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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Pope Francis in New York; Obama Meets with China's President; North Korea Presents Detained Student to Media; Can Giants Avoid 0-3 Start? Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired September 25, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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


CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Pope Francis has been a critic of capitalism and greed. But this week, he is giving two brands a marketing boost. American Airlines and Fiat Chrysler are getting a lot of free duplicity by providing the pope's transportation.

[05:00:04] He has been getting around in a Fiat 500L and a modified Jeep Wrangler for parades. He is using a plane that American Airlines has dubbed Shepherd One. The company's logos have received a lot of exposure from all the news coverage, equivalent ad space would be worth millions of dollars.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Especially the Fiat.

ROMANS: The word Fiat has been said more in the American media than ever.

BERMAN: Than ever before.

EARLY START continues right now.

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BERMAN: Pope Francis waking up any minute now here in New York City, set to speak before the United Nations in a few hours. The beginning of a jam packed day in the Big Apple.

ROMANS: He's awake. He's watching EARLY START.

BERMAN: No doubt.

ROMANS: China's president wakes up in Washington. A key meeting at the White House this morning with President Obama. A big announcement on climate change, but growing controversies that will keep tensions high.

All right. Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. Nice to see you. It is Friday, September 25th, 5:00 a.m. in the East.

Pope Francis waking up this morning in the city that never sleeps, New York, New York. A few hours from now, he will address the General Assembly at the United Nations. This comes a day after historic address before a joint meeting of Congress. It was there he brought up the issues of climate change, immigration and the death penalty.

Vatican officials say today's speech at the United Nations will cover many of the same topics, in addition to poverty and social injustice.

Now, when the pope arrived last night in New York City, it gripped -- it gripped New York. You know, New York is not impressed by much. But they were impressed by this.

ROMANS: And you were right there outside St. Patrick's Cathedral.

BERMAN: It was really stunning. This is Fifth Avenue, the pope coming down the Five Avenue in the Popemobile right here, only travel six blocks or so in the Popemobile. The crowds were ecstatic. I saw the pope drive up in front of me. They threw open the doors of St. Patrick's, the beautiful restored 9,000-pound doors, the choir music came out, and it was really moving.

CNN's Alexandra Field as well and has more on the pope's day ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, John, thousands of people from all around the world lined Fifth Avenue, trying to catch a glimpse of the pope as he made his way to St. Patrick's Cathedral, for a prayer service and then left riding along Fifth Avenue. So many who turned out to see him will follow him through the city.

The day starts with the address in English before the United Nations, then it's on to Ground Zero. After that, the pope stops at a school in Harlem. From there, there's a procession through Central Park. Before he makes his way to Madison Square Garden for a mass before thousands of people who have been waiting for this moment. Many of them waiting to see the pope in person, many of them particularly wanting to hear Pope Francis as he makes his address and for Madison Square Garden.

The next leg of this trip will be a visit to Philadelphia -- Christine, John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Alexandra, thanks for that.

The big event during the pope's first night in New York was an evening prayer service at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Beautifully restored after $177 million renovation.

Francis led prayers in English, though he delivered his homily in Spanish. He begun the event with the prayer for the more than 700 victims of the Hajj stampede in Mecca, victims he called his Muslim brothers and sister.

More than 2,000 people, mostly clergy, saw the service inside St. Patrick's. Listen to that choir, beautiful, right? Thousands more stood outside the cathedral, hoping just to get a glimpse of the Holy Father.

Jason Carroll was among them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine and John, this is what the faithful and dedicated looked like. These are some of the people who have been out here ever since very early on Thursday morning, waiting hours just to get a glimpse of the pope.

These are the folks who didn't have tickets, but they wanted to come out here to Fifth Avenue just to get a quick look.

One of those people, Heather Christopher. Her brother is actually a Jesuit priest. He was inside for the service.

You were here outside. You were saying you wanted to come out here, feel the energy. What was it like for you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was absolutely amazing. My heart was pounding. I didn't expect that I'm going to actually see him in the motorcade, but I got to be in the right place at the right time and see him wave. I got a great shot of it. It was -- I'm still shaking.

COSTELLO: This is a pope that seemed to speak to so many people. Why do you think that is?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, it's not every day you see a man in this position and power that is just so humble and I really feel like that's what we need to take away. We need to stop judging each other and start embrace each other.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He brings something to this world that I think the world needs right now. There's so much controversy. Let's say gay marriage, what did this man say? He said, who am I to judge?

