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NEW DAY

Sen. Menendez Facing Corruption Charges; Nuclear Talks with Iran Extended Again; Bikram Yoga Founder Denies Sex Allegations; Al- Shabaab Gunmen Attack Kenyan University; Al Qaeda Frees More than 270 Inmates in Yemen. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired April 2, 2015 - 06:30   ET

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


CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: We are following breaking news this morning. Gunmen storming a university in Kenya, the attack still ongoing at Garrisa University College. The terror group Al Shabaab claiming responsibility and right now holding hostages on the campus, as security forces have cornered the gunmen.

[06:30:06] One terrorist was arrested while trying to escape. Local media report as many as 15 people killed. Numbers are still very soft at this point but we certainly know that dozens and dozens have been injured and people have lost their lives. Many still unaccounted for.

A witness telling CNN affiliate NTV, gunshots rang out like fireworks at the time of morning prayers, about 5:30 a.m. local time.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Another developing story: nearly 300 prisoners, many with links to al Qaeda have escaped after terrorists attacked their prison in Yemen. A senior al Qaeda leader among those on the loose. Government buildings, the central bank and radio station were also taken over. This is the second major prison break in Yemen in as many months.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: The latest developments in the investigation of Germanwings Flight 9525. A European government official telling CNN investigators made a new discovery. They're not yet releasing what the find may be.

In the meantime, crews busy combing the wreckage site working to locate victims' remains and debris. All of this as investigators continue to debunk claims that cell phone video exists, capturing those final moments of Flight 9525.

CUOMO: Senator Robert Menendez indicted, he says he's innocent of the 14 counts of federal charges. He's accused of using his position to help a long-time friend in exchange for luxury trips and campaign donations.

CNN justice reporter Evan Perez is in Newark, where Menendez is expected to appear in court today.

What's the strength of the prosecution, what's the strength of his push-back?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: That's right, Chris. Good morning.

This is where we expect that Senator Bob Menendez is going to come later this morning, to turn himself in, and be formally arrested to face these charges.

Now, this 68-page indictment reads like an episode from "The House of Cards", the TV show. We're talking about lavish trips to Paris and the Caribbean, hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations, up to $1 million according to federal prosecutors.

We have 14 counts in all against Senator Menendez. There are eight counts of bribery. Three counts of services fraud, conspiracy, travel act violation and false statements.

Now, the senator appeared just down the street at a hotel to answer the Justice Department and to say that he is innocent. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ROBERT MENENDEZ (D), NEW JERSEY: I'm outraged that prosecutors at the Justice Department were tricked into starting this investigation three years ago, with false allegations by those who have a political motive to silence me. But I will not be silenced.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREZ: Chris, that, that reference to being tricked is a reference to the fact that this investigation, the FBI, first started looking into allegations that Menendez and his friend, Salomon Melgen, who's also charged in this case, were going with underage prostitutes in the Dominican Republic, that allegation turned out to not be true. But now there's an indictment against the senator for corruption.

Back to you, Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right. This is going to be one of those things we have to watch today, certainly, there's a lot on the line here. Interesting we're not hearing a lot from the White House about this.

CAMEROTA: I was surprised to read, this is the first federal bribery charges against a sitting senator in a generation, because it feels widespread. I mean, it feels as though we talk about this a lot. This really unusual and the first one in, you know, more than 20 years.

CUOMO: There's a very bright line between political dynamics and legal ones. Whatever he thinks got him into this situation, is not going to maintain now. Now, he's got to go with this legal situation and the waters are very deep for the senator.

PEREIRA: A storm brewing there and there certainly is one in the tornadic form, if you will. Today's tornadoes in the forecast. We know for the mid-Mississippi and Ohio valleys. We're told severe weather is expected to rip through the region.

So, let's get Chad Myers to break it all down for us, where we can expect it, how bad is it going to be, Chad?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, there will be tornadoes on the ground today, no question. We didn't have any yesterday, didn't expect them. We had hail and wind damage. But we'll have them from Evansville, to Paducah, up to Cincinnati, not in those cities particularly, but 50 miles either side of those cities, there will be severe weather.

