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"Apprentice" Runner-Up Speaks Out About Donald Trump; Tsunami Warning Lifted After 7.0 Earthquake Hits Off Island in Southern Japan; Former NFL Player Will Smith Shot And Killed; Recap Of Democratic Debate In Brooklyn. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired April 15, 2016 - 15:30   ET

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


[15:30:00] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: James Sun, nice to have you on.

JAMES SUN, RUNNER-UP, THE APPRENTICE SEASON 6: Hi, Brooke, how you doing?

BALDWIN: I am doing well. Let me ask you, why did all of you apprentice contestants, you know, decide to company together and to do this, to speak out about Trump as a group?

SUN: Well, I will tell you. I have actually been asked to do an interview about 12 times in the last nine months. And I have declined every single one of them because I was just watching the race like everyone else. But now it's getting pretty serious. He is a GOP front-runner. And as Apprentice alums, we have had a unique experience with them that the average person hasn't had. And so, I think it's a responsibility for us to actually come out and voice our opinion. Either way, when you're for him or against him, I think it's a responsibility.

BALDWIN: So how do you feel about him?

SUN: So I like Donald Trump as a person. I would have a beer with him. And if I was starting a company, I would absolutely hire him. But as the president of the United States, I would definitely fire him.

BALDWIN: Wow. So with all of your time and your experience with Mr. Trump in a way that none of us have, I mean, can you tell me a story or interaction with him that shaped that particular view?

SUN: Well, on the Apprentice, I remember one episode we had, we had a little back story with Arnold Schwarzenegger, governor Schwarzenegger at the time and I talked to Mr. Trump about being an immigrant coming to this country with $35 and living the American dream. And I talked to governor Schwarzenegger about that. And Donald Trump really appreciated that.

Now when I'm hearing some of the statements that he is saying about immigration and deportation, it doesn't sound like the person that I knew back then. And that's where I have some of these problems.

BALDWIN: Who are you liking, if I may ask? SUN: Right now, I'm leaning towards Hillary Clinton.

BALDWIN: Did you watch the debate last night?

SUN: I did.

BALDWIN: And so what did you think? Last question.

SUN: Well, it was a fantastic debate. But I have always -- I like Bill Clinton as a president. He did a great job I think in terms of qualification, of leading our nation in a global society. Hillary Clinton is fit for the job.

BALDWIN: OK. James Sun, runner-up on season six "Apprentice," thank you so much.

SUN: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Coming up next, breaking news. Another major earthquake hits japan, 7.0 magnitude. We'll talk to someone on the ground in Tokyo next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:36:20] BALDWIN: Want to come up here on some live pictures from New Orleans, friends, family members, former NFL player, Will Smith. The New Orleans saints. Attending his wake. You can see people walking past. Right there is his casket. He was shot and killed after a fender bender Saturday night in New Orleans. And we can also tell you wife, Raquel, who also suffered a gunshot wound to her leg, she had some time alone there just a few minutes ago. The public viewing will last for five hours, Louisiana.

Now, to Japan, some breaking news there. Tsunami warning lifted after a 7.0 earthquake hit off an island in southern Japan. One Instagram user sending this images to CNN. You can see that the light fixture shaking. This is a hotel in the region. Today's quake is the second one now in two days. Shocks we're told they're still coming.

Freelance journalist Mike Firn joins me now from Tokyo.

And so Mike, let's just begin with what have you felt?

MIKE FIRN, FREELANCE JOURNALIST (on the phone): What we felt quite here in Tokyo. Our building shook for several minutes. There was a warning on television just before the quake hit. Obviously, no reports of any damage in Tokyo but a very different picture in Kumamoti prefecture. The NHK television reporting more that than 370 people have been treated in hospital. We are seeing pictures on local media of badly damaged buildings, car crashed by a collapsed concrete bridge. The city hall in (INAUDIBLE) which had caused the collapse that collapsing in the middle. Also reports from the Kumamoti city office saying that it sent firefighters to tackle several blazing buildings around the city there.

BALDWIN: Mike, just quickly, if we're talking about the second quake in two days, is this just totally rare for japan?

FIRN: Well, quakes are nothing unusual in Japan. There are quakes every day. Large quakes obviously are not that common. And the quakes that we've had this time around, the largest intensity since March the 11th, 2011. So this really was a surprise to the region. You know, it's very hard to predict where the next big quake is going to happen. It did take some people quite by surprise.

BALDWIN: All right, Mike Firn with us on the phone from japan in the wake of this second 7.0 magnitude quake.

Now to this. Refugees coming to America in hopes of building a better life, but many of the refugee children struggle with school work, struggle with just trying to fit in, and that is something this week's CNN hero understands.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's so many things stacked against them. For you to be successful, you're competing against all these other people that are already like ten steps ahead of u. How are you going to catch up? And how are you going to contribute successfully? We're getting people from all over the world to company together to do something great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: You can watch the full story, just go to CNNheroes.com. While you're there, please take a moment, nominate someone you think is extraordinary who could be the 2016 CNN hero, again, on CNNheroes.com.

