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Trump: Having "Very Productive Talks" With North Korea; North Koreans Cautiously Optimistic On Summit Prospects; Two Injured As Teacher Disarms Student Shooter; Alberto To Bring Rain On Memorial Day Weekend. Aired 6-7a ET

Aired May 26, 2018 - 06:00   ET

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

[06:00:09]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The lines of communications with North Korea are back open again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're returning phone calls trying to see if they can work out and make something happen to make this summit in Singapore occur on June 12th.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's yet another media-shy Russian billionaire linked to the Kremlin and mired in allegations of collusion with the Trump team?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Viktor, why did your company pay hundreds of thousands of dollars --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not now --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- to President Trump's lawyer?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Walked in, had the gun, and started waving it around.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He started shooting at Mr. Siemen (ph) and everybody started screaming and freaking out. And Mr. Siemen tackled him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Siemen threw a basketball at the shooter's forehead, swatted the gun out of his hand, and tackled him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a hero.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Without him, I'm not sure all of us would have made it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Salvaging the summit, this morning, there is cautious optimism, renewed faith that the meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un may actually happen after all. VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Now less than two days after canceling the upcoming sit down, President Trump says his team is having productive talks again with North Korean. But with two and a half weeks to go, can this meeting really happen on the day originally scheduled?

PAUL: CNN's Will Ripley just returned from a trip to North Korea, and he's following the international reaction here. We do want to start with CNN's Sarah Westwood, however. She is live in Washington. Good morning to both of you.

So, Sarah, obviously very different information coming out from 48 hours ago. We saw in a tweet President Trump saying we are having very productive talks with North Korea. Any idea who is involved in those talks, and specifically what's being discussed?

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN REPORTER: Well, President Trump is creating a lot of whiplash over this North Korea summit this week. Like you mentioned, he canceled the summit on Thursday. Within hours, suggesting, though, the meeting could still take place as scheduled.

He struck an optimistic tone on Twitter last night tweeting "We are having very productive talks with North Korea about reinstating the summit which, if it does happen, will likely remain in Singapore on the same date, June 12th. And if necessary, will be extended beyond that date."

Now plans are not slowing down, Christi. Aides are still preparing for this meeting as if it was happening. A person familiar with the plans tells CNN that a scheduled trip by senior administration officials to Singapore to scout out locations for that meeting is taking place as scheduled.

Even as a senior official tells reporters, downplaying expectations by saying the ball is in North Korea's court, and time before that June 12th meeting is running out.

PAUL: All right. So, Will, I know that you have spoken to regime officials, I understand. Are they as optimistic about this as the U.S. seems to be?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They're cautiously optimistic, Christi. Obviously, they were taken by surprise when we got the news on the train ride back from the North Korean nuclear test site, Punggyeri, that President Trump had unilaterally canceled the summit.

There was a lot of shock. It was very awkward and uncomfortable, but then the next morning, North Korea's Foreign Ministry put out that statement praising President Trump giving him credit for taking steps that no other U.S. president has before to actually consider sitting down and talking with North Korea.

And the North Korean said that they want a dialogue with the United States. They feel that dialogue and not military escalation is the solution here. Those words obviously welcomed by the president. Now it looks like the summit would seem as if it was dead in the water is now a distinct possibility. That is being welcomed not only inside North Korea, but around the region even in South Korea, the presidential office putting out a statement overnight.

I'll read a portion of it to you. It says, quote, "It is fortunate that the embers of the North Korea-U.S. dialogue are not going out but are coming back up again." This is a spokesperson for the presidential office responding to President Trump's comments at White House, would still like to move forward with the summit, also saying, "We are watching the development carefully."

They're watching very carefully in North Korea, as well. We know that diplomats that had closed channels of communication have now reopened them. Even though there's still a lot of mistrust on the North Korean side and frankly, the U.S. side, they'll try to overcome those obstacles and see if they can work something out to make these talks happen as planned next month.

