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Trump Complains About Delegate Process; Former NFL Star Shot Dead in New Orleans. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired April 11, 2016 - 10:30   ET

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


[10:30:00] DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This was changed in the summer to help a guy like Cruz and it's not right now, you know, I won as an example South Carolina. I won it by a landslide like a massive landslide. And now they're trying to pick off those delegates one by one. That's not the way democracy is supposed to work.

And, you know, they offer them trips, they offer him all sorts of things and you're allowed to do that. I mean you're allowed to offer trips and you buy all these votes, what kind of a system is this? Now, I'm an outsider and I came into the system and I'm winning the votes by millions of votes, but the system is rigged it's crooked.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, Carol, a couple things to unpack in that statement right there. Now, Donald Trump specifically refers to South Carolina. South Carolina is a state that he dominated, he won it to winner takes all state. He takes all 50 delegates.

But over the weekend they had their congressional district conventions as well, a few of them. Five of the six delegates that were elected this weekend were Ted Cruz supporters.

Now, when they go to the convention they have to support Donald Trump on the first ballot. So, if it becomes an open convention and they move into a second or a third ballot, all the sudden they become Cruz supports.

So, what Donald Trump is complaining about is actually two different things right now. In Colorado, those delegates will be voting for Ted Cruz on that first ballot. We're looking here, why this is so complex, confusing why it's been so problematic for Donald Trump's operation is there are dual tracks here. There's obviously the top line primaries, New York, April 19th 95 delegates. Then you have the state conventions that are electing delegates directly like North Dakota or like Colorado. And then you have these battles for placing delegates that have already been won.

Ted Cruz right now on the second and third tracks has been dominating. And for Donald Trump this is a serious problem. This is why you've seen his campaign retool and this is why you've seen his campaign threatened a little bit. Ted Cruz's campaign about what's going on going forward, it's complicated, it's arcane. CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Just one more clarification about ...

MATTINGLY: Yeah.

COSTELLO: ... Colorado, because a lot of people why not hold a primary or a caucus? Why not? Because -- why not give the voters a chance vote?

MATTINGLY: So there are a couple of different ways to look at what happened last summer, right? Part of the reason they had a problem with some of their caucuses is they weren't voting for the candidate who is going to end up being the nominee. So they kind of lost some of their influence there. Rick Santorum in 2012 dominated the caucus process, caucus process brings out kind of more hard core Republicans.

This allows state officials to kind of more or control in a better way their process make sure their candidates go forward. And in their opinion, puts them in a position to have more influence when you get to the primary.

Again, we talked about this last hour. One of the funnies aspects about this rule change is one of the drawbacks is they thought Colorado, no longer going to have any influence because we don't have a preference vote. It turns out that wasn't so true.

COSTELLO: No, it wasn't. Matt Mattingly thanks so much. Coming up next in the Newsroom, Trump called Colorado's delegate picking process crooked. Well, you heard it for yourself. What do you think? We'll have -- I'd say it'll be an argument, don't you, Phil? What will argue about? We'll argue about next. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:37:19] COSTELLO: Donald Trump not just complaining about the Colorado's delegate selection process on television. He's doing it via twitter too, "How is it possible that the people of the great state of Colorado never got to vote in the Republican Primary? Great anger, totally unfair!"

It is true, no voter cast a voter cast a ballot for Trump or Cruz instead Colorado Republicans gathered over the weekend to elect national delegates. Each want to be delegate had 10 seconds to state their case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK DAVIS, TRUMP CONSERVATIVE: Patrick Davis, Trump conservative. Patrick Davis, Trump conservative.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 114.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vote Jolly Rampcher.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 27.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thirty-eight, number 38. You got to have (inaudible) go stand up unpledged in Cleveland.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please vote for me. We're going to go for Ted Cruz all the way. He believes in God, family, protecting amendments and just giving us a new government that we need.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, look at that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You see how easy it is? They hear you, they believe in you, they go for it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, there you go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: I know it's confusing. Joining me now to discuss Judson Phillips, a Ted Cruz surrogate and the founder and president of Tea Party Nation, Jason Johnson, it's politics editor for the Root.com and John Philips as a Trump supporter and talk radio host. Welcome to all of you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, Carol.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Good morning. Okay let's talk Colorado. John, Mr. Trump accused Senator Cruz of shady tactics in Colorado, can you be more specific?