It's warm, it's 80 degrees. Now, it's not spring for Buffalo over the weekend, I get that. But it's warm from Tulsa to Springfield, Paducah, Louisville. Maybe all the way to Cincinnati. That's the area of enhanced severe weather. Tomorrow, it moves to Nashville, Chattanooga, Birmingham, all the way down to Tuscaloosa, all because of the cold air on this side, the warm air on this side.

And eventually the cold air does make its way into the Northeast. I can't put that away and yes, that white is the "S" word we talked about yesterday. There is snow coming down, and Cheektowaga, Lackawanna, Tonawanda, all of my old towns around Buffalo. I'm sorry, more snow is coming for the weekend.

[06:35:01] Guys, back to you.

PEREIRA: His whole demeanor has even changed.

CAMEROTA: It's broken his spirit. I can see that. This winter has broken Chad's spirit.

PEREIRA: It's broken ours.

CAMEROTA: I know, it really has.

All right. Chad, thanks so much for that.

Well, nuclear talks with Iran are dragging on in Switzerland. Two deadlines are come and gone. Still no deal. How much longer can the negotiations continue?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: Talks with Iran down to the wire this morning, two days past the deadline. Secretary of State John Kerry and other top diplomats working throughout the night to try to reach an agreement with Iran over its nuclear program. But can a deal be reached?

We want to turn to Hilary Mann Leverett. She is the author of "Going to Tehran: Why America Most Accept the Islamic Republic of Iran". She's also a former Clinton and Bush National Security Council and State Department Middle East expert who has previously negotiated with Iran. That's going to come in handy on our conversation.

[06:40:00] Peter Beinart is also here, CNN political commentator and contributing editor with "Atlantic Media".

All right. So, we're just getting word that Iran foreign minister has just said that significant progress has been made, Peter. Yet no final result yet.

So, we're going to -- we've blown through two overtimes here. Is this a situation that is making the U.S. cause stronger or weaker?

PETER BEINART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think the Obama administration is in a weaker position than it was a few days ago. The deadline in itself doesn't matter that much. But it does raise the question of how much the Iranians are willing to give.

The Obama administration needs something strong enough to prevent new sanctions from Congress. And from the reporting we have, it's unclear that there will be enough specifics to give them the ammunition to stop Congress from imposing new sanctions.

PEREIRA: Well, you've been talking about specifics, not necessarily a set agreement, they're hoping to say on their statement, more statement of goals. How challenging is it going to be to sell to Congress?

BEINART: That's exactly the problem. The Iranians reportedly want something pretty vague, at least for right now. And the more they vague it is, the more momentum builds in Congress for new sanctions.

PEREIRA: Hilary, you have sat at this table with the Iranians. You've been part of the negotiations. You very well know the history of our two nations. So, talk about the challenge when you go past two deadlines, when you're at this point in the game, considering the historical perspective, how likely is it that we're going to find consensus?

HILARY MANN LEVERETT, CO-AUTHOR, "GOING TO TEHRAN": Well, I think we will get something. Think what's going on here. I negotiated with the current foreign minister, Javad Zarif, when he was a lower-level official over Afghanistan and al Qaeda, was incredibly sophisticated. We had a very successful constructive negotiation. They helped us tremendously to overthrow the Taliban and set up a post-Taliban government in Afghanistan.

So, he's very competent. But I think what we're looking at here is it's no longer about the number of centrifuges, if it ever was. We're talking about an historic process. What Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Zarif are negotiating is the end of a 35-year war.

So, you know, it should take about this time. When Nixon and Kissinger negotiating the opening to China, it took about this amount of time. It took about a week of nonstop negotiations in China by Nixon and Kissinger.

So, I think this is actually a good sign that it's extremely serious and it's about ending the war.

PEREIRA: You make actually a really good point. You know, we're sitting next to the oven waiting for the cake to come out when it's not fully baked yet. That's a very good point, Hilary.

So, Peter, on the flip side, what do you think the chances are this position has us come out with a weaker or a worse deal?

