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CNN NEWSROOM

Trump's Changing Opinion on Abortion; Clinton Camp Accuses Sanders Team of Playing Games with Debate; Interview with Green Bay Mayor James Schmidt; GOP Candidates Fight for North Dakota Delegates; New Debris Found May Belong to MH-370; Interview with Mayor Sylvester Turner; Interview with Grant Hill. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired April 2, 2016 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:23] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Live from Houston, home to tonight's NCAA Final Four. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks so much for joining me here.

This is CNN special live coverage from NRG Stadium ahead of the big games tonight.

But first, Republican presidential candidates are waging a fierce battle in Wisconsin just three days away from that state's primary. Donald Trump and Ted Cruz and John Kasich are crisscrossing Wisconsin today.

These are live pictures of a Trump town hall in Racine. But establishment Republicans in this state like Governor Scott Walker had been uniting against Donald Trump. This is all in the context of a highly controversial week for the campaign. Wednesday he told MSNBC's Chris Matthews that he believed women who received abortions should be criminally punished. He has made four attempts now to walk back and clarify that stance. He appeared on CBS last night and said when it comes to abortion, quote, "the law is set."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN DICKERSON, CBS CORRESPONDENT: You told Bloomberg in January that you believed abortion should be banned at some point in pregnancy. Where would you --

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I -- first of all, I would have liked to have seen, you know, this be a state rights. I would have -- I would have preferred state rights. I think it would have been better if it were up to the states, but right now the laws are set and that's the way the laws are.

DICKERSON: But do you have a feeling how they should change? A lot of laws you want to change, you talked about everything from libel to torture. Anything you want to change on abortion?

TRUMP: At this moment the laws are set and I think we have to leave it that way. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's bring in CNN's Jason Carroll who is at that Trump event.

So, Jason, this is all still, you know, pretty confusing for many voters. To the best of your understanding, if elected, would Trump push to have "Roe v. Wade" overturned? Is he willing to go that far?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, far be it for me to be the one to put words in his mouth. I think you heard what he just said there in terms of leaving the law and letting it stand as it does at least for now. Certainly a number of people who've come out to this town hall, a number of them women, some of them that we've spoken to, are very curious now, wondering if he's going to address this issue at all when he takes the stage here in Racine just a few moments from now.

You know, it seems unlikely that he would address the abortion issue, but certainly there has been this sort of back and forth. First saying that women would be punished, then after that saying that it would be doctors who would be the ones who would be punished, then saying to leave it up to the states, then finally saying that, you know, the law should stand at least for now.

His spokeswoman coming out with a statement, trying to qualify his position. Let me read you what she said, says the following. "Mr. Trump gave an accurate account to the law as it is today and made clear it must stay that way now until he is president, then he will change the law through his judicial appointments and allow the states to protect the unborn. There is nothing new. There is nothing different here."

There certainly is something new, something different here. That's why you see so much confusion even among some of those people who support him, some of those who are here right here in this room, waiting to hear what he's going to say again when he takes the stage just a few moments from now, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so, Jason, the people that you talked to there in Wisconsin, do they think this week's controversy is contributing to, you know, what has become low expectations for Trump come the Wisconsin primary on Tuesday?

CARROLL: Well, as you know, Trump is trailing Cruz here by 10 points, according to at least one poll going into Tuesday's primary. And certainly there is some concern among some of the voters that perhaps his message hasn't been as clear, and that could be affecting some of those who are out here who are undecided. But I have to say, you know, a lot of the Trump supporters that we've spoken to are still just as enthusiastic as ever, despite all of the missteps this week.

And one woman that I spoke to, you know, she's very aware of everything that happened from Trump's campaign manager to his statement on abortion, even weighing in on what happened with the president and his statements about Trump not having a knowledge of foreign policy. And she said he is a common man, he speaks to the common people, and we still support him -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jason Carroll, there in Racine, Wisconsin. Let us know when Donald Trump arrives at that rally as well. Thank you.

All right. A debate feud now is igniting between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. The Clinton camp today accusing the Sanders' campaign of rejecting three New York debates that the Clinton campaign proposed.

Clinton's press secretary Brian Fallon saying this quote.

