MARIA-03
Frontrunner Donald Trump Still with a Commanding Lead Ahead of New York
Primary; George Clooney Defends Hillary Clinton's $353K Per-Plate
Fundraiser; Devastating Earthquake Hits Ecuador and Japan, Killing 272 in
Ecuador and 41 in Japan; Oil Prices Under Pressure after Major Exporters
Met in Qatar; Popeyes CEO Talks about $15 Minimum Wage; Tax Day in America - Part 1>
Anthony Scaramucci, Jo Ling Kent >
Goldin >
Clinton; George Clooney; Earthquake, Ecuador, Japan; Johnny Depp; Oil;
Apple; Popeyes; Politics; Election; Trade; Business; Sports; NBA; New York>
MARIA BARTIROMO, FBN ANCHOR: The whole story from Anthony coming up -- that Mike Piazza wore that day sold in a private market a few years ago.
But it will be headed home to Citi Field, thanks to Anthony Scaramucci with us today, we will get the full story from Anthony coming up on Mike Piazza's jersey.
Morgan Stanley earnings are out this morning. First quarter profits cut in half from a year earlier, but the results still well above expectations.
The stock is up this morning about 2 percent ahead of the open. Checking the broader market this morning.
Futures are indicating a lower opening for the broader averages, the Dow Industrials pretty much steady from where it's been the last hour or so, near the lows of the morning, down about 50 points on the Dow Industrials.
All of those stories coming up this hour. And with me this morning, Fox Business Network's Dagen McDowell, Rosecliff Capital CEO Mike Murphy and "Wall Street Week" host Anthony Scaramucci.
Good to see everybody.
MIKE MURPHY, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ROSECLIFF CAPITAL: Good morning, Maria --
BARTIROMO: Your story --
ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI, FOUNDER & CO-MANAGING PARTNER, SKYBRIDGE CAPITAL: Good morning --
BARTIROMO: Is a big one, I can't wait to hear about the jersey, Anthony Scaramucci.
SCARAMUCCI: It's a lot of fun --
BARTIROMO: Yes, I bet, we begin with politics this hour, it is the final push for the Empire State.
Hillary Clinton is looking beyond New York though, as Bernie Sanders and his supporters are on the attack. Adam Shapiro standing by right now in New York with the details.
Adam, good morning to you.
ADAM SHAPIRO, FOX BUSINESS: Good morning, Maria. And when you say on the attack, the question is, will it work?
Because tomorrow is the New York primary, a lot of people say this is critical, not only for Sanders, but for Clinton.
So, let's get right to the "RealClearPolitics" poll because it shows that Clinton maintains her lead among New York Democrats.
But we've seen this story play out before. Right now, Clinton has 53.5 percent of the Democrats versus Sanders' 41.0.
And this was a poll of Democrats between April 6th and April 15th.
I say we've seen this story play out before because you remember Michigan, she was leading in the polls in Michigan, and here's what Mr. Sanders said about that victory in Michigan on "The Today Show".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), VERMONT: The bottom line is let's look at the real poll tomorrow.
Generally speaking, polling has underestimated how we do in elections. We were 25 points down in Michigan, we ended up winning Michigan.
But the main point is, I think we have a message that is resonating all over this country.
We have enthusiasm, we have energy, people understand, it's too late for establishment politics and economics.
They want real change in this country, they want leadership to stand up to the billionaire class.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHAPIRO: So, the New York polls says Hillary Clinton maintains her double- digit lead, but as Mr. Sanders says, the real poll is tomorrow.
Clinton will be at a campaign organizing events, a get-out-the-vote event in midtown around noon today.
Mr. Sanders will have a rally on Long Island City. Back to you, Maria.
BARTIROMO: All right, Adam, thank you, we'll be watching that, Adam Shapiro in New York City today.
On to the other side of the aisle, the "RealClearPolitics" poll average shows frontrunner Donald Trump still with a commanding lead ahead of tomorrow's big votes.
Trump holds 52 percent of the vote, Governor John Kasich has 23 percent and Senator Ted Cruz sits with third place with 18 percent.
The candidates eyeing the hall of 95 delegates available in the Empire State.