Let's say global warming is so controversial in this country. But he says we need to take care of our common home. We have to take care.

And this man, I heard him in Congress today on TV, he has this ability, unique ability to unite.

[05:05:01] I feel like -- I'm Catholic, but I feel he is transcending the religion. He is uniting people across ideological divides.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have been waiting a long time. Ever since the day it was announced that he was coming to New York, I've had it marked on my calendar.

I saw the pope in 2008 with my son, and I'm just happy and grateful to be here.

CARROLL: OK, very good.

You know, I know that the pope came out and at one point, Christine and John, he was able to reach out and physically touch some folks who came out here to line up on Fifth Avenue. Again, there were thousands of people who came out here. Obviously, he wasn't able to touch them all. But he is touching them in other ways -- Christine, John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Jason, thanks so much for that.

Breaking overnight: word that China will unavailable a cap and trade program to limit carbon emissions. The official announcement will come today at the White House during a state visit by the Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Administration officials say this is a big step forward in the global battle against climate change. For the first time, Chinese companies will bear a cost for emitting carbons into the environment.

The Chinese and U.S. presidents are also expected to discuss a host of controversial topics, including Chinese military operations and advances in the South China Sea, and cyber hacking. A whole lot of hacking going on.

Let's get the latest from the senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, it may not be on the same level the pomp and circumstance surrounding the visit of Pope Francis, but the White House is planning a warm welcome for Chinese President Xi. The White House will hold an official arrival ceremony for Xi later on the morning, complete with the 21-gun salute.

Later on in the evening, there will be a state dinner in Xi's honor. We hear lobster will be served.

But last night, President Obama and President Xi held a private dinner at the Blair House across the street from the White House.

But putting aside the social schedule, officials here at the White House have made clear they are very alarmed over what the Chinese are doing in cyber space. While the Obama administration has not publicly blamed Beijing for the hacking of data belonging to millions of federal employees, Chinese entities are privately considered prime suspects.

Now, the White House says it's holding off on any new sanctions until after Xi's visit is finished. But both President Obama and President Xi are expected to continue working on some sort of cyber agreement between the two countries, as well as discuss U.S. concerns about China's military build up in the South China Sea.

Now, President Obama has his hands full this week. In addition to the historic visit of Pope Francis, the president is gearing up for a historic visit on Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, something they haven't had in a couple of years on the crises in both Syria and Ukraine -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Thanks for that, Jim Acosta.

More major diplomatic news this morning. We learned that President Obama and Russian leader Vladimir Putin will meet face-to- face at the United Nations. The two leaders have not seen each other in nearly a year and have not met formally in two years. The White House is stressing that it was Putin who sought the meeting, claiming he was, quote, "desperate", that's the word they used. Desperate for a sit down with the president.

The two sides disagree on the agenda. They disagree of what they'll talk about. The White House says the focus will be on the Russia's incursion into Eastern Ukraine. The Russians say, no, we're going to talk about the crisis in Syria.

BERMAN: For whatever reason, it was important for the White House to point out it was Putin who asked for the meeting. Not them. They went out of their way.

U.S. military officials are claiming Russian jets are now flying in Syrian air space and turning off their transponders to avoid detection. They say U.S. satellites are picking their activity and also detecting Russian surveillance drones. The White House says no ISIS targets in the area. So they have serious questions about what the Russians are doing and what this build up is all about.

Republican leaders moving ahead with a series of bills to avoid a government shutdown next week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has scheduled a procedural vote Monday, two days before the end of the fiscal year. The measure calls for all federal funding to be extended through December 11th, including money for Planned Parenthood. House Speaker John Boehner is not indicating if he is willing to hold a vote on the spending bill that does not defund Planned Parenthood.

ROMANS: Nine minutes past the hour. Time for an early start on your money this Friday morning.

European and Asian shares are mostly higher this morning. U.S. stock futures are looking up. It could be a good end to what is a tough week for stocks.

What's the undercurrent here? Well, the Federal Reserve warning about slowing global growth. Yesterday, the Fed chief Janet Yellen said the Fed made the right call of not raising rates. She defended her decision to stand pat. She said an interest rate hike is coming later this year. She had a brief health scare. She is said to be fine.