[13:05:02] "The Sanders campaign needs to stop with the games. Over the course of the last week, we have offered three specific dates for a debate in New York, all of which the Sanders campaign rejected," end quote.

CNN's Chris Frates joining me now live from Eau Claire where Bernie Sanders is going to speak this hour.

So, Frates, help explain what's going on here because wasn't it the Bernie Sanders camp who said for a very long time they have initiated the debates with Hillary Clinton, but to no avail?

CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's exactly right, Fred. The Sanders people said they want to debate Hillary Clinton in New York, then we had the Clinton people who were noncommittal about it. Now the Clinton people are hitting back, saying, we had put out three dates and they have been rejected and that they should stop playing games. That's what Clinton people said about the Sanders people.

And just a few moments ago we got a statement from Sanders spokesman, Michael Briggs. Here's what they're saying, firing back, saying, quote, "Unfortunately the dates and times she has proposed don't make a lot of sense. The idea that they want to debate in New York on a night of the NCAA Finals with Syracuse in the tournament no less is ludicrous. We have proposed other dates which they have rejected. We hope we can reach agreement in the near future."

So the Sanders folks punching back saying that those recommendations are ludicrous as they kind of jockey back and forth to pick a date. And this really is the second time we've seen a very aggressive Hillary Clinton. She slammed Bernie Sanders for lying about her record when it comes to what kind of campaign contributions she takes, saying that she doesn't take oil and gas contributions, she takes contributions from people who work in the oil and gas industry.

Bernie Sanders firing back yesterday, demanding an apology from Hillary Clinton saying that he was right on the facts. Let's take a listen to what he had to say, Fred.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: According to an analysis done by Greenpeace, Hillary Clinton's campaign and her Super PAC have received more than $4.5 million from the fossil fuel industry. (CROWD BOOS)

SANDERS: In fact, 57 oil, gas, and coal industry lobbyists have directly contributed to her campaign, with 43 of them contributing the maximum allowed for the primary. And these are not just workers in the fossil fuel industry, these are paid, registered lobbyists.

Secretary Clinton, you owe our campaign an apology. We were telling the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRATES: So, Fred, the Clinton campaign saying there's no way they're getting an apology, saying that Sanders is distorting her record, and pointing out the fact that in that Greenpeace report there was $50,000 in campaign contributions to Bernie Sanders from individuals in that report so that he shouldn't be throwing stones here.

And it's very interesting, of course, Sanders needs to win here in Wisconsin, 86 delegates at stake. He needs to win 75 percent of the delegates left. Hillary Clinton needs to win just 35 percent. And that's why going forward he needs to win Wisconsin, trying to upset her in New York on April 19th. That's why this debate back and forth is so huge. That will be a very, very close and important date to watch. Whether they come together head-to-head before this New York debate so we'll continue to track that as well and see if they do come up with a date that they can agree on, Fred, going into a very big New York primary. 250 delegates at stake there, second really only to California. So Bernie Sanders needs a big upset there to close the gap with Hillary Clinton, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh, it's big. All right. Chris Frates, the noise over that debate between the Sanders and Clinton camp getting very loud just as the noise in your background and mine also picking up. I've got some sound checks going on behind me at the tipoff tailgate party that's about to get under way just in time for the NCAA Final Four tonight here in Houston.

All right. Thanks so much, Chris Frates there in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. A noisy Eau Claire.

All right. The Wisconsin primary this Tuesday could prove to be crucial in the Republican race. There are 42 delegates up for grabs and right now it's Ted Cruz who appears to be ahead in the polls.

I'm joined now by Green Bay's Republican mayor Jim Schmidt on the phone with us.

So, Mr. Mayor, thanks so much for being with us. You have said that you are not supporting anyone in this campaign. What's your explanation as to why not publicly?

MAYOR JAMES SCHMIDT (R), GREEN BAY: Well, a couple of things, I'm a nonpartisan candidate, I'm not a member of either party. But I will say, we're going to create interest in this. And the crowd in our city, Trump and Bernie are bringing in the crowds. I am sure that translates to votes. But when it comes to police security and people lining up 10 and 12 hours early, I mean, it's Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders who are drawing the crowds.