Trump still holds a big lead in the delegate-count, but Cruz added to his total this weekend, taking all available delegates in Wyoming over the weekend.
Despite that loss, Donald Trump spoke about his chances to take the nomination at a rally in New York yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, CHAIRMAN & PRESIDENT, TRUMP ORGANIZATIONS & FOUNDER, TRUMP ENTERTAINMENT RESORTS: I think we're going to make it without having to, you know, rely on the bosses.
I've spent less money just about than practically anybody, and I'm in number one position by a lot. Don't you want that for your president?
(CHEERS)
Don't you want that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARTIROMO: Joining us right now to talk more about it is New York City Republican Chairman Ed Cox. Good to see you, Ed, thank you so much for joining us --
EDWARD COX, CHAIRMAN, NEW YORK REPUBLICAN STATE COMMITTEE: Good to see you, Maria --
BARTIROMO: So, let me get your take on what to expect here. We are all thinking that Trump is going to have the commanding lead --
COX: Look, he's going to do very well.
BARTIROMO: Yes --
COX: The question is how very well --
BARTIROMO: Right --
COX: Does he do? Does he get over 50 percent? It'd be something of 50 percent and under 80 of the 95 delegates, he's going to have a hard time winning on the first ballot.
BARTIROMO: And if he's above 80?
COX: If he's above 80, he has a chance of winning on the first ballot, but then he has to go on and do well in the other Mid-Atlantic states, well in Indiana and very well in California and the West Coast.
BARTIROMO: Anthony --
SCARAMUCCI: You have a super hard job because you've got to manage all these big egos. If he becomes the nominee, are the state chairman like yourself going to rally behind him?
COX: Yes, he's going to need us. He's going to need the party interestingly enough, even though he's attacking it now which is good politics for him because he doesn't have -- he hasn't left the organization --
SCARAMUCCI: So, will bygones be bygones? --
COX: That the candidate normally boast of --
SCARAMUCCI: Mr. Chairman, will bygones be bygones? --
BARTIROMO: Will you support Trump? --
COX: We've got to win. We have to win --
BARTIROMO: Will you support him? Will you support him? --
SCARAMUCCI: Yes --
COX: Of course --
SCARAMUCCI: Yes --
COX: You bet. He has shown a remarkable political talent for a person who is a first time in the political arena.
Building a crafty message and to put it out there in a way that it sticks.
SCARAMUCCI: Back in 1987, your father-in-law wrote him a very cute note --
COX: That's true --
SCARAMUCCI: He said that he -- he said that he -- him and his wife were watching him and Mrs. Nixon said that he had a lot of talent.
COX: Yes --
SCARAMUCCI: What do you think Richard Nixon would say about the rise of Donald Trump?
COX: Just what Mrs. Nixon said, he's got a lot of talent.
BARTIROMO: Yes, say that again.
DAGEN MCDOWELL, FOX BUSINESS: In terms of the Donald Trump rhetoric that the system is broken, it's rigged, it's a con game, does that help get voters out at this point?
COX: Sure --
MCDOWELL: Or not because the people think, if the system is rigged, why am I even going to bother?
COX: No, particularly with his voters, really, get some juiced up, gets into polls.
At the same time, he is bringing on Paul Manafort, he's bringing on Rick Wiley, he's very close to Reince Priebus who is the political director of the RNC.
So, it's -- well, he's saying one thing publicly which in fact will excite his voters, on the other hand he is playing an inside game at the same time.
BARTIROMO: Do you believe Paul Ryan when he says he's not -- he's not fair -- he's not going to be running for president in any way? --
COX: Absolutely.
BARTIROMO: Yes --
COX: He really wants to be setting the agenda. Well, he's a Jack Kemp guy, he cares about policy, he wants this to be a battle over what the right policies for the country are.
He wants to set that agenda as speaker of the house, an agenda that's much better than a platform at the convention.
So, the agenda that can pass at the house --
BARTIROMO: All right --
COX: Because he's speaker --
BARTIROMO: Sound logical saying --
SCARAMUCCI: Becomes the nominee and he has to go out and raise $500 million, do you think he'll be able to do that?
