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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Iconic Singer David Bowie Dies; New Questions Over El Chapo Interview; Sanders Surging in Iowa; Golden Globe Winners; Exclusive Interview with American Man Held in North Korea. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired January 11, 2016 - 04:00   ET

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

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[04:00:15] CRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news this morning. Iconic singer David Bowie dies at age 69 after a battle with cancer. What we're learning this morning ahead.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, the extradition process that bring Mexican drug lord El Chapo to the United States has begun as new questions mount though for a secret jungle interview with Sean Penn.

ROMANS: CNN exclusive, inside North Korea, our reporters speaking to the man who says he is being held prisoner by the government there accuse of espionage, we are live.

Good morning. Good Monday morning too. Welcome to our EARLY START, I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: And I'm John Berman. It is Monday, January 11. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East.

The breaking news was so, so sad. One of the world's great musical innovators and performers has died. David Bowie, a true legend, has died of cancer. His publicist released a statement just hours ago saying Bowie had been battling an unspecified form the disease for some time.

Let's get the latest developments. CNN's Phil Black is in London this morning.

Phil, it was more, like three days ago that David Bowie had a 69th birthday and released a brand new album.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, John, that (ph) too many people who'd have seen this coming melts sadly among his many huge numbers of loyal fans built of a decades around the world. This is the man who exploded on to the music scene in the early '70s as a glam rock star, but who evolved and became so much more over that five decade or also career destroying boundaries, defying genres, exploring many mediums other than music at film, theater, at the visual arts, fashion as well.

All of this, over all of this extraordinary time and career made him what many believed to be one of the most influential figures in modern music. Really just among the top few. And you're right, it was only just last week that he turned 69, released his 27th studio album. One, it was receiving pretty good reviews at to. His fans, incredibly loyal, following him very closely. They've wanted to see him live, but hadn't been able to do so for really a long time now because he's been keeping a very low profile. But they would have known what we've all discovered today, and that is over the last 18 months he has been battling cancer. The statements from his family, this representation, today say that he's died peacefully. His family asking for privacy but they do acknowledge that may other people around the world are feeling their lost today, John.

BERMAN: Any details up on the cancer itself, Phil? You know, you look at his pictures of David Bowie, one of things about him is he is ageless. I mean, he changed the period. He changed his persona for so long, but it seemed to be age defying in his art, age defying as well. I mean he was an inspirational figure when he was a young man and still well into his 60s with current rockers, people like Arcade Fire. You know, this groups out there performing drew inspiration from him.

BLACK: Yeah, that's right. I mean he was often called a chameleon because he was so changeable over the course of that career. He had this alter egos, the most famous of which certainly Ziggy Stardust, that gender bending and grogginess figure from the early '70s. But he killed that figure off and explored others. That was the nature of his artistic evolution, if you like, he was constantly changing, constantly growing, constantly seeking to break boundaries in this way.

As they say, he's kept a low profile for a long time now. Still working, but not touring. The nature of the cancer itself, no, we don't know the details. There, just the fact that he was unwell, like people come as surprise. Pretty much most people but he was unwell and he has lost that battle, we have learned today.

BERMAN: All right, Phil Black for us.

Let me just read one statement coming in from British Prime Minister David Cameron. The Prime Minister said, "I grew up listening to and watching the pop genius David Bowie. He was a master of reinvention who kept getting it right. A huge, huge loss."

So true, I mean, a loss for the nation, you know, at Great Britain, a loss for the world and also a loss for so many fans. And David Cameron, they're speaking I think not just that the leader of Great Britain, but also frankly as a rock'n'roll fan. Very sad.

ROMANS: All right, breaking overnight extradition papers has been served with the Mexican prison where captured fugitive Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is being held. The U.S. is seeking El Chapo so he can be trialed on at least seven drug related indictments. The extradition could take months.

Meantime, there are new questions this morning surrounding El Chapo's interview with Sean Penn for "Rolling Stone." Something what has chief of staff called the so-called interview. That meeting was set up through Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo. She is an El Chapo supporter. Authorities say she kept in touch with Guzman during his months on the run using disposable cell phones and encrypted messaging.

CNN's Nick Valencia has new details for us.

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[04:05:01] NICK VALENCIA, CNN REPORTER: John and Christine, we're getting contradictory information from the Mexican government as to whether or not they knew about this meeting between Sean Penn and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman

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VALENCIA: For the first time, we hear from the Drug Kingpin himself. Despite being on the run, the drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman agrees to an interview with actor and activist Sean Penn, a cinematic plot twist to an already so real story.