PAUL: All right. Just to clarify, the video that you were seeing their next to Will. Will was a witness to the destruction of that nuclear site in the last 24 hours since that happened. We'll talk to you more about that, what you saw, what we know possibly really was destroyed there in North Korea, in the next hour. So, thank you so much, Sarah Westwood, Will Ripley.

BLACKWELL: All right. Joining us now, Jean Lee, the director of the Center for Korean History and Public Policy at the Wilson Center, and also Rebecca Grant, the president of IRIS Independent Research focused on national security and analysis. Ladies, good morning to you.

[06:05:12] Rebecca, let me start with you. The North Korean rhetoric obviously has made a dramatic reversal since the cancelation of either president. To what degree more than just wanting this summit does Kim need this?

REBECCA GRANT, PRESIDENT, IRIS INDEPENDENT RESEARCH: Kim needs this, and I like the word "dialogue." It means they're still willing to talk. Look, China gave North Korea military power, but they can't give Kim prosperity. Kim has a wonderful choice.

He can embrace the U.S. and South Korea and denuclearize, make a deal and get economic development, or he can continue to live with the very severe military pressure and sanctions. Let's hope he chooses denuclearization.

BLACKWELL: After the promotion of this summit, all the chants of Nobel, and the president saying that he could come up with a great deal for the world, Rebecca, let me go to Jean with this, does the president need it?

JEAN LEE, DIRECTOR, CENTER TO KOREAN HISTORY AND PUBLIC POLICY: The president does need to show that this declaration that he's going to do something historic, was not just an early declaration of victory, but that he's going to walk away with something substantial. This is a high-stakes diplomacy that we're seeing play out so publicly in his Twitter feed and North Korean state media.

But let's remember that this would be historic, it would be the first time a U.S. president sits down with a North Korean leader. Here's the opportunity to change 65 years of tensions and provocations.

This is something that the Korean Peninsula needs, and the South Korean president certainly has been at the forefront of this effort. But let's just remember that the Korean have been living with the tension, this war between the United States and North Korea for more than 65 years. They want some resolution to it.

BLACKWELL: So, Rebecca, on this question of calling the talks on and off, potentially back on, the president said in response to a question from reporters yesterday that everybody plays games. Was this cancelation a play in that game or evidence of what analysts say is a lack of preparation and realism about the North Koreans and their willingness to actually negotiate the nuclear program?

GRANT: Well, I can tell you that President Trump's firm rebuke to North Korea strengthened military deterrence in the Pacific. Believe me, that echoed back to China, and down the road we'll have to contend with China, too. So, I think it was a good move.

Now Secretary Mattis says our diplomats and president are working hard. There's no question, Jean is right, this should be historic. We want to see that denuclearization go forward.

BLACKWELL: All right. So, what is on the table, of course, an important question here, Jean. There's still -- appears to be no consensus definition of denuclearization. One that we all understand that both the U.S. and North Korea agree to. Listen to South Korean President Moon Jae-in this week in the oval office and his list of expectations he's placed on the president. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have every confidence that President Trump will be able to achieve an historic feat of making the upcoming U.S.-North Korea summit successful and end the Korean war that has been lasting the past 65 years.

Along the way, achieve complete denuclearization of North Korea, establish a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, and normalize relations between the United States and North Korea. I have every confidence that he will be able to make an historic turnaround in this sense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: That's a lot for this first meeting between these two men, even the North Koreans at the end of their statement saying that there may be small steps here. How much of what was listed there is realistic?

LEE: It's a complicated process. I am concerned that we've spent so much time dealing with the logistics and whether this is going to happen or not going to happen. We have a little more than two weeks for the sides to get on the same page about what they're going to do at the summit.

I would say that all of these goals are possible in the long term. But what they could do at the summit is declare together that they would work toward it. And then map out, let experts, their diplomats map out the step-by-step strategy to get to that point. But the expectation that we're going to see complete denuclearization from North Korea before they sit down on June 12th is unrealistic.

BLACKWELL: Rebecca, let's talk about the element that initially scared or spooked the North Koreans, this mention of the Libya model when John Bolton, the national security adviser, mentioned it. He likely was talking about the deal finalized during the Bush administration for Gadhafi to give up their chemical weapons, weapons of mass destruction, their nuclear program.