Apple enthusiasts. For you it is official, iPhone 6S. People lining up to get one. The 6S and the 6S Plus, they feature a different touch screen that can sense how long and hard someone is pressing. UPS and FedEx says customers may experience delays because of the pope's visit.

[05:10:00] BERMAN: I think this is one of the most controversy stories of the morning. Is it the 6 plus S or the 6S plus?

ROMANS: It just is hard to say no matter what.

BERMAN: It's either the 6S plus or the 6 plus --

ROMANS: Say it 10 times fast.

BERMAN: I'm going to 6 plus S.

All right. Breaking news this morning: an NYU student detained in North Korea is speaking to the media this morning. What the new message for his family. We are live inside North Korea. That's next.

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BERMAN: All right. Breaking news this morning. A New York University student who was detained after entering North Korea was presented to the media this morning in a news conference in Pyongyang. Twenty-one-year-old Won-Moon Joo who is a South Korean citizen, he said he wants his family to mean he is healthy. What this means is unclear.

Our Will Ripley, you just saw pictures right there, has interviewed Joo a few months ago.

And Will is back in Pyongyang right now to give us the very latest.

Good morning, Will.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, John.

Yes, the timing of this is interesting. We have been reporting in North Korea for the last week. Days ago, I asked government officials if they had any information about the status of Won-Moon Joo's case.

Now, he is the student from NYU who is from South Korea, but was a legal or is a legal permanent resident of the United States. His family still lives in the United States. And he about six months ago crossed illegally into this country. He admitted to doing so. We spoke to him just a couple of weeks after that.

And ever since, it's been radio silence. We have not heard anything about him until this press conference here in Pyongyang. I want to read a quote what have he said in front of the state media here and other agencies here. Quote, "I have not had the opportunity of contacting my family. But I do hope to be back home soon. I'd like to tell my family I am well and very healthy and hope to be home soon."

He also said that the North Korean government has taken him to two locations where he spoke with North Korean college students in English.

[05:15:01] He said those students told him they don't consider him an enemy.

Just a couple of weeks from now, North Korea has a holiday coming up. And the timing of this press conference is interesting, because often around the national holidays, the country has granted amnesty to prisoners. We don't know if that will happen in Won-Moon Joo's case or not. We will track down more information here in Pyongyang -- John.

BERMAN: It seems deliberate action for some purpose. Will Ripley for us inside Pyongyang -- thank you so much, Will.

ROMANS: A big moment for Republican candidates today at the Value Voter Summit in Washington. Donald Trump, seven other GOP contenders among the speakers. This as Donald Trump continued to lead in d the latest CNN New Hampshire poll. Trump on top with 26 percent.

There is news in the second tier. Carly Fiorina is now in second place with 16 percent. She is followed by Marco Rubio and then Ben Carson who has been second in other recent polls, but fourth here.

The CNN/WMUR poll reflects Fiorina's post debate surge in the GOP race. She campaigns in Iowa today. After getting up close and personal with voters in South Carolina yesterday.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Christine.

Well, Carly Fiorina has wrapped up her three-day tour in South Carolina where on Thursday, she visited a pregnancy center which advocates for finding alternatives to abortion. She watched an ultrasound being performed and really pushed her anti-abortion message that she has been highlighting since the last debate.

Now, meanwhile, as Donald Trump's feud and boycott with FOX News continues to swirl, Carly Fiorina trying to capitalize on that moment. Here's how she went out of her way to address the public spat here in South Carolina.

CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Mr. Trump decided he would not appear on FOX News because a commentator said I had managed, and I believe I'm quoting here, to snip off his -- with precision during the debate.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, you know, if I quit talking to all the people who attack me, I would have crawled under a rock long ago. That's part of it, you know? It's part of what it takes to be in the arena. You have to be able to take criticism.

SERFATY: Trump meanwhile has been really zoning in on Senator Marco Rubio, calling him a kid, characterizing him as someone who sits behind a desk, but doesn't get work done in Congress.

But Marco Rubio is now really hitting back, saying in a radio interview that he believes Trump is being exposed more and that's in his words a reason why he is becoming a lot more touchy these days.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (via telephone): Well, first of all, he picks on anybody that gets close to him in terms of a poll. Anytime he hits a rough spot, that's what he does. He had a really bad performance last week. He's not well-informed on the issues. He really never talks about issues and can't have more than a ten-second sound bite on a key issue. And so, I think he's kind of exposed a little bit over the last seven days, and he is a touchy and insecure guy, and so that's how he react. Some people can see through it.