[13:10:07] In terms of how the voting is going to go, I -- it's interesting to say the least. I mean, we've been visited by all the candidates and of course Cruz is coming back tomorrow night. Bernie was in town last night. And of course Hillary Clinton was here on Wednesday. And I'm not sure people's minds are made up. I know Trump has stumbled a little bit, but I think people are looking for some change. I think they've tapped into this -- him and Bernie, we need to go a different direction at the federal level, with more accountability. And I think those two guys are going to do all right.

WHITFIELD: So, Mr. Mayor, it really does seem as though minds are changing just as the political winds keep shifting as it pertains to the Republicans. It looks like recent polling is showing that Ted Cruz is, you know, getting a bit more support than Donald Trump.

Is this in large part in your view because of this whole, you know, slogan of Wisconsin nice, that perhaps people are not happy with the tenor and temper of Donald Trump lately?

SCHMIDT: Right. And that's a true statement. We are Wisconsin nice. I do think you know that Cruz has picked up many more endorsements in the state. And although I don't know that Wisconsinites are really big on endorsement. He's got a good ground game going, but I don't know. I wouldn't put -- I wouldn't bet on that race because I do think that Donald Trump is still the agent of change that people are looking for.

And I think Wisconsin is part of that. The country wants to see something different, something at the federal level, and shake some things up. So I do think Trump and Bernie are going to do very well. I think Cruz probably is going to win, but I wouldn't bet on that.

WHITFIELD: And as it pertains to shaking things up, how about for the Democrats? Bernie Sanders, a win in Wisconsin for Bernie Sanders really would help narrow the gap between he and Hillary Clinton. What do you believe, based on your conversations with, you know, your voters there, your electorates there in your city, what are people thinking and feeling about the Dems?

SCHMIDT: I think Bernie is going to win. He is drawing so many people. He's -- just there's a lot of energy. And his -- Bernie Sanders has been working in Wisconsin for some time. I mean. I have -- the students for Bernie, I've got three kids in college, and, you know, they're just marketing to students. And then the nurses have a bus going around the city "Nurses for Bernie," and waiting lines and turning people away at some pretty big venues. So I think he is going to win Wisconsin. I do. Just a gut feel I have. But he's been working hard, he's been drawing crowds. And I do -- I think Wisconsin is going to go with Bernie on the Democrat side. I do.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: OK. I got you. All right. Mayor James -- go ahead. SCHMIDT: I think it's interesting. And I think there's -- I know

absentee voting is up, but I think there's still a lot of undecided people out there. I do. I think these next couple of three days, I think this weekend is important. I don't think anybody is going to run away real big, but I still think there's a lot of people that are going to make up their mind in the next, you know, a couple, three days. And I think it's going to be very interesting. But I think Wisconsin is going to be a player.

WHITFIELD: All right. Mayor James Schmidt, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Green Bay, Wisconsin. I appreciate it.

All right. So while the political winds are shifting, we're feeling the Texas winds here in Houston. Right outside Energy Stadium here because tonight you've got the big dance. The final four in the NCAA.

Also straight ahead, a startling new discovery in the hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. A fragment believed to have come from inside that cabin. If so this would be the first piece discovered from inside the plane since it went missing more than two years ago.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:17:32] WHITFIELD: All right, well, welcome back. Let's take you right now to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Bernie Sanders there stumping there ahead of the primaries in Wisconsin.

SANDERS: Is that we're doing something pretty unusual in American politics. We're telling the truth.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

SANDERS: All of you know in our own personal lives and in political life, the truth is not always easy or pleasant, but you don't go forward and improve the situation unless you have the courage to deal with those truths.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

SANDERS: And here are some of the truths that we are dealing with. Number one, sad to say but we are living today with a corrupt campaign finance system which is undermining American democracy.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

SANDERS: Now I wish I did not have to say that to you, but that is the reality. The reality today is that we have a handful of billionaires, people like the Koch brothers and others, who are --

(CROWD BOOS)

SANDERS: Who are prepared to spend hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars on elections in order to support candidates who will represent the wealthy and the powerful. When you have a handful of billionaires trying to buy elections, that's not called democracy, that's called a called oligarchy. We will not accept it. (CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

