD: But police say they waited until he came out.

CHIEF THOMAS MAGNER, MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE: They had this individual under surveillance and when the individual walked back to his car, the plain clothed officers were able to take him into custody without incident.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm surprised that he didn't get into a shoot-out with the police.

TODD: The Federal Protective Service which guards federal buildings pushed Tordil on administrative duties in March after a protective order was issued against him and removed his duty weapon and badge. He was then placed on administrative leave.

(on-camera): A key question, who are the victims who were shot in the parking lot of this shopping mall and at the grocery store on Friday? Police say they don't know if the shooter had any connection to those victims, but two of those victims have survived. And police say they are eager to debrief them as soon as possible.

Brian Todd, CNN, Bethesda, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Our thanks to Brian Todd for reporting.

[06:45:04] BLACKWELL: Ahead on NEW DAY, what do hats, horses and mint juleps have in common?

CABRERA: You probably know the answer. Kentucky derby, of course.

Our Coy Wire is there with a preview.

Hey, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Ana, Victor, you know, I brought my hat. It's a beautiful morning here at Churchill Downs.

And coming up, we're going to talk about the favorites here at the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby. See who can take the step towards that elusive triple crown. Who is your favorite?

Coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Welcome back. The 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby is today, but of course there is more happening than just the horse race.

(SPORTS NEWS)

BLACKWELL: All right. Ahead on NEW DAY, uniting the G.O.P. A trump supporter and a rival weigh in on the challenges facing Republican leadership.

CABRERA: And place your bets on who Trump might pick as his running mate. Comedians are weighing in on the hunt for a V.P.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Could a guy who's been --

TRUMP: Little Marco --

MOSS: Grow up to be Vice President Rubio?

TRUMP: It could happen.

MOSS: Trump veep stakes mania has hit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:55:40] CABRERA: These images coming to us from North Korea, where the country is holding its biggest political event in more than three decades.

BLACKWELL: This is the second day of the Workers Party Congress. It's a rare meeting designed to reshuffle leadership, but also to re- affirm Kim Jong-Un as the country's leader.

CABRERA: North Korea, of course, is a country with no political dissent.

Meanwhile, a U.S. think tank says new images show North Korea may be gearing up for another nuclear test.

BLACKWELL: London makes history and elects its first Muslim mayor. Sadiq Khan of the labor party will become a first Muslim mayor to lead a major western city. Khan's win comes after a bitter political race.

During the campaign, Khan's rival tried to link him to radical Islam. Khan, a son of a Pakistani immigrant, says he's, quote, "Humbled by the election results."

CABRERA: Back here in the U.S., the army is investigating whether 16 West Point cadets broke military rules when they took this photo. The cadets say they were just posing for an old corps photo, a tradition at the academy. The only difference, they're raising their right fists.

Now this is a gesture that has been linked with some political movements like Black Lives Matter. It also has a long history as a gesture of solidarity. Now a West Point graduate who mentored some of these cadets says for them it really is all about unity, pride and sisterhood.

Critics say the salute violates military code banning service members from participating in political activities while in uniform.

BLACKWELL: It sounds like a scene from a mafia movie, but it's real. A man's body washes ashore with his feet encased in cement. Authorities in Brooklyn have identified the man as suspected gang member Peter Martinez.

Investigators say he was found wrapped in black plastic bags with his arms tied behind his back and his feet submerged in concrete. His mouth and nose were covered in tape and he was reported missing in February.

Detectives are trying to figure out a motive for his killing and how long he had been in the water.

All right, here's the question that so many are asking this morning. Now that Donald Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, who will he pick to be his V.P.?

CABRERA: As CNN's Jeanne Moos explains, well, the guessing game has already started.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOOS: It's time to name that veep.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gingrich is a really interesting wild card.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Christie is the favorite.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Martinez of New Mexico.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ben Carson.

MOOS: What? Or could a guy who's been --

TRUMP: Little Marco.

MOOS: Grow up to be Vice President Rubio?

TRUMP: It could happen. Trump veep stakes mania has hit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He should run as the first father/daughter ticket and have his girl, Ivanka, run with him as a V.P.

MOOS: Prepare for V.P. survivor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On Vice President Island, 20 amazing Trump supporters, in a battle for the ultimate prize.

MOOS: Even the current V.P. joked about it.

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm anticipating he'll ask me to be vice president.

MOOS: The Donald seems to drop hints.

TRUMP: Somebody maybe that's even a senator.

MOOS: Former Senator Scott Brown spent an hour and a half with the Donald last month. Some would-be running mates seem to be running away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to pass. I like my job.

MOOS: When "The New York Times" asked a Jeb Bush advisor about Jeb being VP, this was the written response.

And John Kasich passed the buck to his interviewer.

GOV. JOHN KASICH, (R-OH) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There is zero chance.

Erin, there's more chance of you being Donald Trump's vice president than me.

MOOS: But Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin gushed, "I would be very honored if I were to receive a call saying, I need you to help make America great again."

And Chris Christie didn't say no. GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R-NJ) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I decided in my heart what I wanted to do.

MOOS: But what's the Donald want?

TRUMP: Someone who complements me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, you mean someone who has a different skill set than you?

TRUMP: No. I mean someone who literally compliments me.

Donald, you're great.

MOOS: Get out the popcorn.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who will advance? And who will be kicked off the island?

TRUMP: Gary, you're impeached.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vice President Island, this summer on every cable news channel.

MOOS: And every late night comedy show.

Jeanne Moos, CNN --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said he wants a qualified running mate. When asked why, Trump said opposites attract.

MOOS: New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC), SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Good luck with Paul Ryan trying to find a conservative agenda with this guy. And I don't think he has a temperament and judgement to be commander- in-chief.

(END VIDEO CLIP)