[06:10:01] What Kim saw was Gadhafi during the Bush administration, the government being overthrown, him being killed and dragged through the streets. Has the U.S. put that -- to use a sloppy analogy -- put the toothpaste back in the tube? Is that now clearly off the table? Although there was that double down by the vice president after the president shot it down.

LEE: Yes, and Libya is the wrong model. The right model is Ukraine. Ukraine was the third biggest nuclear power in the early 1990s. It took four years to denuclearize Ukraine. One year of very intensive negotiations led by President Bill Clinton.

Ukraine is much more the model. We ended up buying back highly enriched uranium. It was a good deal for all and resulted in close relationships and integration of Ukraine into the international order. Ukraine not Libya.

BLACKWELL: All right. Quick yes or no, if I can, Jean first, then Rebecca. Do the talks happen on June 12th?

LEE: I do hope that they will. There's momentum right now, and the longer we wait for this, the less likely we're going to have success.

BLACKWELL: All right.

GRANT: Yes. I'm hopeful. Let's see it. I want to see June 12th.

BLACKWELL: OK, Rebecca Grant, Jean Lee, thank you both.

PAUL: Well, students say a school shooting in Indiana yesterday could have been so much worse had their teacher not stepped in to stop that gunman. How they say he used a basketball to disarm a school shooter.

BLACKWELL: Holiday travelers will feel some pain of -- potentially subtropical storm Alberto soon. CNN meteorologist, Allison Chinchar, tracking that storm-to-be -- Allison.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right, the official start to hurricane season isn't for another week, but mother nature just didn't quite get the memo. We'll break down exactly where this is expected to track coming up.

PAUL: And if you're traveling, there's going to be an uptick in gas prices. You will feel it when you fill up as you drive around this Memorial Day holiday. Polo Sandoval live in New Jersey. Hey, Polo.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Christi. Already on track for becoming one of most expensive summer travel seasons to hit the road. What will that mean for the average traveler? Most importantly, for the Trump administration? We'll break it all down for you coming up in your CNN NEW DAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:16:15]

BLACKWELL: Two people are now recovering from gunshot wounds in Indiana after a deputy say a middle school student started firing two handguns in the middle of class.

PAUL: Yes. And listen to what students say happened in the room next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And everybody started screaming and freaking out. And Mr. Seaman ran up and tackled him and secured him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then he started screaming to call 911 and get out. We realized he tackled him and the gun was out of his hands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: So, let's talk about the teacher who was pivotal here. CNN affiliate WCIA walks us through it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAITLYN CONNOLLY, WCIA REPORTER (voice-over): Shots rang through an Indiana middle school Friday morning. Police say Jason Seaman was giving a test to his seventh-grade science class. The shooter asked to be excused. When he came back, he had two handguns and started firing.

He shot a 13-year-old girl. A student in the class said Seaman threw a basketball at the shooter's forehead, swatted the gun out of his hands, and tackled him through a storage room. He then told students to run and call 911.

KEITH POGUE, FORMER COACH: If there's a guy you want on your side, in the trenches with you, it was Jason.

CORY CHRISTENSEN, TEACHER'S FRIEND: To hear that he was the one essentially is the hero today, doesn't surprise me one bit. That's something Jason would do.

CONNOLLY: Hero, it's the name Seaman's been given nationwide. People know him as a husband, a dad, and a great man.

POGUE: He was a great teammate, great leader. He made everything fun. We could go to work, and Jason would lighten things up in a good way.

CONNOLLY: Keith Pogue was his teacher and coach. Seaman played basketball. He was a track and field star. He was also a standout on the football field and went on to play at SIU. Pogue says he was an all-around star.

POGUE: If he's not the best athlete here in the last 25 years, he's close to it.

CONNOLLY: Corey Christensen is a high school and college friend. He 3played football with Seaman and looks up to him.

CHRISTENSEN: Get along with anybody in school. You could go up if you needed help with anything. He helped me with sports through high school and so forth.