BEINART: I think Hilary is exactly right that what's really at stake here beyond the details of the nuclear negotiations, is a different United States relationship with Iran, which changes the dynamics in the Middle East.

But the problem is that's not really, there's not really right now that much support in Washington for that kind of new relationship. What the Obama administration is trying to sell in Washington is a deal that's going to keep Iran a year away from getting a nuclear weapon. It's that perspective that this is going to be evaluated on.

PEREIRA: And, Hilary, you made the point you think the president has to do a better job of selling this to the American people. Explain that a little further for us.

LEVERETT: Absolutely. He has not made the strategic case why it's imperative for the United States in our own interests to have a better relationship with Iran. It's not to do Iran a favor, to welcome them back into the international community or because Americans are war- wary. It's because we have pursued a reckless policy in the Middle East for at least ten years. Military intervention after military intervention, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, all over the place, which has failed and made us weaker in the Middle East.

We need -- the way to recover is to have a better relationship with Islamic Republic of Iran. This is exactly what Kissinger and Nixon understood about China, to get us out of the strategic quagmire of Vietnam. We need a better relationship with China.

So, I think, unfortunately, the Obama administration has not made the case yet and this could be their downfall if they can't make that case to Congress and to the American people.

PEREIRA: Peter, how do you see it all? Do you think there's going to be further sanctions, you see some sort of military option? What do you think the outcome is?

BEINART: I think what the Obama administration has going for it, politically, is that this issue has been so partisan in Washington, that I think it's going to be hard for Democrats to overturn an Obama administration veto if the Obama administration really sticks to its guns on wanting to try to get this negotiation.

But I agree with Hilary, the Obama administration has to make the case for why a different kind of relationship with Iran is important beyond simply the nuclear program. But it is a chance of putting the United States in a better position in the Middle East, a place where we have been bleeding now, bleeding money and bleeding lives for close for more than a decade.

PEREIRA: You can't undo 35 years of history, though, just that quickly. It's a very good point. But we are certainly impatient to find out what this is going to mean.

Hilary, Peter, always a pleasure. Thank you so much. Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: OK, Michaela.

Up next, part two of our exclusive interview with yoga guru, Bikram Choudhury, now accused of sexual assault.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: There are six women, three Jane Does, three who have used their names. Five of them say that you raped them. One says sexual assault. Did you actually have sex with any of these women?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:45:02] CAMEROTA: What Vikram says, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: He's the yoga guru with an empire built largely on sweat. Thanks to his signature hot yoga method. But some of Bikram Choudhury's former devotees now claim he took advantage of that devotion and sexually assaulted or raped them.

Choudhury responds to the allegations for the first time in the second part of our exclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: There are these six women, three Jane Does, three who have used their names. Five of them say that you raped them. One says sexual assault.

Did you actually have sex with any of these women?

BIKRAM CHOUDHURY, FOUNDER, BIKRAM YOGA: First thing is no. Of course not.

And I said before, if I want to have sex with the women, I don't need to attack them or rape them or abuse them or assault them. There are lines of millions of women in the world as a volunteer.

[06:50:00] CAMEROTA (voice-over): Bikram Choudhury has built a yoga empire with his unique posture sequences done in rooms set to 105 degrees, for the ultimate workout, with maximum sweat.

But his business is threatened after six women have come forward saying they were sexually assaulted or raped by the man they considered their guru.

SARAH BAUGHN, ALLEGES BIKRAM CHOUDHURY SEXUALLY ASSAULTED HER: I just remember I was terrified. I was paralyzed.

CAMEROTA: Sarah Baughn is one of the six women. She said she was left alone with Bikram one late night during a teacher training course. When she tried to leave, she says Bikram cornered her. BAUGHN: When I reached the door, he was there. He was only in his

boxers and a t-shirt. And he pushed himself up against me. He held me up against the door and he just started kissing all over my chest and my body, and he pushed himself into me very hard.

CAMEROTA (on camera): And so, how did you escape?

BAUGHN: It was all pretty fast. But it felt like it was, it took a long time. But I got the door handle down enough and it just cracked open enough that I was able to reach around with this.