Next what Donald Trump things about last night's Democratic debate between Sanders and Clinton. We will show you what he just told the crowd there in Plattsburgh, New York. Yes, you win there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[15:44:23] DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I watched that debate last night. Anybody watch that debate with Hillary and Bernie? So Hillary said "I have millions votes more than Bernie," which is true, I have to say. Although I don't know, I hear Bernie, he wins, he wins, he wins. He keeps winning. He keeps winning. Week after week. Bernie is winning. Winning. And then I listen to the pundits. And tonight Bernie Sanders won again for the seventh or eighth or ninth time in a row. But he has got no -- OK, and you know what, that's OK. Because I feel sorry for him in a way. He wins. And then you listen to the pundits. But he can't win. You know why, because it's a rigged system, folks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:45:06] BALDWIN: Back to the rigged system. Mr. Trump opinion piece in "The Wall Street Journal." This is something I have a feeling we are going to hear about for the next couple of months depending on how the delegate math goes in the Republican race. Donald Trump speaking at his big rally in Plattsburgh, New York.

So back specifically to the big debate in Brooklyn who came out on top, was it Secretary Clinton, was it senator Sanders, was it perhaps New York? You know, Senator Sanders was born there. Secretary Clinton lives here. The two gave the empire state a lot of love among all the shouting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was so honored to serve as the senator from New York for eight years and we worked hard to really keep New York values at the center of who we are and what we do together. I love being in Brooklyn. This is great.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. The son of an immigrant who came to this country from Poland. And with your help, we are going to win here in New York. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: With me now, New York native Howard Wolfson. He was also the communications director for Hillary Clinton in 2008 presidential campaign and a deputy mayor here in New York under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. So welcome back.

HOWARD WOLFSON, FORMER COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR, HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT 2008: Thank you.

BALDWIN: I love this line. I'm just going to steal your line. You wrote, you can screw up out of town but the stakes are higher when the curtain rises on Broadway.

Curtain has gone up. The curtain has now fallen. How did they do?

WOLFSON: You know, I think Bernie Sanders needed a bit a knockout. He is behind on points. It's sort of late in the match. And I thought he did fine but he didn't get a knockout.

BALDWIN: Knockout punch? He didn't feel that?

WOLFSON: He didn't have one of those moments where, you know, Rubio was attacked by --

BALDWIN: Christie.

WOLFSON: And basically his campaign ended.

BALDWIN: Yes.

WOLFSON: You almost needed something like that from Bernie Sanders last night against Hillary Clinton and it didn't happen.

BALDWIN: What about, you know, a lot of people are talking about how this really felt like Bernie Sanders came to play and he truly believes he can win. And at the same time, maybe it seems like a month ago, secretary Clinton was already thinking ahead to November and now it's sort of like slow your roll, I need to work on this guy to my left.

WOLFSON: Nobody is taking your foot off the gas here.

BALDWIN: No.

WOLFSON: They are both very committed to this obviously. I think Bernie Sanders clearly wanted to throw a knockout blow if he could. But, you know, Secretary Clinton was ready. I think she parried most of the blows. And I think she came out of it with at least a tie which is if you're her pretty much what you're looking for.

BALDWIN: We've been talking throughout my show a lot of the moment talks about, you know, breaking up big banks and Wall Street about gun violence, about what the conversation on Israel. I want to ask you, President Obama made news about what was his biggest mistake while being in office. It was the day after, you know, the takedown of Moammar Gadhafi and how that would fall on Hillary Clinton's shoulders in this race. She addressed that last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: Let me say, I think we did a great deal to help the Libyan people after Gadhafi's demise. They at the end when it came to security issues, Wolf, did not want troops from any other country, not just us, European or any other countries, in Libya, and so we were caught in a very difficult position.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, David Axelrod, listen to that, and he took to twitter. Unless she genuinely feels none, shouldn't Hillary Clinton express some regrets on Libya? Do you think that's fair?

WOLFSON: You know, maybe. I think when Bernie Sanders hits her for the Iraq war vote.

BALDWIN: Over and over and over.

WOLFSON: That actually resonates more with the voters in New York than the issue of Libya. I just don't think Libya is going to resonate when people go to vote on Tuesday. There will be some people in New York who are still unhappy with her war vote way back when. But I don't think Libya's really an issue in the democratic primary.

BALDWIN: You, you know, alluded to the lack of vote, knockout punch. We have the latest poll numbers. This is the "Wall Street Journal"/NBC poll. Hillary Clinton at 57 percent, Bernie Sanders, there you go, at 40. Do you think the Dow moved at all for him after last night? No? You are shaking your head.

WOLFSON: No. I mean, you know, he was probably -- she was probably maybe 53, 54 when he walked in to that debate last night. And I don't think he did anything to get the number lower. If anything the poll suggested, she might have picked up a point or two.

BALDWIN: From what I can tell you about, you're a bit of a basketball fan?

WOLFSON: I am a bit of a basketball fan.