JOHN PHILLIPS, TALK RADIO HOST, KABC: Yeah, look, not a vote was cast by a voter in the state of Colorado. I understand why Ted Cruz is doing this, though, because he's little John Rocker moment is going to cause him to get smoked in New York. His numbers are awful in Pennsylvania. They are awful in California. So the only way he wins is Tammany Hall.

But there's one problem with his theory and that's this, if he's successful and if he's able to collude with the establishment to take this thing from Trump in a back room deal, if Trump goes in the convention with the polarity of voters, how does he expect to win in a general election? Because the very people that you're screwing over are the people that you need to then come back to you in November, and I see hurt feelings here that last throughout the political season, Carol.

COSTELLO: Interesting, so, Judson, it is possible Cruz's camp could be offering incentives to delegates. It's not exactly illegal. There are limits but of according to FEC rules delegates can accept contributions for travel and FEC rules are murky when it comes to political pacs contributing other kinds of gifts to donors, do you suppose that was part of Senator Cruz's strategy in Colorado?

[10:40:05] JUDSON PHILLIPS, TED CRUZ SURROGATE: No, what's going on in Colorado and other places is really very simple. Senator Cruz knows the rules. He has people in place who knows the rules and understand the system.

You know, last time we were on John said Donald Trump is doing a campaign on the cheap, and he's absolutely right. Trump is doing the campaign on the cheap. Trump doesn't know the rules, Trump's doesn't have the people in place who know the rules. You know, Trump always says "Hey, I'm hiring the best people." Well, no, he's not hiring anybody to run his campaign who knows what they're doing. That's why Senator Cruz is winning in the caucus states.

COSTELLO: OK. So, Jason, maybe John has a point because Mr. Trump camp can read SEC rules as easily as I can.

JASON JOHNSON, POLITICS EDITOR, THE ROOT.COM: Right. Look, Carol, to be honest, and I hear both sides here. You can't complain about Bill Belichick. Just beat him, right? Sometimes you get out smarted. And that what's happening here.

So, completely understand what Trump is saying, these arcane (ph) rules are pretty much set up to make it easy for people in the establishment to win. On the other hand, if you want to be a winning candidate, you have to actually know all the rules. This is a largest problem for the Republican Party, though, because I think what's happening in Colorado is a microcosm of what happens at contested convention. You cannot cheap the will of the people but it doesn't excuse Trump for not knowing the rules before he got to a campaign.

COSTELLO: OK. So, on the subject of Mr. Trump, John, Trump was off the campaign trail for several days. He was absent from the Sunday news shows, talk shows for the first time in four months. Is he lying low? Although he was on television again this morning.

JOHN PHILLIPS: Well, it's a grueling schedule, if you spend out campaigning for months and months and months changing time zones, living on airplanes, living out of hotels. So, I think I think taking time off and recharging the battery is certainly a smart thing today, especially with the break between the last election in Wisconsin and the state of New York.

Look, we're hitting the home stretch here. He's got to win in New York. He's got to win Pennsylvania. He's got to win in these other northeastern states that are going to vote and he's got to win the state of California. And he needs to be tanned, rested and ready. He has the tan ready to go. He needs the rest. So I don't have a problem with it.

COSTELLO: Judson, does it appear to you that Mr. Trump might be a little nervous about garnering the percentage of votes he needs here in the state of New York?

JUDSON PHILLIPS: I think he is. I mean that's the only explanation for his irrational outbursts. You know, every campaign got internal polling that they generally don't share with the outside unless it's really, really good. And I think Trump is getting the word things do not look really as rosy as he thinks they do in the Empire State, and it's going to be bad news for Donald Trump come April 19th when New Yorkers vote.

COSTELLO: Jason, I'll just -- you're laughing. Why?