SANDERS: Second of all, and not unrelated, something that concerns me very much in terms of what's happening nationally and here in the great state of Wisconsin, and that is we have Republican governors who are working overtime trying to suppress the vote, trying to make it harder for people to participate in the democratic process.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

[13:20:13] SANDERS: I believe that that is outrageous and I believe that is un-American.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

WHITFIELD: All right, Bernie Sanders there in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, getting a rousing applause when talking about his campaign represents telling the truth and saying there's a lot of criticism that he has about what he calls corrupt campaign financing system, calling it an oligarchy, and then also shaking the finger at the Wisconsin governor there in large part responsible for new voter requirement I.D. laws that some reports indicate some 300,000 people would be left out of the opportunity to be able to vote in the primary and upcoming general election.

We'll keep a close watch on the Bernie Sanders campaign. Of course, sort of some subtle if not maybe overt digs at the Clinton campaign, particularly because there is a back and forth now, feuding between the Clinton campaign and Sanders' campaign over whether upcoming debates leading to the New York primary will indeed happen and whether one campaign is being disingenuous over the other about its availability. More on that.

All right. Let's talk about North Dakota as well, getting presidential attention today as the battle for delegates in the race for the Republican nomination is also heating up. And Ted Cruz is one upping his opponents by showing up to make his pitch in person.

CNN correspondent Phil Mattingly is in Fargo, North Dakota -- Phil.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, I know you think you got the plum assignment sitting at the center of the sports universe today, but Fargo, North Dakota, is the center of the political universe. And you wouldn't expect this to necessarily matter. This is a state that doesn't have a caucus, it doesn't have a primary. But what it does have is 28 unbound delegates, and those become extraordinarily important as all of the candidates try and figure out to get that 1273. The number of delegates you need to win the Republican nomination.

Here's what's going on here. Over the next two days, they will elect those delegates. Now those delegates don't have to vote for a specific candidate. It's why you see Ted Cruz here in an hour. Carly Fiorina working with the Cruz campaign. Ben Carson here for 24 hours to lobby for Donald Trump's campaign. Gordon Smith, the former New Hampshire senator, is here for John Kasich as well. I want to talk about what's going on behind the scenes, the candidates

and campaigns try and lock up some commitments from these potential delegates. There are actual rooms at a hotel across the street here where these campaigns are wining and dining all of these potential delegates, trying to get them in line.

And why does that matter, Fredricka? 1237, that's what they need to get to in Cleveland. The hope is these delegates not committed to a single candidate can help them get to that point at some point in July -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Phil Mattingly, thank you so much. Appreciate that.

All right. Meantime, the leading Republican, Donald Trump, set to host a town hall in Racine, Wisconsin, at any moment. We'll take you there live when that kicks off. Stay with us live from Houston right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:27:06] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I am Fredricka Whitfield, live from Houston, outside the NRG Stadium, home to the NCAA Final Four this evening. You're hearing some sound checks behind me.

All right. Meantime, more debris has washed up on a remote island in the Indian Ocean that may be from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The piece was found Thursday off the coast of Rodriguez Island in Mauritius and was turned over to local police. Australian investigators said they were aware of the find but we're expecting Malaysian authorities to take the lead in recovering it and figuring out if it belongs to the plane that disappeared two years ago with 239 people on board.

I want to bring in CNN aviation correspondent Richard Quest, also the author of a new book called, "The Vanishing of Flight MH370." And David Soucie, he is a CNN safety analyst and a former FAA safety inspector.

Good to see all of you. First of all, Richard, what's your level of confidence that this indeed is another piece of that airplane?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: It's an internal piece of the plane. It's one of -- it's believed to be one of the panels from the business class wall. The patterning on the panel can very easily be identified and compared to existing Malaysia Airlines cabins, so you look, it's in the right place where all the other debris has been found on the western side of the Indian Ocean, by Reunion, Madagascar, Mozambique and now Mauritius. So it's the right place, it's got the right patterning, it's obviously from an aircraft. This is not going to be difficult to establish.

WHITFIELD: And so, David, while, as Richard says, you know, it seems like the right patterning, it seems to have followed the same kind of, you know, ocean flow because of the other debris pieces found in the general -- same general vicinity, in your view is it odd that there have been so few pieces that have been located?