BALDWIN: So my final question, Mr. Wolfson, is this. Who has the best performance this week, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders or Kobe Bryant?

WOLFSON: Stef Curry. Stef Curry in getting those 73 wins.

BALDWIN: Thank you so much, Howard Wolfson. We'll talk again, I am sure.

WOLFSON: It's all about the wins.

BALDWIN: It is about the wins for everything.

Still ahead, Donald Trump, he say it is all about the wins as well, launching a new round of attacks against his own party moments ago. Once again, calling the primary process a rigged system. We're going to watch that rally for you in New York.

Also ahead, some say he has the best job in the world. Some being me. Bill Weir gets to go all around the world, take beautiful pictures, tell amazing stories. We are going to talk to him about the latest adventure he has been on, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:54:43] BALDWIN: The black rhino is one of the most critically endangered species on the planet and CNN's Bill Weir had the magnificent experience of seeing one in the wild. It's a story he tells in this week's episode of "THE WONDER LIST."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN HOST, THE WONDER LIST: These guys can somehow track a beast across what looks like naked rock. They know the characteristics of sand particles, looking through the slightest little variation disruption. I think we're close. There it is. This is pretty incredible. That's one of the world's last truly black ripe owes.

There are so few they know them by name. This one is called don't worry. And as a deterrent to poachers, game wardens have removed his most distinctive feature.

If a poacher follows this guy for three days and finds out you guys took the horn off as a deterrent, isn't he just going to shoot it anyway and take whatever is left of the number?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's definitely evidence that supports that, which is heartbreaking.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Bill Weir, so you're in -- explain -- set it up for me, first.

WEIR: So first of all, I guess the thing you want to understand is - first, I wanted to do a story about the ethics of big game hunting. And we are living in this age of mass extinction. We saw the fallout when Cecil the lion was shot by the Minnesota dentist. (INAUDIBLE) and the man who paid $350,000 to shoot one of the last black rhinos. And we wanted to see both sides of that argument, how does this exist.

So the rhino is particularly endangered because in many places in Asia, the horn, even though it's made of the same material as your fingernails, is a status symbol. It's on par with gold in terms of cost, it is more expense twice as expensive as cocaine. A big horn can go hundreds of thousands of dollars. So these animals are being slaughtered by poachers to feed that black market.

You've got conservationists who say photo tourism. We surround these animals with loving animal lovers, you know, with cameras, we can protect them. Hunters say the same thing. As long as you let us shoot a couple a year, that will create a value that will incentivize people to keep this creature from the poachers. So it's this fascinating, very passionate debate about how humanity handles the last few species in Africa that are in such trouble and which will go extinct first, big game or the big game hunter.

BALDWIN: And son, in one of the countries they have totally outlawed --

WEIR: Yes, (INAUDIBLE) it's like the Switzerland of Africa. Relatively few people. Lots of diamonds.

BALDWIN: Dow there in South Africa.

WEIR: Yes. Right the sort of above South Africa, next to (INAUDIBLE) and they have animal lovers at the head of state. The president and his twin brother who runs environment, they put in this hunting ban. They think it is hunting for fun. We should evolve past that. If you need to hunt to survive, it's different story. But that experiment will determine how much of the rest of Africa goes where their priorities are human. They're worried about Ebola or HIV or human development, not worried so much about the last few thousand rhino.

And that's the other thing. It is interesting when you go to these places. We think of these things as animal-loving fans, you know. We watch Discovery Channel, National Geographic. We watch these shows and it's very different when you have to live next to wild elephants and rhinos and lions. And when all the wealth you have in the world are these five goats, you know, that you're hoping makes it through the night. So it's a fascinating journey, a safari unlike any other.

BALDWIN: I had never been on a safari myself in my life. I was in Africa somehow twice lasted year and I saw in the (INAUDIBLE) in Kenya and I saw a black rhino. And you know, when there's a black rhino in all the safari vehicles, you know something is up when you see everyone circled around. It is stunning, it is magnificent. I had goose bumps looking at these animals and being in their habitat. But what did you stumble upon, these amazing scenes on safari.

WEIR: We came across a leopard eating a baby impala in a tree. Two lionesses who caught wind of it, climbed a try to try to get the leopard to drop the impala. Hyenas come around the back side. It was this whole unbelievable --.

BALDWIN: Circle of life.

WEIR: Yes. But then you run into realities. These are killing machines.

BALDWIN: Yes.

WEIR: And you think how can a planet of seven, eight billion people still maintain these pockets of wilderness? It's a huge question. But I hope you'll learn a little something about the fight Sunday night.

BALDWIN: Glad you're telling the story. Make sure you tune in, "WONDER LIST" Sunday night 10:00 eastern and pacific only right here on CNN.

Bill Weir, thank you, thank you, thank you.

WEIR: Thanks, Brooke.

BALDWIN: And thank you so much for being with me, of course, here as well on this Friday. Keep it right here. My friend Jake Tapper is up next.

"THE LEAD" starts now.