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VALENCIA: In a report from "Rolling Stone", Penn writes the pair met face to face in October 2015, three months after El Chapo's bracing prison escape. According to Penn, the meeting happens somewhere in the middle of a Mexican Jungle and included Tequila and Tacos, his irrational fear of being washed by arm drones and being surprised by El Chapo's, quote, "chivalry". These clips are part of replies to follow up questions from Penn send to a Guzman representative, who asked the questions off camera.

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VALENCIA: The meeting, Penn says, was brokered by Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo. It was 2012 when Del Castillo reportedly develop a friendship with El Chapo after posting a series of tweets critical of the Mexican government, while celebrating the notorious drug trafficker. Del Castillo has not commented since publication of the "Rolling Stone" article Saturday night. CNN has reached out to her with the -- the world's most notorious drug trafficker now behind bars the next step in this entire process is extradition. Source tells us that extradition could happen as soon as this summer. John, Christine?

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BERMAN: All right, Nick, thanks so much.

Big earth-shaking new pulling this morning shows that Bernie Sanders is surging in Iowa. He is now neck and neck with Hillary Clinton there. The NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist Poll shows Clinton just 3 point ahead of Bernie Sanders in Iowa. In New Hampshire, the same poll by and Bernie Sanders with the 4 point lead over Clinton. So close in both states.

With the latest, lets bring in CNN's Chris Frates in Washington, Chris.

CHRIS FRATES, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, John and Christine. Those numbers from both Sanders and Clinton inside the margin of error and some context is important here. Sanders is like Clinton in most New Hampshire polls recently, but Clinton's slide in Iowa is new. She's held a strong lead for the last month or so and that's very concerning news for the Clinton camp. They spend a lot of time, money, and energy in Iowa to bring out her supporters and avoid our repeat of 2008, when she faced a humiliating third place lost to Barrack Obama. But Sanders has also been assembling a robust ground game ahead of February 1st's'caucus, so this raise seems to be fighting at just the right time for it.

Both candidates were asked Sunday about the new polls. Here is what they said.

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SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, (I-VT) DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And you consider how far we have come over the last 8 months, it really is incredible. We started it national polls and about 3 percent I think most of the reason polls have its head in the Hampshire. An equal gaining steam here in Iowa that we have an excellent chance to win here.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, these polls go up, they go down, I stay pretty focused as I think we all should on what we have to do to build on the progress of the Obama administration but go even further. And that's why I've outlined a very significant agenda to raise wages and to take on the gun lobby, and to be, you know, making America safe in every way that I can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRATES: So Clinton trying to downplay the sliding poll numbers and it's no surprise that she went right to the gun issue. She's been hammering Sanders support for the gun industry hoping it helps her with democratic voters. She is criticized in her voting to give immunity to gun manufacturers and dealers whose gun are used in the crime, that's legislation Sanders said he'd now revise.

Clinton also won the support of an influential gun control advocate with Gabby Giffords endorsing Clinton. Giffords of course was a Congresswoman who was shot in the head at an event in her District 5 years ago. So that's an influential voice added to Clinton's camp, but with polls tightening in Iowa, both Sanders and Clinton will be in the State today so we'll see how the gun issue plays out there. John, Christine?

ROMANS: All right, Chris, thanks for that.

This morning Donald Trump hold the town hall in New Hampshire that head to New York to appear on "The Tonight Show". Jimmy Fallon is sure to ask about his running battle now with Ted Cruz. Trump has been questioning whether Cruz eligible be president, because Cruz was born in Canada. In Nevada on Sunday, Trump escalated that fight. CNN's Maeve Reston

was there and has the latest.

MAEVE RESTON, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: So John and Christine, we are really seeing this battle intensify between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, as Ted Cruz a surge and uphold in Iowa.

[04:10:03] Both men out on the campaign trail these weekends both in Iowa and then Donald Trump coming to Nevada which is going to be one of the key early Primary State.

Donald Trump did a very wide-ranging speech here in Reno, offering a stiff foreign policy critique of Obama and Clinton but also repeatedly returning to Ted Cruz. He just coming back to the citizenship issue over and over again, talking about whether there is uncertainty about the fact that Ted Cruz was born in Canada even though he was born to an American mother. A lot of constitutional scholars say this is not an issue. Ted Cruz said that it is not an issue for voters. But Donald Trump is really trying to raise questions about Cruz's electability here. We have some found from that, let's take to listen.

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DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So Ted has to solve his problem. He's got a big problem. And the problem isn't me and the problem isn't anybody. It's the fact that if he were lucky enough to win, which I don't think he's going to. But if he were lucky enough to win and he's your candidate, he's going to be sued by the Democrats said they've already said they are going to be suing him on the definition and its right here on the definition, is he natural born?