CONNOLLY: He said he got a notification on his phone about the shooting but knew nothing. When he found out it was Seaman who was shot, he was at a loss for words.

CHRISTENSEN: You just never think that something like this would happen to someone you know so close.

CONNOLLY: But it did. Those who know Jason Seaman say when it comes to fight or flight, he will always stand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: Our thanks to Kaitlyn Connolly. In a statement, Seaman thanked his students for their support and told them he's doing fine, and they are the reason that he teaches. The family of that injured student did give a statement to CNN.

In part it reads, "Her status is critical, yet we're pleased to report she's stable. We'd like to thank everyone across the country who prayed for our family today. We have felt those prayers and appreciate each of them." Their 13-year-old daughter they're talking about. They went on to thank first responders and did, of course, ask for privacy.

BLACKWELL: Families in Hawaii had to just sit and watch as lava crept toward their homes. You'll see more of this amazing video of what's happening there on the big island.

PAUL: And disgraced Hollywood mogul, Harvey Weinstein, is waking up to a new reality after being charged with rape and sex abuse charges. His attorney is confident, though, that he's going to be exonerated in his upcoming trial. We'll (inaudible) defensive point of view next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:24:22] PAUL: It's 24 minutes past the hour. Early Saturday morning, but we are glad you're here. I'm Christi Paul.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good morning to you.

PAUL: So, a week to go now before the official start of the hurricane season. Yes, we still have a week. Maybe not.

BLACKWELL: Yes. It's coming.

PAUL: Because subtropical storm, Alberto, is already brewing in the Caribbean.

BLACKWELL: Yes. CNN meteorologist, Allison Chinchar is in the Weather Center. Allison, OK, comes on a holiday weekend here, but what are the chances that this is really going to rev up into something serious, something major?

CHINCHAR: Actually, pretty high chances. I think that's the key. We have to see what it does in the next 36 hours. The forecast does expect this to intensify from where it is right now. So, let's look at that.

[06:25:04] Right now, winds about 40 miles per hour, gusting up to 50 miles per hour. It's moving to the North just about seven miles per hour. It's what happens once it gets into the gulf that's key.

Right now, we expect landfall could be anywhere from Florida to Louisiana, which I know may seem like a widespread, but that's going to be key. We have to see exactly what it does in the gulf. I mean, how does it interact with those warm temperatures?

Because the further north it goes, the warmer that water is going to be. It's going to be from low 80s to upper 80s. At this point time, we expect it to be a tropical storm at landfall. However, and I put a big however there, if it enters some extremely warm water right there before it makes landfall, it's very possible it could give it just enough push to make it into a low-end category-one hurricane at the time of landfall.

So, for that reason, it's important that you stay focused on the forecast in the coming days until we get much closer to that landfall time frame. At this point, it's expected to be late Monday night. We have tropical storm watches in effect for areas from Louisiana, stretching over toward Western Florida.

Storm surge expected to be about two to four feet. The main concern here -- and this is entirely -- this has absolutely nothing to do with where it makes landfall, pretty much from all of Florida stretching over toward Eastern Texas, flooding is going to be the main concern regardless of where it makes landfall.

That's because the storm is going to kick up an enormous amount of moisture. Pretty much widespread. You're looking at most of these areas to be about four to six inches. Now as we mentioned, the start of hurricane season technically doesn't start for another week. But that doesn't mean anything per se. Earlier this week, they came out with the numbers that NOAA put in the forecast. We expect about 10 to 16 named storms and five to nine they expect to be hurricane strength.

And at this point, we only expect Alberto to be a tropical storm, but it could get just enough extra strength to be one of the five to nine hurricanes.

PAUL: Goodness. All right. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much for the heads-up.

BLACKWELL: All right. So, you saw there the forecast model. Potentially Alberto heading there into the gulf. And oil rigs could be shut down. The gas prices are already higher than they were this time last year.

PAUL: CNN's Polo Sandoval live outside a gas station in Ridgefield, New Jersey. Let's talk about what that could do for Memorial Day travelers if we have some shutdowns in the gulf.