CAMEROTA: Sarah Baughn, one of your students, she's one of the people using her name. She is saying she found herself alone with you. The moment --

CHOUDHURY: Wait, that's not true.

CAMEROTA: You were never alone with her?

CHOUDHURY: I never be alone with anybody, ever. I'm very careful about it.

CAMEROTA: So, here's the story. The story is that the moment the door closed behind this staff member, Sarah rushed towards the door with her shoes in her hand. At which point Choudhury attacked her, pinned her against the door and sexually assaulted her.

CHOUDHURY: Not truth. It's not truth. I don't do that. I don't have to.

CAMEROTA: He says that the accusations are not true. He says he never assaulted or raped anyone. He says that he made it a practice of never, ever being alone with any of his students.

BAUGHN: He's a person that has based a lot of truths on a lot of lies. He's built an entire empire on how he tells everybody the truth. I feel sorry for a person like that.

CAMEROTA (voice-over): Choudhury repeatedly denied assaulting the accusers or even having consensual sex with him. But when we asked him about sex with other students, his answer was confusing.

CHOUDHURY: Yes and no.

CAMEROTA (on camera): What does that mean?

CHOUDHURY: But not the six of them.

CAMEROTA: So you have had sex with some of your students.

CHOUDHURY: It's other way. It's other way.

CAMEROTA: So, to be clear, you did have sex with your students?

CHOUDHURY: Yes or no. I said before. I have no intention to have sex with any of my students or any women. Sometime student, they commit suicide. Lots of students of mine commit suicide because I will not have sex with them.

CAMEROTA: Wait, you're saying students of yours have committed suicide?

CHOUDHURY: Yes.

CAMEROTA: They threatened suicide or actually committed suicide.

CHOUDHURY: Threatened and died.

CAMEROTA: Because you wouldn't have sex with him.

CHOUDHURY: Yes.

CAMEROTA (voice-over): Choudhury claimed these encounters took place before he was married. But when we asked for evidence, his attorney advised him not to give us names.

(on camera): You're saying you didn't have sex with them because you wanted to have sex with them.

CHOUDHURY: No.

CAMEROTA: You had sex with them as a public service, you're saying.

CHOUDHRY: Well, that is your word. You could say that.

CAMEROTA (voice-over): All six accusers have filed civil lawsuits against Choudhury in Los Angeles Superior Court. The Los Angeles district attorney declined to pursue criminal charges without explanation. Choudhury's lawyer has a theory on the accusers' motivation.

ROBERT TUFOYA, BIKRAM CHOUDHURY'S ATTORNEY: I believe it's financial. I truly do. I believe -- I can't say towards the women because I really don't know. But I know lawyers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We ended up with the first of these clients. When she came forward, and went public, it attracted other people and the other five plaintiffs to also have a modicum of confidence to discuss what happened to them.

CAMEROTA: Choudhury vows to clear his name.

CHOUDHURY: Somebody has something good to offer to this country, or to the world. They make me one today, after making me, like I'm your daughter. I'm your son. You took me one hand, you stabbing on my chest like this way, and killing, slow poison. That's your dream to me.

CAMEROTA: Sarah Baughn says she, too, wants the truth to come out.

(on camera): What do you want to see happen?

BAUGHN: I don't want to be afraid of him any more. I wish he would just tell the truth and then stop doing this. That's it. I don't even, I don't even hate him. I get mad at him, but mostly

because he's lying, and he's hurting people.

[06:55:04] And this stuff that he's teaching is really good stuff, but he's hurting people and hiding behind this good stuff, so people don't believe that he's capable of hurting people. He's got to stop lying behind it. He's got to stop doing this to people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PEREIRA: Chris, does it hurt the case that all of the six accusers are represented by the same attorney?

CUOMO: No, because there is no case. I mean, maybe they'll be able to find some civil remedy. But, you know, you told me there's no prosecution.

CAMEROTA: There's no criminal case, they did file six civil lawsuits. They will be going to court.

CUOMO: It doesn't hurt him. It gets confusing, whose story is the same as the other one. Do they overlap? Are they different? You know, you'll expose to that from the defendant's attorney.