JOHNSON: Yes, because that's just wishful thinking. Donald trump is going to win New York. It's his home state. Just like Hillary Clinton is going to win New York. This is the bigger issue here. Donald Trump has run this campaign in a nontraditional way that is part of why people loved him but eventually you have to learn the rules and you can't keep flounding the establishment when it's what's various establishment is going to be necessary for you to win the campaign. That's what this whining is about. We don't know that he's going to win the most delegates. We just don't know if he's going to win enough to avoid a contested convention.

COSTELLO: All right, I have to leave it there. The John Phillips, Jason Johnson, and Judson Phillips, the J's. Thank you for joining me this morning.

JOHNSON: Thank you, Carol.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

COSTELLO: You're welcome. A three night CNN town hall event begins tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern. This time there's a twist. The Republican presidential candidates and their families will be answering questions. Tonight it's John Kasich and his wife Karen and their twin teenage daughters. Tomorrow night it's Donald Trump with this family, and Wednesday it's Ted Cruz and Heidi Cruz. Live, 9:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

All right, I have a bit of breaking news to share from the investigation into the Brussels and Paris attacks. A source close to the investigation telling CNN that the same terrorist cell had planned to attack the Euro 2016 Soccer Championships in France.

Now, this source says this comes from captured ISIS terrorist suspect Mohamed Abrini. And that investigators are trying to verify his claims. A computer used by two of the suicide bombers also indicated that a Paris shopping mall and a Catholic group were potential targets.

Still to come in the Newsroom, a Super Bowl champ loved New Orleans Saints gunned down after a car crash. But we're learning about the suspect, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:48:21] COSTELLO: Shock and sadness today with the shooting death of former Saints star and super bowl champ Will Smith. A fender bender over the weekend somehow escalated into a verbal argument and then gun fire.

What is what over Smith was dead and his wife wounded. Smith just recently found out he'd been voted into the Saints hall of fame. Now we're learning the gunman had a connection to a person close to Smith.

Sports correspondent Coy Wire has more for you. Hi, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi Carol. Investigators are looking for a possible motive in this case. 28-year-old Cardell Hayes has been charged with second degree murder of Will Smith and his bond set at million dollars. Hayes sued the city of New Orleans naming six police officers in a federal suit after the fatal shooting of his own father back in 2011. The sides eventually settled the federal lawsuit in 2011.

But on of the officers named in that suit was William Sravalo with whom Will Smith and his wife had dinner just before the shooting. But police say there's no indication right now of any connection. Smith and his wife, Racquel, were shot late Saturday night after their car is rear ended and the exchanged words with the driver Hayes. Smith died at the scene and his wife has had surgery and is recovering.

Police say they're looking into whether or not Smith and Hayes knew each other.

On the field, Will Smith was a dynamic player. A former first round draft pick out of Ohio State where he's part of the Buckeye's national championship team back in 2002. He played all nine of his NFL seasons with the New Orleans Saints where he was a pro bowler, a super bowl champion and a team captain. He was just recently formed as Carol mentioned -- informed, rather, that he was to be named to the New Orleans Saints hall of fame.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN TRAHAN, GENERAL MANAGER, SAINTS HALL OF FAME: He just kind of stumbled through his comments and then he just said this is fantastic. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. And you could tell how genuine his reaction was.

[10:50:10] Some guys cry. Some guys laugh. Some guys have other reactions, but this was typical of will. He hesitated before he responded, and when he did, he maintained his low key voice but he let you know just how excited he was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Carol, NFL players are emotional over this tragedy. I spoke with one of Will Smith's former teammate, a fellow defensive captain with the New Orleans Saints Curtis Lofton who told me that he has a knotness stomach because that could have been him in the vehicle at the time with the shooting. He can't imagine how Smith's wife, Racquel and their three beautiful children are feeling at this time.