SANDOVAL: Well, Christi, let's talk some of the potential political consequences. Think of the higher gas prices as a new tax on roughly some of the 36 million people expected to hit the road this summer -- at least this Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA. People are spending more on gas which could hurt consumer confidence, but it means more take-home for those benefitting on the Trump tax plan.

That could impact the upcoming midterms. What is happening here? At this point the average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded at $2.97. Nationally here, people could only dream of that. It's about $3.10 this morning as the Memorial Day weekend gets started.

Those numbers according to AAA. Certainly, demand is up. At the same time, there's a spike in crude oil that has led to the increase in gas prices, which haven't been this high since 2014 so consider that.

What do people have to say this morning? We're getting mixed reaction. For example, an Uber driver told my colleague that maybe it's time to find another job. I also spoke to one of the 36 million people this morning.

A woman headed from Philadelphia to Connecticut who says it is what it is. The reality of 2018. The prices go down, they go up. They're hoping the spike is short-lived. So is the Trump administration -- guys.

BLACKWELL: All right. Polo Sandoval for us this morning. Polo, thanks so much.

All right. You've got to see these pictures. A family in Hawaii had no choice but to sit and watch as lava just got closer and closer to their home they somehow were calm during this entire thing. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The same street -- this house -- house on that side over there also gone. This is insane. The lava's advancing about, I don't know, three feet per minute, two feet per minute.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Over there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have traffic cones being moved. Mailboxes on fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: I mean, you have to just stand there and let it breathe. What do you do? You just --

(CROSSTALK)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: There's nothing you can do.

PAUL: But you can't put sandbags up or anything. You just have to --

BLACKWELL: Yes. And a water hose is not going to work on lava.

PAUL: No. It's just so sad for these people. Lava from the Kilauea volcano we know is covering just over three square miles of the big island right now. The earthquakes are ramping up as well. Yesterday alone there were 90 earthquakes in a matter of six hours. I think somebody equate that to like every four to five minutes.

BLACKWELL: Wow. Check this. This is from NASA. A glimpse of what it looks like from space. These photos were taken from the International Space Station. NASA has been helping Hawaiian officials there track new fissures and give them a heads-up on where the lava is headed. But when you watch that video, I mean, you know at two to three feet per minute that it's coming and there's nothing you can do. Nothing you can do.

PAUL: It is so sad for these people. And yet did you hear all those -- you still heard all the wildlife.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Yes. The birds are still.

PAUL: I heard the birds. It is just such a -- it's just so strange.

We're going to keep you posted on what's happening in Hawaii this morning, especially as the light comes up there.

Still to come, though, we were talking probably yesterday about Harvey Weinstein. He is charged with rape, with sex abuse. This in New York. Well, now the defense is worried he's not going to get a fair trial. What do you think about that?

CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson is going to talk about that.

BLACKWELL: Also, the NFL says it will fine teams whose players do not stand for the national anthem. Some see the policy now as a snub of the players that silently protest police brutality. But is it a violation of their First Amendment rights? We'll talk about that, too.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:36:15] PAUL: Thirty-six minutes past the hour right now. And disgraced media producer Harvey Weinstein waking up this morning wearing a GPS monitor. He's stripped of his passport, confined to travel in just New York state and Connecticut. He was released from police custody under those conditions on $1 million bail after turning himself in to be charged with rape and sex abuse. Now Weinstein's attorney says he's completely confident his client will be exonerated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN BRAFMAN, ATTORNEY FOR HARVEY WEINSTEIN: Mr. Weinstein will enter a plea of not guilty. We intend to move quickly to dismiss these charges. We believe that they are constitutionally flawed. We believe that they are not factually supported by the evidence. And we believe that at the end of the process Mr. Weinstein will be exonerated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Weinstein is expected back in court in July.

CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Joey Jackson with me now.

Joey, good to see you. So I think the operative words there are defense attorney right now. With that said, if he was your client, what would be the crux of your defense?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, you know, Christi, good morning to you, of course. Ben Brafman is a very skilled attorney. In the interest of full disclosure, he was one of the trainers we had. It's being prosecuted by my former office, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. And so he's the real deal. He knows what he needs to do.