COX: I don't think so. I think he's going to --
BARTIROMO: A lot of people say he's got liquidity problem.
COX: That's why he's going to have to rely on that -- look, the party -- the RNC has a 100 million or more ready to give to him the minute he is the candidate.
So, the RNC and the party will be actually crucial to his winning the general election --
SCARAMUCCI: But he's got to raise another $300 to $500 million, and you don't think he can do it?
COX: Hasn't had to do it today, has he? He's done very well with --
SCARAMUCCI: Yes --
COX: Very little --
BARTIROMO: Without doubt --
COX: Because he can craft a message --
MCDOWELL: And can he --
COX: You got --
(CROSSTALK)
SCARAMUCCI: Ground game in the 11th state that he's going to need to swing to the Republican Party --
COX: He's got 50 organizations called Republican committees in 50 states.
MCDOWELL: But he actually has been hurt by the lack of money and the lack of investment in his candidacy which we saw --
COX: Yes --
MCDOWELL: In some of these states. That plays into it.
COX: That's right. Ted Cruz has had the funds, has used the funds. Donald Trump obviously has the funds, but has not used them to do a very good ground game and Ted Cruz is winning in the ground game.
But Donald Trump has turned the message around, so he is turning it to his own advantage, by saying it's crooked.
BARTIROMO: That's been the storyline, Cruz has had a much more organized campaign, and that's why you see him in California --
COX: Yes --
BARTIROMO: Spending a lot of time there, looking ahead to June 7th. But I want to switch to the other side of the aisle.
Because a group of Bernie Sanders supporters taking aim at Hillary Clinton this weekend, throwing $1,000 in cash at her motorcade as it headed to a fundraiser.
That fundraiser of course was hosted by George and Amal Clooney, the event coming under fire because the price tag was $353,000 per couple.
All these people throwing money at the -- at the -- at the car. And George Clooney addressed the protest this weekend. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: I think it's an obscene amount of honey. I think that, you know, we had some protesters last night when we -- when we pulled up in San Francisco -- and they're right to protest.
They're absolutely right. It is an obscene amount of money that Sanders campaign when they talk about it.
It is absolutely right. It's ridiculous that we should have this kind of money in politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BARTIROMO: What hypocrisy? I mean, he's hosting the event.
COX: Sure, I tell you, I love it because it has a double meaning. And she has played the public office only to make private gain time and time again.
So, you can see throwing dollar bills at her, can have another meaning, too. That goes long Trump --
(CROSSTALK)
SCARAMUCCI: Are you surprised she didn't get out of the car to get --
COX: That she has pocket the money --
BARTIROMO: That she what?
SCARAMUCCI: That's a -- that's how --
COX: That she's crooked, that's his -- that's what he is now, labeling her as crooked.
BARTIROMO: Right --
COX: And the fact is that, she and her husband have been out there making speeches, her husband sometimes making speech and paid by people who had manners before her as secretary of state --
MURPHY: Right, and for George Clooney to say it's an obscene amount of money when $25 million for a movie also sounds like a lot of money, but he doesn't reject it.
So, I think, you know, a lot of the liberal --
BARTIROMO: More hypocrisy --
MURPHY: Liberal Hollywood is -- you know, wants to talk down money when it helps them, but then they're willing to take the money when it also helps them.
COX: Then it plays -- and also plays in Trump's hands exactly.
MURPHY: Exactly --
BARTIROMO: Who -- pulled that money? I mean, does anybody know where that money went? --
SCARAMUCCI: No, that's the question, she didn't get out of the car, Maria, that was the --
BARTIROMO: Nobody got out of the car --
(CROSSTALK)
To pick up the money --
COX: Stop the car --
BARTIROMO: Where is the money?!
COX: Oh, look, fundraising, I need that --
MCDOWELL: I thought it was people protesting who seem to -- land, and they were still angry about that. That's a state mom before you put out.
BARTIROMO: Oh, my goodness. All right, Ed, let just -- give us one more look at the -- at the contest ahead of New York.
