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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Deadly Pakistan University Terror Attack; Sarah Palin Endorses Cruz's Rival; New Video of Americans Freed By Iran; Michigan Governor on Water Crisis: I Will Fix It; Pete Rose Elected Into Reds Hall of Fame. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired January 20, 2016 - 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: For the very latest on this developing situation, we want to bring in CNN's Alexandra Field live in New Delhi.

[05:00:00] Alexandra, is the situation under control or is there still -- is there still activity there?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're told that the gunfire has subsided, that there had been no additional reports of explosions. But Pakistani military forces, their security forces, are still sweeping the campus, going room by room, corner by corner. So, they have not given this the all clear because, of course, what is of utmost importance is whether or not all of the attackers have been killed.

Military officials say that four attackers were killed. That the security forces were fighting them through heavy fog, through the rooftops of the buildings of this campus in the northwestern part of Pakistan. They say that two attackers were killed by sniper fire, people who were on campus reports hearing a barrage of bullets this morning.

It first started when they heard the explosion near the main gate of the campus. They say the attackers stormed the campus. There was a student who reports watching a professor get struck. He was telling students to take cover.

At this point, officials connected to the schools say 21 are dead. But we are hearing from local hospitals they are receiving bodies. They are also receiving wound. It is simply too early to tell how many could have been injured in this mornings attacks. We know there are still dead bodies inside of the school, itself.

There were some 3,000 students who were on campus this morning at Bacha Khan University, along with another 600 or so visitors. They were there actually there to celebrate a day meant to commemorate the founder, the namesake rather of this university, Bacha Khan.

So, right now, the latest that we are hearing from security forces, is that they remain on campus, they remain trying to determine whether or not the total number of attackers was for, and if it's the case, they tell us that four attackers have been killed, Christine. ROMANS: All right. Alexandra Field for us in New Delhi this morning

-- thank you.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk more about this attack and, in fact, it could skill be ongoing. I want to turn now to CNN military analyst, Cedric Leighton, former member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, former deputy director of the NSA.

Cedric, thank you so much for being with us.

The Pakistani Taliban claiming responsibility for this attack. What's their aim? What are they after in that nation?

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST, FORMER MEMBER, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: Well, John, it's a two-fold process for them. What they're really after is they're after the independence of the Northwest Frontier province in Pakistan. It's a basically Pashtun majority area. So, that means it has the same ethnicity as similar areas in Afghanistan, right across the border, and the Taliban are in Pakistan are basically agitating for greater independence from Islamabad, the central government in Islamabad.

And what that really means is they are making some degree of common cause with the Taliban that are on the other side of the border in Afghanistan. So, they want independence and they also want to terrorize the area there to really decrease its dependence on the central government and really harassed the government forces that are there.

ROMANS: So, attacking a school has significance but sort of ideological significance, but also to harass the authorities there. But doesn't it just bring in security forces? Doesn't it just -- I mean, what's the goal of attacking a university?

LEIGHTON: Maximize terror, Christine. And, unfortunately, even in universities that have a direct tie to the Taliban population or, excuse me, the Pashtun population in the area, they are using all of that as a means to really terrorize the local population and to cow them into submission. They are very effective at doing -- this particular university is just 25 miles away from the scene of a similar attack, which was against an elementary school a few years ago.

BERMAN: These soft targets like school, like universities, what can the Pakistani government do to keep them safe? You know, after the last attack on the school, there was some brewing frustration among some of the citizens there?

LEIGHTON: Absolutely. So this is where it gets really difficult. Because what the Pakistani government is trying to do is protect what are called soft targets and schools are a classic definition of a soft target. These are institutions that are opened to the public that are very difficult to protect.

So, what they tend to do is they tend to increase the presence of armed guards. They tend to on a military side also make sure that they have the greater operational capabilities against the Taliban in that area. But the Pakistani government has been fighting the Taliban there for years and they are still -- the Taliban are still able to mount these great attacks.

So, what it really calls for in addition to arm guards and greater security checks is increased intelligence against the Taliban, and the ability to thwart these attacks before they happen. But the Pakistani intelligence service, pervasive as it is, is really not able to do that.

ROMANS: So, what do they need to do? I mean, what do they need to do both to prevent these intelligence as you say, but do -- you know, the security forces there were so prevalent I guess in Pakistani life, why can't they prevent this?

[05:05:10] LEIGHTON: Well, sometimes the prevalence of security forces, Christine, is not an indicator of greater safety. In fact, it's the exact opposite.

And in many countries, where you see a lot of security, a lot of invisible security, you are actually going to find a greater danger for the population at large.