Former NFL player Tutan Reyes told me that Will Smith was excited about his life after football. Reyes was rooming with Smith in Miami as both of them were completing executive MBA degrees. He'd spoken with Smith the day before his death. They were scheduled to walk in their graduation in less than a month. Saints quarterback Drew Brees tweeted "Mourning the loss of a great friend and teammate, Will Smith. Such a senseless tragedy. Please pray for Racquel and their children." Carol, a huge outpouring of emotion coming from players around the league and it's -- there's still a lot of unanswered questions that remain.

COSTELLO: All right, Coy Wire, thank you so much.

Still to come in the Newsroom, music lovers in dixie missing out on big name acts. Who is boycotting over the new religious freedom measures.

But first, let's take a look at the markets. The DOW up slightly, you can see 74 points, almost 75 as the price of oil rises. Yahoo is one of the stocks gaining ground on the news. The company could be merged or sold. The Daily Mail is one of several dozen companies said to be interested but they say the talks are in the early stages. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:56:14] COSTELLO: Ohio Governor John Kasich weighing in on North Carolina's bathroom law. Saying in an interview on CBS that no such legislation has emerged in Ohio and that he would not have signed the controversial bill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOHN KASICH, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Obviously, I don't want to force people to violate their deeply held religious convictions but we've had to see what that's all about. I wouldn't have signed that law for everything I know. I haven't studied it, but Nathan Deal, the governor of Georgia vetoed another one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And there is more backlash after Mississippi passed it's own controversial religious freedom law. Canadian singer Brian Adams announcing this Sunday that he was cancelling a show in the state in protest of the new law. And now gay rights advocates are calling on Nashville's country music industry to speak out against two bills making their way through the pipeline in Tennessee. Polo Sandoval is here with more on that. Hi, Polo.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. Good morning. Well, the law essentially, in Mississippi protects people with more traditional views on marriage and different gender roles. So it's prompted a battle for business as well as the fight for equality among members to the LGBT community.

You mentioned Brian Adams who is now bowing out of his schedule performance there in the Magnolia state saying that -- I'll read you a portion of the statement here which he took the social media saying that "I cannot in good conscious perform in a state where certain people are being denied their civil rights due to their sexual orientation."

In Mississippi, Robin Roberts, also adding her voice to the course here for equal treatment for all. The broadcaster actually appeared on Mississippi's tourism guide which by the way was printed well before this controversy.

Again, she also spoke out over the weekend here saying "It's always been a deeply held belief of mine that everyone, everywhere should be treated equally." In her own words, Carol, "I am proud that my beloved mother and father taught me as a child growing up in Mississippi to focus on many things we all have in common not on our differences." Again, that coming from Robin Roberts.

And still, despite these two high profile voices speaking out, Carol, there is support. We spent several days in Mississippi last week. I can tell you there are people there that do believe this law will protect their religious values. But you speak to critics who call that discrimination. And now the focus on Tennessee there, Carol, very similar bill, a bathroom bill expected to be debated by lawmakers come this week. There are several people are now calling on the country music very lucrative industry to speak out against that as well hoping there won't be any potential economic backlash there in Tennessee as well. Carol.

COSTELLO: No word from country music stars?

SANDOVAL: Yes, not at this point yet, but I can tell you that there is tremendous pressure on that industry to actually speak out. In fact, we are expected to hear from Gladd a little later today which they are expected to renew that call. Not only the lawmakers to table to this bill but also one some of those country music stars. It's going to be interesting to see when we get closer to a decision from lawmakers, in fact, who or if anybody on the country music front will out, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Polo Sandoval reporting live fresh this morning. Thank you.

Checking some other top stories. It should be nine minutes past. Jury selection begins today in the Ross Harris murder trial. Harris is accused of leaving his 22 month old son, Cooper to intentionally, rather, to die inside his SUV. Harris faces multiple counts including Malice murder, felony murder and sexual exploitation of children. Harris also faces charges relating to sexting with underage girls at the time his son was dying in that car.

And an unidentified U.S. Navy officer is charged with spying along with adultery in paying for a prostitute. Officials say he was arrested eight months ago and just faced his first hearing on Friday. We'll keep you posted.

Thank you for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello. At this hour with Berman and Bolduan starts now.