New York is obviously very important. This is your home turf. But what do you look --
COX: Oh, absolutely --
BARTIROMO: For beyond New York that's --
COX: No, this has been very exciting for the New York Republican Party. Tomorrow will be the first time we have ever had an exciting presidential primary in the history of New York Republican primaries --
BARTIROMO: Right --
COX: But going on beyond the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states where Donald Trump will do very well, Indiana will be key.
BARTIROMO: That's May --
COX: That's May and it's absolutely key. And I think you will find a lot of the negative ads, with respect to Trump, that played in Wisconsin will be playing in Indiana --
MCDOWELL: Can he add up? --
COX: Will be a huge push --
BARTIROMO: Yes --
COX: If he wins that, he's on his way to winning on the first ballot.
MCDOWELL: Indiana is winner take all, isn't it?
COX: It is --
(CROSSTALK)
No, it is winner take most.
MCDOWELL: OK --
COX: If you've got a plurality, you will then get three delegates in each congressional district.
BARTIROMO: Absolutely(ph), all right --
COX: Which is --
BARTIROMO: Fair --
COX: Which is what happened in Wisconsin, what happened in Illinois, and Trump did very well in Illinois because he had the pluralities.
The pluralities went to Cruz in Wisconsin, that's why he took Wisconsin --
BARTIROMO: Well, I tell you, the Cruz campaign is very much looking forward to the May contest.
They think he's got very good positioning in Indiana and some other places.
COX: Indiana, that's right, Montana and Nebraska --
BARTIROMO: Exactly --
COX: Yes --
BARTIROMO: Yes, Ed, good to see you, Mr. Chairman --
COX: Good to see you, Maria.
BARTIROMO: Ed Cox joining us. Make sure to tune in to our special coverage of the New York primary tomorrow, it all kicks off at 7:00 p.m., I will be joining Neil Cavuto at 8:00 p.m., hope you'll join us.
Sure, the results and analysis you cannot miss right here on the Fox Business Network. Coming up next, Apple recovering millions of dollars worth of gold after collecting old iPhones.
The surprising numbers, next. And then the homerun that helped New York City recover from the 9/11 attacks.
The jersey that Mike Piazza wore that night now coming back to New York after being sold for a record price at auction.
To our very own Anthony Scaramucci, we will have the jersey in studio coming up. Thank you, Ed.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BARTIROMO: Welcome back. Devastating earthquakes in Ecuador and Japan. Cheryl Casone with the stories right now -- Cheryl.
CHERYL CASONE, FOX BUSINESS: Well, that's right, Maria, good morning. The death toll in Ecuador continues to rise after the nation's strongest earthquake in decades.
Officials say at least 272 people are dead and more than 2,500 injured along Ecuador's coast. Rescuers continue to dig for survivors.
And suddenly, Japan was rocked by two powerful earthquakes, one Thursday and another on Saturday, at least 41 people were killed.
Toyota, Sony and Honda have temporarily closed -- temporarily, excuse me, closed their factories there.
Well, Johnny Depp and his wife Amber Heard have apologized to an Australian court. The couple appeared in a video that was played in a court today.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMBER HEARD, WIFE OF JOHNNY DEPP: I'm truly sorry that Pistol and Boo were not declared. Protecting Australia is important.
JOHNNY DEPP, ACTOR: Declared everything when going to Australia, thanks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASONE: OK, so Heard pleaded guilty to falsifying travel documents to sneak the couple's two pet dogs into Australia last year when he was filming the latest Pirates movie.
Well, prosecutors agreed to drop the charges when Heard pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of falsifying quarantine documents.
OK, oil prices under pressure after yesterday's meeting of major exporters in Qatar, a collapse, without an agreement to freeze production.
Russia's energy minister says the door is not closed on a potential freeze, but as he does all the other major, oil producers will agree to it.
And finally, this talk about cashing in on old iPhones. According to an annual environmental report, Apple says it recovered more than a ton of the precious metal from recycled iPhones last year.
Get this, that's worth about $40 million. Gold is used in consumer electronics, it resists corrosion, it's an excellent conductor of electricity.
Still, but not so great. Apple has been ramping up recycling in recent years, and they've got this program that allows their customers to recycle any Apple device at any Apple store.
It's great for us, turns out it's great for shareholders of Apple and their bottom line. Back to you.