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Not really, Fred, because of the fact that once it's in the ocean and once there are pieces, they disperse very quickly. They go on all different directions based on their size, their floatation, whatever might make them move, how much is under water, how much is above the water. So it doesn't surprise me at all that there's such a distance, in fact 700 miles from the last piece that was found over in Madagascar.

WHITFIELD: And David, in your view, how long would it take or how many pieces would you need in order to help really build a picture about what may have happened to this plane?

SOUCIE: That's a good question, Fred, but in investigations, in assembling what happened, it's a matter of which pieces you find. So it is difficult to put some kind of cadence on when we would find the parts and how quickly we would find an answer to this mystery. But I do think that this -- each piece that we find, the fact that as Richard said this was a piece from the interior of the aircraft describes a much different scenario than did the flap that we found the first -- awhile ago because this -- in this case that means the aircraft did break into pieces and pieces of the interior had been found.

[13:30:14] So that the theory of the fact that the aircraft may have landed softly and then sunk would be in question if this indeed is a piece from the aircraft.

WHITFIELD: And then, Richard, so much is always said about the importance of the black boxes. But is the case that the black boxes would never be found, there wouldn't be any content on them to last this long, even if they were found, will they ever be able to get to the bottom of what brought this plane down with a handful of pieces over time if that's all they end up having?

QUEST: First of all, I think that there's a very strong chance the black boxes would still maintain their data, depending on how it went into the water, if it had broken up. But it's digital, solid state. So there's a very strong chance that they would -- the data would still be there. On the wider question, the debris on its own will not tell us an enormous amount. And if you look back at Air France 447, one of the first pieces of debris they recovered was a galley cart.

And the galley cart showed how it had been compressed from the bottom upwards, and therefore they instinctively, immediately knew the plane had come down like that, and not nose first. So they will be -- the more -- as David rightly says, the more pieces that you get, the more you'll be able to look at compression, the fractures, you'll be able to build up a picture of how that plane came out of the sky. What you won't be able to do is determine the cause of what led to that.

WHITFIELD: And then, David, what about those pieces and perhaps other pieces that could be found, the erosion that might take place? How are investigators able to discern the difference between those kind of markers that Richard just expressed and erosion or, you know, other fractures or blemishes that may have happened as a result of it floating.

SOUCIE: Those things that you would think instinctively would be a negative are actually a positive. The erosion tells a lot about where it was, what water it traveled to, to get to that point, because of the different things that attach to themselves to it and the salt debris. The amount of salt, the time at which the particular pieces of metal erode, those are all clues in putting this puzzle, this dynamic puzzle together.

WHITFIELD: And Richard, what about jurisdiction? From the very beginning, there have been discussions about the jurisdiction of who leads the investigation, you know, who acquires any debris, if found, and now again it appears as though there is a tangle over jurisdiction.

QUEST: Well, I wouldn't say a tangle. The investigation, excuse me, is clearly Malaysia. There's no dispute about that. And to the ICAO treaty, the Annex 13, it's Malaysia's investigation. They have delegated large parts of the day-to-day work to Australia who has the technical expertise and who is within the region the crash is believed to have taken place.

With the first piece of debris that was on Reunion Island, which is part of France, so the French got involved. In this case, it will be the Mauritius authorities that will get involved, but my guess is that they will very quickly want to pass this on to the Malaysians. If Malaysia can quickly establish yes, MH-370, that's the end of it. Otherwise, it goes to Cambria and the Australians will do the final dotting of I's and crossing of T's.

WHITFIELD: All right. David Soucie, Richard Quest, thank you both so much. Again, Richard Quest's new book, called, "The Vanishing of Flight MH-370."

Thanks so much, gentlemen. Appreciate it.

All right. You're hearing the sound check behind me because they are getting geared up for the big dance tonight. The final four this year. It's like the Super Bowl of the NFL. And guess what, Houston housing the final four, and next year will be hosting the Super Bowl. Up next, I'm talking to the mayor of Houston on how he is keeping his city at the center of the sports world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:37:47] WHITFIELD: Hello, again. And thanks so much for joining me. We are live from Houston, home of the Final Four. And this is really just the beginning. Good to see you all. Thanks for hanging out with us in the windy Houston right now. This city is buzzing with tens of thousands of basketball fans, and that's because March Madness, even though it's April, is down to the final four. And they are playing right here tonight.