I think there are two things he'll focus on. First of all, there's obviously the issue of consent and whether there were any consent or relations. But even before you get to that point, you heard him, Christi, speak to the issue of the constitutionally flawed nature of the charges. He'll attack the statute of limitations, suggesting that the 2004 case should not be brought in the first instance. He'll attack the factual allegations.

And remember, whenever there are cases -- the other case is 2013. So whenever you have 2013, 2004 charges, there are memory flaws, there are issues with witnesses. There may be documentary evidence issues. And so I think there'll be attacks on all fronts in that regard. But we are in a very tough culture and environment as it relates to sexual assault cases.

PAUL: The attorney also mentioned that he was concerned that the Me Too Movement might have some effect here. Do you agree that it may be tough to seat a jury? JACKSON: You know, I really do because from a -- so there's a

practical perspective and then there's the legal perspective. From the legal perspective, the judge will instruct the jury you're not to be influenced by any outside factors, you're to evaluate the case if it gets this far, to trial, of course. You're to evaluate it based upon the evidence you hear in a courtroom. That's from a legal perspective.

You are to divorce yourself of any preconceived notions. And everything is about what happens there. However, from a practical perspective, we know that we are in the -- we are right in the thick of a movement. And that movement is holding all accountable, holding the rich, holding the famous. Holding people who never before would be brought to justice or otherwise, answer for these crimes. And so in that climate, notwithstanding the judge's instructions, it's going to be very difficult to get a jury to focus on specifically the facts.

You hope they do. You pray they do. The law requires that they do. Whether they actually do from a practical perspective is going to be the issue in this case if it goes that far. And --

(CROSSTALK)

PAUL: I know -- I'm sorry.

JACKSON: It's OK, I just want to get this in. And that is that remember with Cosby there were multiple other accusers. What I'm going to be looking for in this case is whether the judge allows other evidence as to Weinstein's misconduct to filter into this case because we know that that plays a significant role in how jurors evaluate the modes operandi of the person who stands accused.

PAUL: That's exactly what I wanted to ask about whether the sheer volume of other voices who have the same accusations could supersede any lack of physical evidence there, as well.

JACKSON: Exactly.

[06:40:03] PAUL: OK. I do want to get to one more thing, well, actually two more questions. One in this case, do you anticipate more charges?

JACKSON: You know, there certainly could be. Remember that he has only been criminally charged with a criminal complaint. What that means is that a grand jury has not issued an indictment. Now an indictment doesn't show anything about guilt. In indictment, there are 23 members of the grand jury. They're just voting about, A, whether there's reasonable cause to believe a crime has been committed, and B, whether Harvey Weinstein committed them. And based upon the evidence that's presented to those 23 people, only 12, the majority, have to vote out an indictment. But they'll have a lot to consider factually, and a grand jury can very well issue additional charges than the three he's facing now. So that is a very likely possibility.

PAUL: OK. I wanted to ask you real quickly before we let you go about this new policy from the NFL that requires players to stand for the national anthem. They will be able to stay in the locker room if they choose not to do so. Getting a lot of pushback here. We have Golden State Warriors' head coach Steve Kerr who said that it's idiotic. Harvey Kay tweeted, "I am a co-owner of the Packers and I feel ashamed of the organization for bowing to the anti-democratic efforts of the NFL to strip players of their free speech rights. We must not accept it. Fight. Fight. Fight."

You have these policies. You've got the policy here, you've got the First Amendment here, is the policy illegal, Joey?

JACKSON: I think that there'll be -- there are a lot of problems with the policy. Now forgetting about the merits and asking everyone at home to divorce themselves from the issue of respecting America, we need to love the country, respect the country, and believe in its principles.

PAUL: Yes, sir.

JACKSON: But that's the very point here. The point here is that it's a country which allows and permits us to do, right, what you want to do. We have freedoms. Here's why I think the policy's flawed. Number one, on a strictly legal side, the fact is that under collective bargaining agreements between the players and the owners, you have to bargain for any changes and conditions of employment. You're now forcing people to stay in the locker rooms and not be with their team. That cannot be unilaterally imposed upon teams. That's something that has to be bargained for.