The only thing that is going to help them in the long run is a political settlement and the Pakistani government is a long way from that, of course, attacks like this, will harden positions on both sides and make it very difficult I think to achieve that political settlement.

BERMAN: All right. Cedric Leighton for us, watching developments in Pakistan where the Taliban has claimed responsibility for storming a university, killing at least 21 students. The Pakistani army in there right now clearing the stage, hopefully that situation is over.

Cedric, thanks so much.

ROMANS: All right. Turning to politics now, Donald Trump bringing in a big endorsement Tea Party favorite. Sarah Palin threw her support behind the billionaire populist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Only one candidate's record of success proves he is the master of the art of the deal. He is beholden to no one but we, the people -- how refreshing. He has perfectly positioned to let you make America great again.

Are you ready for that, Iowa? (CHEERS)

No more pussyfooting around. Our troops deserve the best. You deserve the best.

He is from the private sector, not a politician. Can I get a hallelujah?

AUDIENCE: Hallelujah!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Oh, there were some vintage Palinisms in there.

Hoping to break down that story and the actions in the Democratic side for us, let's bring in Zachary Wolf, managing editor of CNN Politics Digital.

Good morning, Zach.

You know, Berman covered her if 2011, 2012. You say there is an undeniable -- she, the people in the crowd are really attracted the most.

BERMAN: She is like no one I have ever seen. When she is on, she can draw people in to what she's saying, like no one's business.

ROMANS: So, her endorsement is how much of a blow to Ted Cruz?

ZACHARY WOLF, CNN POLITICS DIGITAL DIRECTOR: Well, I mean, she and Ted Cruz were friendly. She and Donald Trump clearly had a rapport together. Everybody would like to have her endorsement. I don't know if this is going to be a game-changer with anyone, but it certainly helps with momentum. She's like, like John said, she's electric on the campaign trail. So, she can help bring people out on caucus night. That's the real advantage here.

Ted Cruz, he has momentum. He had a bad day yesterday when the governor of Iowa said he must be defeated. This is a guy who's been there for a long time and didn't, you know, basically was not endorsing anyone. He doesn't endorse people, he just said Cruz should be defeated over this issue of ethanol. So, between Palin and Governor Branstad, it's not the best day for Ted Cruz by a long shot.

ROMANS: Interesting to me, they're two different Republican players there. You got Terry Branstad, a long serving governor, I think the longest serving governor --

BERMAN: Two separate stretches.

ROMANS: Two separate stretches, and he is an establishment guy, very low key, not bombastic. And then you have Sarah Palin relatively new to the political scene over the past five or six year years, but still very kinds of stumps I think.

BERMAN: Look, you know, it's interesting. The cover of "The New York Daily News" has a picture out today of Donald Trump and Sarah Palin and it says, "I'm with stupid." This is the kind of scorn that's been heaped on Sarah Palin and to an extent Ted Cruz for a long time from places like "The Daily News" and other places.

But again, she does have some pull. She does have some power when she goes into a race to endorse some statewide races. She has had some success. Ralph Reed has been quoted this morning saying, you know, no one can rally the base like Sarah Palin. She has made this kind of her calling card the last couple cycles,

where she goes in, not necessarily with presidential race, since Barack Obama is out there and the White House. But in down ballot races, she goes in, and she finds people she likes and endorses them. She has a pretty good record of picking people who end up doing well. She has been trying to pick people who go against the establishment. That's her thing.

She really wants to upend the apple cart to send messages to the establishment. So, in picking Trump, you know, she certainly has her constituency. There are people out there who like her, who are electrified with her. With those people, those are the people who will win Iowa potentially, we'll see what happens. This is very good for Trump, in that regard.

ROMANS: You know, the Iowa governor saying, vote for anybody but Ted Cruz. I mean, for a lot of people outside of Iowa, you know, they see renewables or ethanol as a special interest. In Iowa, it's kind of a pocketbook issue.

[05:10:00] BERMAN: It is, although, there are people, it's split now in Iowa to an extent where you have true conservatives, like Ted Cruz, who say we should be subsidizing the thing. He may do well by having the establishment governor say vote against Ted Cruz. You just never know.

ROMANS: Let's talk about Bernie Sanders and this really stunning change in the polls for Bernie Sanders. I mean, in an extraordinary jump he has had over the last month against Hillary Clinton. What do you make of it?

WOLF: I mean, those are, I think, New Hampshire numbers are showing sanders has been ahead in New Hampshire. It's not news that he leads for there. It's news he leads her almost two-to-one.

So, Sanders, I mean, you can calm eight surge, building on something that's been going on, there are two states where Sanders does really well against Clinton an those just happen to be the two say it's that are going to vote first.