And a lot of people think that means you have to be born on the land, not born in Canada. And he was born in Canada.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RESTON: Now of course, we know why Donald Trump is doing this. A lot of the voters here in the crowd in Reno are deciding between Cruz and Trump. So it will be fascinating to see whether he can really create questions about Cruz at this pivotal time in the campaign and how this will all play out.

John and Christine.

BERMAN: All right, Maeve, thanks so much.

This morning President Obama preparing for his final State of the Union address as of Tuesday night. According to the White House, he plans to offer an upbeat look at America's potential. He's going to do that to contrast with what they are calling the "doom and gloom of the Republican candidates, to see if he focus on three broad things the economy, national security, and civic participation.

ROMANS: All right, time for an EARLY START on Your Money this morning. China in trouble again, oh boy. Stocks in Shanghai dropping more that 5 percent overnight. European market still trading high on US stock features up slightly as well so we'll see if the rest of the world can shake off the flu in China. It's the worst five days start to the years ever for the Dell looking at the broader market investors can so have a hope for a turn around this year. Here's why.

Since 1950, when stocks fall during the first five trading days, there's only a 45 percent chance with the market will end the year with a lost. That's according with the stock trader's almanac.

A much more accurate measure of the -- is the entire month of January and not the just the first five at five days. It predicts the full year outcome 87 percent of the time. Hence that that a lost three thing as goes January, so goes the year. That's why so many people are nervous about those first five days here but we have time to time...

BERMAN: So we have to wait until the end of the month, right, and then panic.

ROMANS: Yes, don't panic now.

BERMAN: A star-studded night at the Golden Globes with Leonardo DiCaprio's "The Revenant" taking home top honors. The film was named the Best Drama by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association with DiCaprio winning the Best Actor. It's also a big night for market.

One of the few films I'm actually seeing. "The Martian" was named Best Musical or Comedy, despite the fact it was neither a musical nor a comedy. And so our Matt Damon took home Best Actor in the category for his work in Ridley Scott film. You'd see Matt Damon right there. Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress in a musical or comedy for her role in "Joy." I believe that is a comedy.

Sylvester Stallone captured Best Supporting Actor for "Creed". He thanked Rocky Balboa, his friend during his acceptance speech. You can hear it. Here is his actual word from Sylvester Stallone.

And that is Kate Winslet, she was named Best Supporting Actress for "Steve Jobs" by the fact that very few people actually saw or enjoy the film that theaters, it won four awards, including one for best screenplay.

If you're wondering, "The Force Awakens" was not eligible for the Golden Globes. Apparently it came out after the nominations so the only film in America that people have actually seen was not eligible last night.

ROMANS: You haven't seen "The Martian", you have seen the "The Martian"?

BERMAN: I saw it on (INAUDIBLE).

ROMANS: Was it good? I do one...

BERMAN: Yeah, yeah, but it wasn't a musical. I mean it had -- there would had some jokes. I would hardly qualify it as a comedy. ROMANS: All right it was on my list.

BERMAN: All right (Inaudible).

ROMANS: So is "The Revenant".

Fourteen minutes past the hour, CNN exclusive inside North Korea speaking with a man who says he's an American being held prisoner for espionage.

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[04:17:27] ROMANS: Breaking news this morning claims that North Korea is holding an American prisoner. Just a few hours ago, Pyongyang allowed CNN to interview a man who said he used to live in Fairfax Virginia and is a naturalized U.S. citizen. The State Department however could not confirm the man is in fact a U.S. citizen. Our exclusive interview comes as tensions escalate sharply on the Korean peninsula following North Korea's claim that it tested a hydrogen bomb.

Sorting it now, with the very latest, CNN's Will Ripley in Pyongyang. Will, what did the man -- what did the man tell you?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this -- we really learned about this Christine after we arrived in the country. This case has not been on anyone's radar including most U.S. officials that we checked with after we learned about him.

Kim Dong Chul is his name and, as you mentioned, a naturalized American citizen who moved to the U.S. in the early 80s became a citizen in 1987 and for the past decade or so has been living and working in China.

He is the president of a company that straddles the border with North Korea in a special economic zone. So he is able to cross into North Korea to this company which employs North Korean workers, and the North Korean government says while he was crossing back and fourth from China and North Korea, he was bringing sensitive classified information about nuclear secrets and also the military. He said he did that by bribing an ex-North Korean soldier and he says he was giving that information to conservative elements in South Korea.

So a U.S. citizen claiming that he spied on behalf of forces in South Korea. Now he explained to me exactly how it all worked.