Number two, there's something called Title 7. Right? Title 7 says no discrimination. Right? And so the reality is this could have a disparate treatment. Right? That means it can disproportionately impact African-American players and other players of color. That's not to suggest that their white counterparts are not joining into the movement. But by virtue of having this policy on its face, right, that makes no distinction based on race, but it could disproportionately impact them.

And if you're protesting against discrimination, an employer cannot retaliate against you. So I see multiple problems with the imposition of the policy. I don't think we've seen the end of it. And whether or not it actually goes into effect is a problem.

Last point, Christi, and that's this, we know the president's been very involved in it. Now normally the Constitution protects us from the government, not private entities. But to the extent that the president has reached into the NFL, made it such a broad issue, we could see a challenge based upon grounds of First Amendment.

Again, First Amendment not applicable to private employers, but to the extent that the government and the president has been so involved here, who knows whether the courts by implication apply it to this case. So many problems with the imposition of the policy.

PAUL: Really interesting. Joey Jackson, your perspective is always appreciated. Thank you, sir. JACKSON: Thank you, Christi.

PAUL: And next hour, former NFL player Donte Stallworth is joining us for more reaction to the NFL's anthem policy. So stay with us for that.

BLACKWELL: The president of the University of Southern California will step down after a doctor was accused of sexually abusing female students on campus. An internal investigation found that George Tyndall, a gynecologist there, had conducted inappropriate pelvic exams and made sexually and racially offensive comments to patients dating back to the 1990s. He was fired last year. But the university did not report any of it to the state medical board. It also did not warn any patients.

Now at least six female students are suing the school. By Friday, a letter surfaced with 500 signatures saying that CL Max Nikias no longer had moral authority to lead. In a tweet, USC says the school and the now former president have agreed to begin an orderly transition to commence the process of selecting a new president.

PAUL: Ahead in sports, LeBron's legend grows as he carries the Cavs to force a winner-take-all game seven. Vince Cellini has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report."

Good morning.

VINCE CELLINI, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Christi, in what might have been LeBron James' final game in Cleveland, he made it a memorable one, peeling back the layers of his epic performance. And that's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:49:01] BLACKWELL: LeBron James, great performance. Now going to game seven.

PAUL: Mm-hmm. Vince Delaney has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report."

CELLINI: Yes. The story continues for LeBron James and the Cavaliers. Fortunately for them, just a week after the royal wedding, we had another royal performance courtesy King James. LeBron James' remarkable post season continued. The Cavs topped Boston in an elimination game six of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals.

This "Bleacher Report" brought to you by Ford, going further so you can.

And the Cavs did. After trailing in the first quarter, after losing his team mate Kevin Love to a concussion, LeBron goes into takeover mode. Third quarter, another signature track-down block on Terry Rozier who went to Shaker Heights High School.

Inspiring teammates and James providing a couple of dagger threes in the fourth quarter. Finishing with 46 points. His all-time best in an a elimination game. His 70th 40-point game of the playoffs. Cavs win by 10 forcing a seventh game Sunday in Boston. And afterwards even Cleveland Browns' own family members were in awe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Having fun. You like that? You don't like that?

[06:50:15] LEBRON JAMES, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: We know it's challenging. They're 10-0 on their home floor. And you know, they've been very successful against us obviously at home. So -- but if you love challenges, then this is a great opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CELLINI: Probably loves a challenge. Game six of the Western Conference Finals tonight at 9:00 on our sister station, TNT.

The defending champion Warriors will need a win to force a game seven. It would be the first time since 1979 both the NBA conference finals went the distance.

And the Rockets will look to dethrone the Warriors and reach the finals, but they won't have the services of their all-star point guard Chris Ball tonight. Ball injured his hamstring in the last minute of Thursday's game five win. He'll travel to Oakland to be with his teammates. The 13-year veteran one win shy of making his first ever finals appearance. He will be re-evaluated when the team returns to Houston.