Nationally, she still leads him by a wide margin. So, you know, is he going to be able to build on it? Is he first going to be able sustain this for the next three weeks through New Hampshire? And then build on that in the races to come? That's a very open question.

But let's also not forget, you know, he is a senator from Vermont. He's right next door to New Hampshire. And that could be helping him there, too. Certainly, it's helping him there. So, you know, I don't think it's all written down, but I think Sanders has a really good shot at New Hampshire and these poll numbers, wow.

BERMAN: It's a jaw dropping lead. That's not just any lead. It's almost 2-1 over Hillary Clinton, a state that she won in 2008.

Zach, great to have you with us this morning. Thanks so much. ROMANS: All right. Eleven minutes past the hour. New video this

morning of the two of the Americans freed by Iran in last weekend's prisoner swap. "The Washington Post" put out this, a lighthearted video of its Tehran video chief Jason Rezaian with his wife.

And overnight, a former marine spoke to reporters at the medical center where he is receiving medical treatment.

Joining us now on that part of the story, CNN's Phil Black. He's outside Ramstein Air Base.

I was struck by how poised and strong he looked after all those months and months in captivity.

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it really was quite surprising, I think Christine. He looked well. He sounded well, and indeed, he said that's exactly how he is feeling and he thinks he's only going to get better from here.

But the other theme I think in his words and what he conveyed in a sense is he is surprised to be here. His life has changed dramatically and positively in a way he didn't see coming a few days ago. He said that he fully expected he'd be spending ten years in an Iranian prison and when, ultimately, they came to him and told him to get his things together, he said he simply didn't believe it.

He also described the long anxious wait from that moment up until the point that he was finally allowed to board the aircraft to leave Iran. Take a listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMIR HEKMATI, PRISONER FREED BY IRAN: Well, up until the last second, we were all worried and concerned. We were put in a very small room. We had no telephone or access information. We are kept being told that we're going to be taking off in two hours. Two became six, became ten. A total of almost two-and-a-half days. It's really nerve racking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACK: Amir Hekmati says he really only relaxed once that aircraft left the Iranian airspace. That was the point, the champagne bottles came out.

Now, you want talk too much about how long and hard the experience of being in an Iranian prison for that long. Remember, he was back if 2011, how difficult all of that was. He did say at one point the pressure placed upon him was inhumane, unjust. But he said he got through it all, partly through his marine training. He stayed strong because he didn't want to let down his fellow marines.

But the thing that really made a difference was the support, the word that he was getting inside the prison about efforts outside, back in the U.S., to secure his freedom. That's what really made a difference -- Christine. ROMANS: Those pictures of him yesterday at that impromptu press

conference. He explained his family worked hard to get him out. And also his congressman was there, too. I mean, this is something that for some time, people, levels of government, his Congress people, his families were working hard to get him, we wish him the best as he heads back to Michigan.

All right. Thanks for that, Phil Black, for us this morning.

BERMAN: I mean, Amir Hekmati, one of the things he said, he said, I couldn't believe how many people were working to get me released. Even Iranian guards were saying, why do so many Americans care so much about you?

ROMANS: Interesting.

All right. Fourteen minutes past the hour. We've got breaking news out of Pakistan. A deadly terrorist attack inside a university that got 21 students killed now.

BERMAN: Plus, Michigan's governor apologizes for the water crisis in Flint. What he had to say and will it make a difference?

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:17:52] BERMAN: All right. The breaking news this morning: factions of the Pakistani Taliban now splitting over who is responsible for a terror attack on a university in northwest Pakistan. One faction of the Taliban claims it was behind the attack at Bacha Khan University is Charsadda, an attack that left 21 people dead. Another faction just issued a statement denying responsibility. Four of the militants have been reported killed. Although, they say the military operation to clear the university is ongoing.

ROMANS: Overnight, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder apologized to the people of Flint in his state of the state address. Snyder promises to do everything in his power to solve the crisis involving the city's contaminated water supply. In his speech, Snyder urged state lawmakers to step up as well.

We get more this morning from CNN's Sara Ganim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, Governor Rick Snyder announcing last night that he's asking the Michigan state lawmakers to set aside $28 million to help the people of Flint and get through their water crisis. Almost immediately, critics said, that was not nearly enough. It does not meet the estimates that it will take to fix the pipes that are leaching lead into the water. It's just another criticism of Rick Snyder for not doing enough during his crisis.

And as he was speaking, hundreds of protesters outside the capital building here holding another day of angry protests, calling for his resignation. Snyder insisting he will not resign but will, quote, "fix this".