BARTIROMO: Wow, save your old phones, Cheryl, thank you --
CASONE: You bet --
BARTIROMO: So much for that. OK, let's talk about oil for a second.
Anthony, Mike, I need to get your investment take on what's going on this morning. Nobody expected Libya and Iran to actually come to the table and say, oh, yes, we're going to freeze production, right?
MURPHY: Correct. So, you know, it wasn't them. The hope was that Saudi Arabia might say something, that's what the market was looking for.
But you know, again, look at -- you had news out of Kuwait that there's a strike there. So, that's going to take 1 million barrels per day off the market.
BARTIROMO: Yes, without any agreement, that just takes it off the market - -
MURPHY: And just the market handling itself. And then hear in the U.S., production is down.
So, although oil could correct 5 percent to 10 percent from here, I think we stay mid to high 30s and get back up into the low 40s soon --
BARTIROMO: Anthony --
SCARAMUCCI: I think it would --
BARTIROMO: Price is down 4.5 percent right now.
SCARAMUCCI: Yes, but I think it was very unlikely, Maria, that they were going to get a deal here.
Particularly with the American president traveling to Saudi Arabia this coming week.
My guess is after he leaves Saudi Arabia or during a press conference there, I think you're going to get more foreseeabilities of that, whether the Saudis are going to be on oil.
They've got a lot to discuss with the president vis-a-vis 9/11, and I think this will be tied into it.
MCDOWELL: They've already had an impact. Because what Saudi Arabia wanted to do was put our new oil producers here.
The shell producers out of business. They've certainly hurt production. I think the forecast for oil production next year is about 8 million barrels a day here in the U.S., down from 8.6 million.
So, that's a huge -- that's a huge draw-down in the production that we have here --
BARTIROMO: So, already had an impact --
MCDOWELL: Right --
BARTIROMO: In terms of --
MURPHY: That's right --
BARTIROMO: Putting shell companies out of -- which is what they wanted to do.
MCDOWELL: Right, exactly.
BARTIROMO: Yes --
SCARAMUCCI: Affected the junk bond market, which is widens this present junk bond market because 22-24 percent of that is energy related --
MCDOWELL: And jobs --
MURPHY: And it will go over to the banks also because they have exposure to some of the debt there --
SCARAMUCCI: So, why would Anthony Scaramucci acquire the jersey that Mike Piazza wore when he hit the historic homerun that helped New York City get back on its feet after the 9/11 attacks?
That jersey is coming back home. Anthony is here to thank and we're going to talk about it next after this break.
Then competition in the fast food space is fierce especially as consumers look to eat more healthy.
Despite the headwind, Popeyes says it's seen sales grow every year since 2009. We'll get the recipe for success from the company's CEO even as the minimum wage is going up.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BARTIROMO: Welcome back. The fight for a $15 an hour minimum wage back, front and center after last week's protesting.
We know how workers feel, but what about the companies themselves? Joining me right now is Cheryl Bachelder, she's the CEO of Popeyes Louisiana Chicken.
She's brought some goodies for us here on set. Cheryl, good to see you.
CHERYL BACHELDER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, POPEYES LOUISIANA CHICKEN: Good to see you, Maria --
BARTIROMO: Thank you so much for joining us. So, before we get into all this fried chicken and all this delicious food that's on set right now, let me ask you about the $15 minimum wage.
Because we've spoken to various franchisers and managers of businesses who say they're going to have to make a decision.
Cut jobs, lower the number of work hours, how do you see it? What do you do in the face of $15 minimum wage?
BACHELDER: Well, Maria, there's three people involved in that decision. The employee who we very much want to pay a fair wage.
But there's also the guest who wants a fair price, and there's the owner, local business owners who deserve a fair profit.
And so, that's the challenge. If the minimum wage were to move up as fast as to $15, the only two lovers in the business are to raise prices for our guests and to lower ours for our employees.
And neither of those are good. And so, our preference is to go at a modest rate of increase that we can handle in the business and all three parties are served well.
BARTIROMO: And you've been super successful. We're looking at Popeyes and the growth story.
The stock has had quite a run. So, how do you do that and make sure you're still growing even as your costs are going to go up, even if it's prolonged.