SERFATY: And this does follow a pattern that we are seeing from many of the Republican candidates, really much more aggressively now going after Donald Trump -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Sunlen, thank you for that. On the Democratic side, they are feeling the Bern in New Hampshire. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders leading Hillary Clinton by 16 points in that CNN/WMUR poll. Joe Biden, who has not entered the race, has 14 percent.

According to the poll, Biden supporters in New Hampshire favor Clinton over Sanders 2-1 if the vice president decides not to run.

BERMAN: A team of NTSB is due to arrive in Seattle today following a deadly crash involving an amphibious duck boat tour vehicle and a charter bus on a bridge Thursday, just a terrible scene.

Four international students who attended north Seattle college were killed on the bus, 14 people suffered injuries, at least 51 were taken to the hospital.

The mayor says it a dark day for Seattle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ED MURRAY, SEATTLE: We've had a terrible tragedy. There's been a terrible loss of life and injuries. Our thoughts, the thoughts and prayers of the city, go out to everyone. To the families and to those impacted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Police officials say it is still not clear what caused the awful accident. The witnesses say the duck boat appeared to swerve and slam into the bus.

ROMANS: Two new setbacks to Bill Cosby this morning. Fordham University in New York City and Marquette in Milwaukee have both rescinded honorary doctorates given to Cosby in response to a slew of sexual assault allegations against him. Marquette awarded Cosby the honorary degree in 2013. Fordham granted him a doctor of fine arts in 2001. Fordham's president calls Cosby's actions, quote, "beyond the pale". More than 41 women claim they were victims of sexual misconduct.

BERMAN: Thursday night football. Giants, Redskins, both teams could lose.

[05:20:01] Someone had to win. A good night for two embarrassing teams. So, who did come out less on bottom? Coy Wire has the bleacher report next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: The New York Yankees honor the legendary Yogi Berra last night. The first home game since he passed away at the age of 90.

ROMANS: Coy Wire has the bleacher report.

It must have been really emotional.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Christine.

It was an emotional at Yankee Stadium last night. Yogi Berra beloved by Yankee nation and by baseball fans around the world. Before the game against the White Sox, the Yankees played a two minute tribute on the JumboTron. They placed an 8 wreath behind the plate. A special moment.

Once the game got going, Beltran with a three-run homer to the left. Check out the young man in the first row. That is why you bring your glove, kids. The Yankees win 3-2. They're 3 games back in Blue Jays in the AL East.

Elsewhere in the New York metro area, Giants try not to go 0-3 to start the year, playing Washington. Eli Manning finds Odell Beckham Jr. Oh my goodness.

Giants extend the lead in the fourth quarter, a nice catch there and a nice TV dance, too. Not sure what it is, but I dig it.

Later in the fourth, Manning finds his other deep threat.

[05:25:01] Rueben Randall makes this juggling catch. Look at the focus. Zooming in there. Look at that. Hangs on to the ball. Giants win, 32-21. They remain less on bottom as Berman would say.

The coach in Texas has resigned and recanting his statement. The assistant coach Mack Breed said he ordered the hit out of anger. The official denies he used any racial language to the players. Breed is barred from coaching at Texas public schools until he appears before the state executive committee.

Finally, the Kansas City Royals are partying like it's 1985. They beat the Mariners last night clinching the division for the first time in 30 years. Last year, the Royals were a wild card and made an unexpected run to the World Series. This year, they should be a favorite to win it all.

John, Christine, remember to wear your goggles tonight when you're savoring. Happy Friday, everybody.

ROMANS: Happy Friday. Party like it's 1985 when John Berman had a mullet and --

BERMAN: No, the good teams like Willie Wilson, Bret Saberhagen, that was a great Royals team, love that team.

All right. Coy Wire, thank you so much.

WIRE: You're welcome.

ROMANS: Have a weekend, Coy.

Twenty-six minutes past the hour. Pope Francis all over New York City today from ground zero to central park in a highly anticipated speech before the United Nations. Take the subway if you live here folks. We are breaking down the day, next.

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