At some point, residents were actually inside for that speech, but missing was Flint Mayor Karen Weaver, who instead met on Tuesday with President Obama in Washington. The president announcing that a team from the Department of Health and Human Services will be arriving in Flint today to help coordinate the federal response. The EPA also defending its response to the situation on Tuesday, finger-pointing, instead, at the state and local officials.

In the meantime, two new class action lawsuits filed by residents in Flint alleging they were let down by every single branch of government -- John, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[05:20:01] ROMANS: Just a terrible start. Thanks, Sara.

Time for an early start on your money. Get ready for another crazy day for stocks. Futures are pointing sharply lower. The Dow futures -- look at this -- sinking more than 300 points.

It's going to be -- they are calling it Red Wednesday already this morning in Europe, folks. Big declines in Europe and deep losses in Asia. The pain reason: crude oil dipping below $28 a barrel overnight, to make money, the cost of getting crude from some of the deep water rigs is $60 bucks a barrel, $28 a barrel. That is really destabilizing with all this volatility, by the way.

Search term "sell stock" is trending on Google. It's being searched at the highest rate since the financial crisis in 2009.

So, here are three ways to be smart. What am I supposed to do? Well, don't do anything.

Number one, don't panic. Selling out of fears is almost a mistake. You cannot time the market. Even the smartest people can't time the market.

Number two, diversify. As many analysts say, it's as simple as not putting all your eggs in one basket.

And, rebalance -- make sure you have a mix of stocks and bonds that's appropriate for your age. If you're getting ready to retire the next couple of years, you should not be all in stocks. It's better to figure that out before there is a big stock market crash. But, you know --

BERMAN: I like appropriate for your age. It will be like PG-13, stocks, NC-17 investing.

ROMANS: But there are plenty of people looking to buy bargains. There are plenty of stocks that will pop. They will be oil stocks. Netflix is one of them. It's expected to do well. There are always interesting stocks stories even when there's a big selloff overall in the market.

BERMAN: A lot of racy stocks out there, too.

Pete Rose is going to the hall of fame. Not that hall of fame, though. Andy Scholes explains in this morning's bleacher report, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:25:06] BERMAN: Former Pittsburgh Steelers receivers Antwaan Randle El says he has short-term memory loss. And he regrets ever playing football.

ROMANS: Andy Scholes has more on this morning's bleacher report.

Hey, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, guys.

Antwaan Randle, he's an all pro, a Super Bowl champion. He says he'd give it all back because of what he's living with now. In an interview with "The Pittsburgh Post Gazette", Randle El says he has trouble walking down stairs. He can't remember things his wife told him a day before.

The 36-year-old says he used to love the game of football. But there is simply just no way to make it safe. He said, quote, "There is no helmet that's going to correct it. There is no teaching that will correct it. It comes down to it's a physically violent game. Football players are in a car wreck every week."

Randle El was drafted in a 14-round by the Chicago Cubs. He says he wishes he would have played baseball because he could still be playing right now.

All right. The Chargers, making a move on Tuesday that could signal the end of their time in San Diego. The franchise has filed for the trademark Los Angeles Chargers and L.A. Chargers. The team is currently in negotiations with the L.A. Rams to share the Ram's new stadium in Englewood, California, which is set to open 2019.

All right. Pete Rose is entering the Hall of Fame, but not the one in Cooperstown. The Cincinnati Reds announcing on Tuesday that they will enshrine Rose into their hall of fame this summer.

In December, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred upheld Rose's lifetime ban from baseball. But the game's all-time hit leader says he isn't giving up on reinstatement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE ROSE, MLB'S ALL-TIME HITS LEADER: I haven't given up on Cooperstown. I'm not the type that will give up on anything. But this is fine. This is -- I'm happy.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SCHOLES: The trash talking between the Patriots and Broncos ahead of the Sunday AFC championship game is heating up. Broncos defensive end, Antonio Smith, told the Colorado Springs Gazette that Brady complains to the ref so much, it's fair to call him in cry baby.

Well, "The New York Daily News" loves that topic so much, that this is the cover of the back page this morning. It read, of course, "Crybrady".

What do you think about that, Berman?

ROMANS: There is a bib on him in "The Post," too. Whoo, Tom baby.

BERMAN: Yes, I think the Jets are not on the cover of "The New York Daily News" today.

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: That's what I have to say about "The Daily News" and their football teams right there. He is an advocate. He is an advocate for his team and his players.

SCHOLES: For quarterback safety, yes.

BERMAN: Absolutely. Thank you, Tom Brady.

Andy, great to see you. Thanks so much.

SCHOLES: All right.

ROMANS: Breaking news this morning: a deadly terror attack inside the university at Pakistan. We are live with new details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)