BACHELDER: Well, you know, our first priority is to satisfy our guests and grow our top-line sales.
And our top-line sales have moved from a million-dollar restaurant to a million and four in the last several years.
And as a result, our owners are building more than 200 restaurants a year, both in the U.S. and around the globe.
BARTIROMO: Excellent --
BACHELDER: So, the key is to grow your top-line sales.
MURPHY: So, Cheryl, you've seen from companies, competitors like McDonald's in the face of $15 minimum wage, rolling out kiosks, you know, automated ordering --
BACHELDER: Right --
MURPHY: Systems. I don't know how that could work really, but if you look at that, that was something you've explored?
BACHELDER: Yes, technology is absolutely going to be our ally around productivity and making sure that we can run our restaurants as efficiently as possible.
And I think you'll see a lot of guests facing technology, and I think you'll also see a lot of technology in the back of our restaurants to run more efficiently.
MCDOWELL: This fight for 15, this movement, these protests that you see, it's funded by the unions. Why are the unions funding a higher minimum wage?
Are they trying to unionize you guys and then this is kind of a back doorway in, and say, hey, we can give you better wages and an exemption from the minimum wage if you unionize.
Is that what is going on?
BACHELDER: Well, you know, most of the manufacturing businesses have moved jobs offshore.
And so, what is left to attack are service industries. And I think that's why you see the unions focused on service industries today.
But what we want to focus on is job creation. When we build 200 restaurants, we had 30 employees per restaurant to grow our U.S. economy.
And we believe that's the best path to prosperity.
SCARAMUCCI: You think you guys are going to have breakfast?
BACHELDER: You know, breakfast is a great opportunity, but right now, we're focused on growing our lunch, dinner and snack business and that's been -- we didn't give ourselves growth over the last year --
BARTIROMO: Where is the innovation? Because like, you look at McDonald's, they want to do breakfast all day.
What are you doing differently? Is there anything on set that you want to point out to in terms of your growth stories?
BACHELDER: Well, you know, right now, we're featuring our $5 big box, which is our famous bonafide fried chicken.
But we also offer a lot of innovation in our boneless products like Red Stick Chicken, which was Tabasco-flavored chicken --
SCARAMUCCI: Just add this --
BACHELDER: Yes --
SCARAMUCCI: This guy has had one French fry in his entire life and it was just on this set right now.
(LAUGHTER)
Zero body fat, OK --
BACHELDER: One good French fry --
(CROSSTALK)
BARTIROMO: That's all you need sometimes --
(CROSSTALK)
Cheryl -- just give me one good French fry --
(CROSSTALK)
MCDOWELL: I do want to point out where I come from --
BARTIROMO: It's his second French fry --
MCDOWELL: A snack is a chicken leg.
BACHELDER: There you go --
(LAUGHTER)
MCDOWELL: That's what -- that's what -- called snack, is a chicken leg and a Coca-Cola.
BARTIROMO: But it's all about customer service. Is that where you're zeroing in?
BACHELDER: Yes, our goal forward focus is to be as famous for our service as we are for our food.
And so, all of our investments around the training to give you the very best experience possible.
SCARAMUCCI: Well, this is the best-smelling set that we've had that I can remember, so, thank you very much.
BARTIROMO: Got some mashed --
BACHELDER: My pleasure --
BARTIROMO: Potatoes there, some --
MURPHY: Red beans and rice --
BARTIROMO: Rice --
MURPHY: The fries are good, I can attest to that --
BARTIROMO: Yes, they really are --
MURPHY: Aging fries, and --
BACHELDER: Can't beat them --
BARTIROMO: And beans as well.
BACHELDER: A little biscuit with --
BARTIROMO: A biscuit --
(LAUGHTER)
All right, thanks a lot, Cheryl.
BACHELDER: My pleasure --
BARTIROMO: Cheryl Bachelder joining us there. Still to come, an emotional homecoming for the ages.
How our own Anthony Scaramucci is bringing back a piece of New York Mets history. We have the details along with the legendary jersey that Mike Piazza wore the day he hit the iconic homerun.
First though, "Saturday Night Live" poking some fun at Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders about his plan to break up the big banks.