CAMEROTA: Michaela, you're right. You're right in that that's what they say makes the suspicion.

Bikram Choudhury and his attorneys say it's basically a fishing expedition, by this one attorney. I want to make very clear, they say it's for financial reasons. Bikram and his team say it's for financial reasons. None of these women are seeking any monetary damages. In their civil lawsuits, they're not seeking any monetary damages. They may be awarded monetary damages, but they're not asking for any money.

CUOMO: I don't know that that's such an honest proposition. I'm not doubting the women's claim. I'm saying that's all you get in civil court is money. That's all that can happen. This isn't a stopple thing. It's not like you're going to get an order from the judge, no more assaulting for you. OK, I guess I lost in court --

CAMEROTA: Well, I mean, they said they want a public airing of their side.

PEREIRA: Right.

CUOMO: I know. But I'm saying, that's all that can happen there. I get that they maybe motivated by something else. The frustrating thing for me about this story is one you have no police action here. So --

CAMEROTA: Because as you know, the cases are three to 13 years old. There's no physical evidence.

CUOMO: I get it. I get it, right or wrong. I'm saying. So, you can't just drop the hammer on this guy, because there is no prosecution. And yet his answers are almost -- laughable.

PEREIRA: Yes or no?

CUOMO: So you want to laugh, but you can't laugh because it's too serious a subject matter. You know, I have to have sex with them. You said, do you have sex with any of these? No, it's the other way. What does that mean, they have sex with him? They forced it. Has he been assaulted?

PEREIRA: Thanks for bringing that to us. That's really interesting.

CAMEROTA: Thanks so much.

CUOMO: That is one intriguing story, it's going to continue, Alisyn said, there are going to be trials upcoming. But there's a lot of news this morning breaking right now, let's get to it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: Masked gunmen storming a university in Kenya.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are yet to confirm the number of casualties.

CAMEROTA: In Yemen, al Qaeda militants storming a prison.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two hundred seventy inmates were freed in that attack.

PEREIRA: Nuclear talks with Iran extending into double overtime.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Each side blaming the other for the obstacles in the talks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are obviously problems.

PROTESTERS: We are Arkansas.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can still love someone, I mean, even though you don't serve them.

GOV. ASA HUTCHINSON (R), ARKANSAS: I've asked that the leaders of the general assembly to recall the bill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I serve a God who is higher than any Supreme Court judge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A fresh new clue has been discovered.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a concern about the integrity of the crash site, which in this case is a crime scene.

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is NEW DAY.

And we are following two major breaking news stories this morning. The first, al Shabaab gunmen, there's a raid at a university in Kenya. They have reportedly killed as many as 15 people and dozens others are injured. The attackers are holding hostages at one of the dormitories on the Garissa University college campus.

CUOMO: Also breaking -- in Yemen, al Qaeda storming a prison, freeing hundreds of inmates, including a senior al Qaeda figure who had been there for years. Yemen, once a key U.S. ally in the fight against terror now may be the most terrorist-friendly place in the world.

We have the stories covered the way only CNN can. That's what we're going to begin with, which is Soni Methu live in Nairobi with the latest in the university attack.

Soni, what's changed since we last spoke to you?

SONI METHU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, so far, just before the live bulletin, eyewitnesses have told me that they heard a few explosions, there's a smoke coming out of a certain area in the university, close to the dormitories. And as well, they can still hear gun fire going on in the region. So far, the death toll has been 15.

According to local media, police say one suspect has been arrested. But so far, the local media is reporting that that suspect has been killed. And the death toll could have risen now to 16 people.

So far, we know that at least seven people are in Nairobi for referrals of critical care in Nairobi here, and a few more could follow in the afternoon. According to the Red Cross, they are receiving the victims, taking them to the hospital. And then when they check them out, if they see they need referrals or if they feel they can be released, that's what's done.

So, so far, at least 60 people have been reported inside the Garissa county hospital. And seven of them have been referred to Nairobi. And the Red Cross says more people could follow.

The situation is still unfolding.