I want to bring in Houston's mayor, Sylvester Turner. Good to see you.

MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER (D), HOUSTON: Thanks, Fredricka. It's good to have you here.

WHITFIELD: So. Mr. Mayor, thank you. You all have really rolled out the red carpet.

TURNER: Yes. Yes.

WHITFIELD: This city is so ready, it is so pumped up.

TURNER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: This is super. And what a setting at the NRG Stadium here.

TURNER: Yes

WHITFIELD: Which will be hosting these four incredible college teams tonight. What does this mean for you?

TURNER: Now, look, what it means for the city. I mean, it's a great event. This is a sporting town. You know, we just had the rodeo here, the shell open. They're playing now. The final four.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

TURNER: March Madness in April, you know, starts tonight.

WHITFIELD: Right.

TURNER: The Super Bowl is coming on February 5th, right here in the city.

WHITFIELD: My goodness.

TURNER: The weather is ideal, perfect. So it's a great city.

WHITFIELD: And this city really is incredible. I mean, it's not my first time here, I've got family here. The Simon family here in full force in Houston.

TURNER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: But a lot has changed with downtown Houston, it's been a few years since I have been here, and I am seeing the transformation, the building, the hotels.

TURNER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: You know, the apartment, condominium living. Did that help set the stage for an NCAA to be hosted here and now as a prelude to the NFL Super Bowl next year?

TURNER: All of that -- I'm native and I grew up in the city. The city has changed so much in the last 30 years. Downtown literally has been transformed. It is a major attraction center right now. We are the most diverse city in the country. We're more diverse than New York or L.A. or D.C., or Atlanta. WHITFIELD: Which I did not realize.

TURNER: We are the most diverse. 142 languages spoken in this city tonight.

WHITFIELD: And why is this such a magnet?

TURNER: Well, it is an international city. I mean, we're close to the port. We have two international airports within the boundaries of the city of Houston.

WHITFIELD: True. Bush Intercontinental and Hobby. That's true.

TURNER: Yes. And then a third airport, Ellington Field, which is soon to be a spaceport aeronautical center.

WHITFIELD: My goodness.

TURNER: So when you look at our transportation system, when you look at the petro chemical business, it's an oil or gas down.

[13:40:06] But now we only about 40 percent dependent now on oil and gas, even when oil prices being low, we are still above on the plus side, in job creation, you know. So what I say to people all the time, if you want to see what the country will look like 20, 30 years from now, look where the city of Houston is now and where we're going.

WHITFIELD: Incredible. There are so many of the athletes here.

TURNER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Coaches who have roots.

TURNER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Who have connections to Houston, Texas.

TURNER: A lot of players will make Houston their second home, if it's not their first home, and not just Texans, not just Astros, the Rockets, you know, a lot of people love the city. The weather is great almost year-round. And then this is the one city where you can come to and literally travel the globe all in one day.

WHITFIELD: My goodness.

TURNER: So you can come to the city, you can go -- we have a large Nigerian population, a large Vietnamese population, I mean, you name it, you will find I literally can be at one event in the morning with the Latino community in the evening and I'm talking to a Pakistani gala.

WHITFIELD: Incredible, 142 languages in the city of Houston.

TURNER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: That I am now calling my second home as well with my family being here.

TURNER: Right. Your second home, but I want you to make it your first.

WHITFIELD: OK.

TURNER: But we're ready for tonight now.

WHITFIELD: We are ready for tonight. I can't wait.

Mayor Sylvester Turner, good to see you.

TURNER: Thank you. Thanks for being here. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Thank you for welcoming us all here to Houston, Texas. Fantastic. Thank you so much.

We are talking about the Texas winds has been blowing here, the political winds are turning up, too. We're watching the campaign trail right now. Sarah Palin in fact, the former governor of Alaska speaking on behalf of Donald Trump who is about to take the stage there in Racine, Wisconsin. We continue to watch and listen. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:45:29] WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield right here in Houston where March Madness is all around. The final four playing here tonight behind me at the NRG Stadium. And I got a chance to speak with a number of former players who are here, including former NBA Detroit Pistons star and now sportscaster Grant Hill. He won two NCAA college basketball titles with Duke University about 20 years ago. Can you believe it? 20 years ago. And he'll be a commentator for tonight's final four games.