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RIPLEY: How did it work? How did you pass on the information that you've collected?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I bribed the local resident and have them gather important materials considered national secrets in this country such as military secrets, nuclear related materials. I got these materials hidden in my car and secretly brought into China where I handed them over or I would go to South Korea and deliver them directly. (END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: The South Korean government is calling his claims completely groundless. We're also hearing from the U.S. State Department; they won't actually confirm that he's a U.S. citizen. They won't comment at all, saying, "Speaking publicly about specific reported cases of detained American can complicate our tireless efforts to secure their freedom".

But the North Korean government, Christine, provided us with his passport, his American passport. We were able to photograph it and I can tell you it looks exactly like my American passport. It had Chinese stamps and a Chinese residency visa so that document alone seems to verify this man's story.

You may have also noticed that in interview he was speaking Korean. The North Korean government insisted on that even though he understands English, because we suspect they were monitoring the conversation and listening in from another room in the hotel where we conducted the interview.

[04:20:16] ROMANS: Yes, well ,that's a really good point. Monitoring, listening, I mean, the point is here, why do we think or do you think the North Koreans are trotting this man out? It's almost very stage managed, everything is -- everything that happens there when you are in Pyongyang happens for a reason. And it's carefully choreographed by the North Koreans. Why do we think that they are, you know, raising this issue, raising this -- bringing this man to the floor (ph)?

RIPLEY: Absolutely right, Christine. You have to look at the context here. North Korea's nuclear test, they say, it was an H-bomb test that claimed disputed by many international experts was less than a week ago.

And now they announced to us that they are holding an American citizen who they accused of stealing nuclear secrets. Clearly the end game here for the North Korean government is they want leverage and they want to have a conversation with high level leadership in the United States.

I just had a meeting a short time ago with North Korean officials who reiterated that that is their goal and so there's always a motivation. And frankly, when you are -- the North Korean Regime and you have very little leverage, what do you have? You occasionally have detainees from countries like the United States and you also had your nuclear program. And you just saw -- you saw what happened when Kim Jong-un ordered that nuclear test last week.

Now whether or not that will actually work, of course the U.S. has a policy of basically, diplomatically keeping a distance.

However, given these provocative acts, you know, you saw over the weekend United States flew a B-52 bomber very close to the demilitarized zone that the U.S. is trying to show its force in the Peninsula as well. It's a very tense situation, we really don't know how it all it's going to shake out.

But in the middle of all of it, we have this man who is professing to be a U.S. citizen now detained with no trial date, no idea when or if he will go home and be able to see his family.

ROMANS: All right, Will Ripley for us in Pyongyang, remarkable, remarkable access, thank you.

So interesting that that when -- it's rare to be able to be invited into North Korea by the North Koreans and then it's always -- all the questioning and the second guessing on why they show you or tell you what they're telling in.

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BERMAN: ... calling hydrogen bomb test for the claim of that, you know, doubly suspicious.

All right, tensions rising this morning in Germany. Hundreds of women claim they were sexually assaulted by men believed to be refugees. This controversy getting wide hot, were live, next.

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[04:25:57] BERMAN: All right, new this morning, German Chancellor Angela Merkel responding a pressure following a series of New Year's Eve robberies and assaults and responding to new details about last week's ISIS-inspired heiress (ph) police station attacker.

German officials are revealing he had been living in a German refugee shelter. German chancellor is now proposing changes to make it easier to deport asylum seekers who commit crimes.

CNN Atika Shubert joining us live from Cologne in Germany with the latest, you know, now just igniting even more strenuous arguments in this debate over immigration, Atika.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. It just piled the pressure on to Merkel. We're actually in the exact square where those assaults took place. It's between the train station and the Cathedral. On New Year's Eve, this entire square was packed with people. About a thousand people police say firing of firecrackers and it was just total chaos and police were completely under stuffed.

The number of criminal incidents from that day has recent to more than 500. About 40 percent of those are being investigated a sexual assaults and at this moment there is a committee session to really grill the local interior minister on what exactly happened. How police lost control and who is responsible for those assaults?

We know that of the 31 suspects identified, more than half or asylum seekers or refugees. So you can just see how this is played into the fears of the German public here about the in flocks of refugees that have come in the last year. And in fact last night there was an attack unfortunately on several Pakistani men here in Cologne and a Syrian and there are theories that these kinds of revenge attacks could continue here. John

BERMAN: All right, Atika here for us in Cologne, Germany. Thanks so much Atika.

ROMANS: All right, our breaking news this morning. Iconic singer David Bowie dead at the age of 69 after a battle of cancer that battle with cancer rather about that was really kept from the public eye just dropped an album on Friday. His 69th birthday, died yesterday. We'll be live with new details up next.

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