And now golf is something I think we can all relate to. This is Ryder Cup star Thomas Peters in the second round of the BMW PGA Championship European Tour. I don't think he like it.

BLACKWELL: Wow.

CELLINI: As he snapped an iron across the back of his neck. He opened with the 75 Friday and then bogeyed two of this first three holes on the par 5 fourth. He's had enough. But he actually shot -- he can a par 72, even with one less club.

BLACKWELL: Wow.

CELLINI: But he did miss the cut.

BLACKWELL: Wow.

CELLINI: I've gone pretty mad, I can't afford to break a club.

(LAUGHTER)

PAUL: I was going to say, that was an expensive little --

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: Not tantrum. But --

BLACKWELL: That was impressive, though, I thought.

PAUL: It was. Yes. He made it look so easy.

CELLINI: Yes. That's it, guys.

BLACKWELL: All right. Thanks, Vince.

PAUL: Thank you, Vince.

BLACKWELL: All right. Thanks, man.

PAUL: Thank you.

CELLINI: Sure.

BLACKWELL: So North Korea claims to have blown up one of its nuclear test sites. CNN's Will Ripley was one of the journalists invited to watch the demolition here. He'll join us next hour with details of what he saw there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:56:12] PAUL: It's been 50 years since the tumultuous events of 1968 changed America. Tomorrow CNN's new two-night original series event, "1968," explores some of the year's biggest milestones and icons including Martin Luther King Jr.

BLACKWELL: On the 50th anniversary of his death last month, I spoke with two civil rights activists Reverend Jesse Jackson and former ambassador Andrew Young. It was their first joint visit to the Memphis hotel where Dr. King was killed in 1968.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL (voice-over): It was April 4th, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, before Andrew Young was an ambassador to the world, before Jesse Jackson became a reverend and a groundbreaking political figure. They were two young men dedicated to the cause of equality led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and it was a chilly Thursday afternoon at the Lorraine Motel.

ANDREW YOUNG, FORMER UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: I was talking to him telling him he needed a coat, and he suddenly raised his head to kind of see, test the weather and pow.

BLACKWELL: A single shot to his chin and King was dead. He was 39 years old. Now a half century later, Young and Jackson return to the very spot where their friend and leader was assassinated.

YOUNG: His shoes got caught under here and it knocked him out of his shoes.

BLACKWELL: A photographer who was staying three rooms down snapped this iconic image as King lay dying.

YOUNG: We were pointing over there because the police were here. They were running over this way. And we were trying to tell them to go back that way, that's where the shot came from.

BLACKWELL (on camera): Do you think he heard the shot?

YOUNG: I don't think he heard the shot or felt it. I think it was a beautiful death. My first reaction was to be mad and second reaction was to say, well, if anybody's entitled to have a reward, you have sure earned it. And, you know, take your flight to heaven.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Be sure to watch CNN's original series event, "1968," part one airs tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

All right. So the next time you fly and you've had one, three too many on the flight, remember this. Federal law prohibits the airline from serving an intoxicated passenger.

PAUL: Important to make that distinction here because that was apparently what started a ruckus aboard an American Airlines flight from St. Croix to Miami Wednesday.

Want to show the video. It's a bit hard to hear. But I want to take you through what happened when passenger Jason Felix wanted another drink.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please sit down. I'm not serving you any more beers. We'll be there in an hour. Why are --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So it doesn't take long for Felix here to get let's call it animated. Demanding that he have another drink and even taking jabs at the flight attendant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON FELIX, PASSENGER: Please, you (INAUDIBLE), all right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sit down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Didn't end there. There were punches. Look at this, other passengers jumped in to try to calm the man down. According to a criminal complaint, Felix spit blood at one of them and threatened to kill him.

BLACKWELL: Now from the cockpit, the captain turned on the seat belt sign -- that works -- instructed everybody to just return to their seats. Eventually passengers were able to calm Felix down enough, though he was still agitated, talking loudly, and punching the overhead bins. PAUL: He was arrested for interfering with a member of the flight

crew. He now has a reservation before a judge on Tuesday.