Sports is in his family genes. His dad is retired NFL star Calvin Hill. But politics is also part of the Hill family. His mother, Janet Hill, was the college roommate of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. I asked Grant what role he feels that he personally might one day play in the future of politics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Is politics on the horizon for you? Have you thought about running for office? Because you have been politically involved in, you know, endorsing candidates of the past, right? Presidential candidates like Clinton and even Kerry. So where do you see yourself in the landscape of politics, national politics?

GRANT HILL, SEVEN-TIME NBA ALL STAR: I thought this was just for basketball honestly.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: It's a full court. HILL: I am just kidding. It's a full court. You know, I think, you

know, I've always, you know, said that we live in D.C., the main sport, the main, you know, topic of conversation is always, you know, what's happening in Washington, the political world. And so there was always an interest and a bit of an appetite for that. You know, a lot has changed since I've grown up, the political landscape. The climate has definitely shifted a bit. So, you know, there are ways to participate in the political process without necessarily being a politician. So I'm being very political in answering this question.

WHITFIELD: Well, you're helping me get to that area because your mom was also the roommate of --

HILL: Right.

WHITFIELD: A young lady, right, we know, Hillary Clinton, running for president. And how influential has mom been on, you know, your involvement with Hillary Clinton's campaign or, you know, are you thinking about potentially being involved any further in this run for the White House?

HILL: Yes -- no, I mean I've been involved in a number of campaigns, you know, certainly President Obama now, but the Clintons, John Kerry in '04, Gore in 2000. The country we live in, you have freedom of speech, and you have that luxury to be able to support publicly who you believe in. It's very subjective and obviously people have opinions and people are very passionate, a lot like sports, people are very passionate about their favorite player, favorite team, so on and so forth.

But yes, I mean, my parents have been great role models and influences in a number of ways, particularly in using whatever platform you have to try to support those that you believe in.

One interesting story, my mom, you know, everyone talks about, you know, being roommates and suite mates with Hillary Clinton at Wellesley, but my dad was a fraternity brother of W Bush at Yale. And so he's not on the right, my dad is very liberal, but -- so it's interesting to see that. And then unbeknownst to me, I didn't realize this, my mom was a mentor to Michelle Obama, and helped her serve her first board.

WHITFIELD: My goodness.

HILL: So they have been sort of this, you know, one, two-degree of separation -- one-degree of separation from whoever has been in the White House, you know, since 1992.

WHITFIELD: Just recently you and your wife Tamia were at the White House for the gala, the dinner for the Canadian prime minister and as you look at and assess President Obama's, you know, last eight years, has there been anything in the last eight years that has further inspired your interest in politics as a result of his experience in the White House or what you've witnessed in Washington?

HILL: You know, maybe to a degree what he's had to endure has maybe discouraged me to a degree. You know, I just -- I feel like, you know, I've never seen a president sort of have to, you know, endure what he's had to go through.

[13:50:03] But you know, you never say never. I mean, you know, I've had a number of people try to encourage me to take that step. And you know, always leave a door cracked. You never know. And, you know, we'll see. Time will tell. I'm having too much fun with college basketball.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: I don't know. I mean, it's an incredible commonality. And I mean, the sky's the imit.

HILL: You make it all sound so easy.

WHITFIELD: You made it look easy.

HILL: No, no. Well, I'll say this, look, the beautiful thing about sports, and what I love about the position I'm in, and getting a chance to broadcast the final four, is that sports can really bring people together. It can galvanize a university. It can galvanize an entire country, and so when -- regardless of religious beliefs, political views, what part of the country you come from, you know, everyone's glued in, and can watch and appreciate and respect the talent, you know, on the floor in college basketball, and watching these kids, you know, lay it all on the line and, you know, you see every year during the tournament, you see the buzzer-beaters.

You see the upsets. You see the fantastic finishes. You see the emotion. And so I think that's what makes sports so great. That regardless, we can agree on one thing. It can bring you together, and we can -- you know, I may not be a fan of, you know, Stephen F. Austin, but I can, like, appreciate and respect and it can inspire me. And that's the beauty of sports, and we need to bring that attitude to politics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(LAUGHTER) WHITFIELD: All right. NCAA champ, former model star of Duke University and formerly of the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, L.A. Clippers. Got to give Grant Hill all of his props there. All right. Thanks so much.

All right. Meantime, we're also following politics even though tonight is the big dance here at the NRG Stadium, right there in Racine, Wisconsin, frontrunner Donald Trump. But is he the frontrunner in the Wisconsin upcoming primary? Let's listen in to his town hall right now.

TRUMP: -- I say that in a bragging way. I say that because that's the kind of thinking we need in the United States. We don't have that thinking. We don't have that thinking. And frankly -- so I really, I felt it was very interesting to say and I'm going to mention from now on, self-funding, self-funding because all of these people in control, like Ted Cruz, he put his personal financial disclosure form in, and he forgot -- he forgot --

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMP: Well, they want me to act presidential. They don't want me to call him Lying Ted. OK. Lying Ted. No, no. They want me to -- my wife actually said, now you're with Sarah today. You have to act very presidential. And Sarah would never say, Lying ted. Right? But people do like it. No, I'm being -- it's very -- it's very -- I'm being honest. OK. Don't forget, what Ted Cruz did to Ben Carson, who endorsed me, by the way, and he's a great guy. Ben Carson was running a great campaign in Iowa, doing fantastically well, and Ted Cruz announced during the election, I don't mean, like, three days before, or a day before, when you can recover.

He said during the election that he's gone. He's out. He's quit. He's not -- he didn't quit. He never quits. If you know him, he's not a quitter. That I can tell you. He was giving me a lot of trouble. He was right there, we're going one, and he's right there. I said, boy, we're having a hard time with Ben. But tougher, really tougher than anybody else, but Ben was, in a campaign, and the election comes, and it's a caucus, and the people walk into the caucus, sit down, let us tell you something, Ben Carson has left the race.

And they said, really? Oh, but I wanted to vote for him. But he's left the race. And, you know, potentially, who knows how many? But thousands of people voted for Cruz instead of Carson, which was very -- no. But that's -- that's, you know, really bad. And then Cruz said he knew nothing about it. And, of course, he called Ben and apologized about 12 seconds after the voting ended. Said, oh, good. What can we do about that now? Nothing. Because it's so -- I mean, they should have done something. I mean, frankly they should have disqualified, or the voter form, if you saw the voter form. That was to me worse.

A voter form that was put out in Iowa. I mean, there were things, there's so many things. So we say that. But I will say this. Look, Ted didn't disclose that he's borrowed money at a very, very low interest rate because, I guess, maybe because he's a senator. Do you think that has anything to do with it? For whatever reason he borrowed money from Goldman Sachs, he borrowed money, a lot of money from Citibank and he didn't disclose it in his personal financial disclosure form. And then he goes around and have an audience like this and he'll say that, you know, folks, we are going to take care of those banks. Those bad, bad banks.

[13:55:03] You know, he was going to be Robin Hood. OK. He's going to help everybody. He's going to be Robin Hood but he didn't disclose it. He's borrowing with the banks. And believe me anybody in this room would love get the interest rate that he's paying. It was like very -- oh, close to zero. And you've got to disclose that stuff. So there's such deception and such lying. In fact, when Sarah came in today, I saw her this morning. And we were talking for a little while, I said this politics is really a dishonest business. They say things. And I'll go into it because I'm all about making America great again. Very simple. Very simple. (CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: I did a show this morning with a very good radio show with -- thank you. I love you, too. Who is that? Stand up. Let me see. Thank you, darling. I love you, too.

WHITFIELD: All right. Donald Trump there, hoping to see that love at the polling station on Tuesday there in Wisconsin. Right now stumping for any additional support there out of Racine, Wisconsin.

We'll continue to follow the race to the White House and we're also following the excitement here in Houston, ahead of the NCAA Final Four tonight. Tip-off, North Carolina-Oklahoma, Syracuse-Villanova right here in NRG Stadium.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Hello, again, and thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, live in Houston, home of the NCAA Final Four.