Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Trump Turns His Fire On Clinton; Some Polls Show Clinton With Double-Digit Lead; Trump 'Bromance' With Putin; Delta Reports Global System Outage, All Departing Flights Grounded; Michael Phelps Won 19th Career Olympic Gold Medal In Relay; Katie Ledecky Wins Swimming Gold Breaking Own World Record. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired August 08, 2016 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00] RYAN NOBLES, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump on damage control. The GOP nominee falling dramatically in the polls and lashing out at Hillary Clinton.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: It's day three of the Olympics -- record- setting wins, shocking losses. We've got all the highlights you may have missed.
NOBLES: Storms across the globe leaving dozens dead as severe weather threatens the South. What you need to know.
Welcome back to EARLY START, I'm Ryan Nobles.
KOSIK: Good morning, I'm Alison Kosik. It's 30 minutes past the hour. Thanks for joining us. And happening today, Donald Trump set to unveil his plan for boosting the U.S. economy in a speech to the Detroit Economic Club. The Republican nominee is expected to add some details to his proposal for broad tax cuts while reducing the federal debt.
Hillary Clinton laid low over the weekend enjoying a bump in the polls following the Democratic Convention and a tumultuous week for Trump. Trump, meantime, was in full attack mode trying to make up lost ground. Leading Republicans say they're not sure Trump can win in some crucial swing states.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), OHIO: He's going to win parts of Ohio where people are really hurting. There will be sections he will win because people are angry, frustrated, and haven't heard any answers. But I still think it's difficult if you are dividing to be able to win in Ohio. I think it's really, really difficult.
SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: Particularly here in Arizona, the statements he made right out of the gate when he got into the campaign about those crossing the border being rapists and what not. That just doesn't sit well. And then to refer to a judge born in Indiana as a Mexican in a pejorative way, it just, you know -- you can't expect to win Arizona when you make statements like that.
JOHN DICKERSON, HOST, CBS "FACE THE NATION": Is there any chance that Hillary Clinton could win in Arizona?
FLAKE: In 1996, Bill Clinton won Arizona so, yes, it is possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: For more, let's turn to CNN's Scott McLean in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ryan and Alison, Donald Trump has a lot of work to do to catch up with Hillary Clinton. A new ABC News-Washington Post poll shows Clinton with a sizable eight-point lead over Trump, a similar margin to other recent surveys, including CNN's. Clinton benefitted from a bump after the Democratic National Convention and Trump is coming off a week filled with one controversy after another.
Republicans have been pushing Trump to focus his energy on Hillary Clinton and this weekend he seemed to get the message.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: She's a liar, she is a horrible, horrible human being. She's incompetent, she's incompetent, and I don't think that you can even think of allowing this woman to become the President of the United States.
MCLEAN: Trump is also going after Hillary Clinton's recent attempt to clarify an answer she had given about her private email server. Clinton had said that FBI director James Comey found her public statements about that private server were truthful, but that comment has been widely debunked because Comey never actually passed judgment on that specific point.
Clinton has tried to defend herself by saying that she may have short- circuited on her initial answer. The Trump campaign -- they're seizing on that phrase.
TRUMP: Unstable Hillary Clinton, and you saw that. Did you saw that where she basically short-circuited?
MCLEAN: Clinton, herself, was out of the public eye this weekend but on Sunday her running mate, Tim Kaine, defended her on the email issue and said a Clinton-Kaine administration would be more open.
SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: She said it was a mistake. I am not presumptuous enough to start thinking about how I'm going to do things after November, but I know that this is something that she has learned from and we're going to be real transparent, absolutely.
MCLEAN: Today, Donald Trump will be in Detroit to tout his economic plan. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton -- she'll start a two-day trip to the key battleground state of Florida where last week a poll showed her with a lead -- Ryan, Alison.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NOBLES: All right, Scott, thank you. Let's break this all down. For the latest on the political combat in the race for president, CNN politics reporter Eugene Scott joining us here live in New York. Eugene, you were at this conference of black and Hispanic --
EUGENE SCOTT, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Sure.
NOBLES: -- journalists in Washington last week where Hillary Clinton was forced to answer some tough questions. And she was asked a question about her answer to a question on "Fox News Sunday" about the email scandal and this is how she responded. Take a listen.
[05:35:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I have said on -- during the interview and in many other occasions over the past months that what I told the FBI, which he said was truthful, is consistent with what I have said publicly. So I may have short-circuited and for that I, you know, will try to clarify."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBLES: So we're getting to the point now with this email scandal for Hillary Clinton where she's needing to explain herself from an interview, before another interview, from another interview. Why is it at this point that she hasn't figured out a concise answer when it comes to this situation?
SCOTT: I think it's very difficult for the Clinton campaign to get around what the FBI director said very clearly, that it was extremely careless, and I think what she's aiming to do is try to prove that she is actually more trustworthy than voters believe that she is. And she seems not to be having a lot of success with doing that, but hopefully they can find some way -- her supporters are hoping that she can communicate that from this point forward.
KOSIK: All right, let's switch gears to Donald Trump. Donald Trump clearly having a really difficult time after the convention even after he had that bump in the polls, and we're continuing to see the Republican Party splintered as far as support goes, especially when we talk about the Bushes.
SCOTT: Right.
KOSIK: None of which showing up to the convention until --
SCOTT: Until --
KOSIK: -- this weekend. We have a Bush, at least, throwing some support behind Trump. Listen to this sound bite.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE P. BUSH (R), TEXAS LAND COMMISSIONER: You know, from team Bush, it's a bitter pill to swallow, but you know what? You get back up and you help the man that won, and you make sure that we stop Hillary Clinton.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSIK: OK, that is George P. Bush. That is Jeb Bush's son. Jeb Bush -- remember Jeb Bush, who Trump called low energy --
SCOTT: Right.
KOSIK: -- ineffective, and on and on and on. What is George P. Bush thinking and what could Jeb Bush be thinking at this moment about what his son just did?
SCOTT: I think George P. Bush could be thinking about his future in the Republican Party. There's been quite some talk for a while about him continuing the legacy of the Bush family and this is a good way for him to get before the cameras and make national news, as he has this morning, because quite frankly the Bush family, we haven't been speaking about consistently for a while.
But this also could be an opportunity for the Trump campaign to rally their support and their targeting behind Hispanic voters because the younger Bush is Hispanic and, perhaps, can help Hispanic voters rally behind Trump.
NOBLES: It's clear, Eugene, that we're seeing Republicans who are looking toward the future taking two paths. Those who are going to get alongside Donald Trump, at least through this presidential election, and those who've decided they cannot support him at all. John Kasich is among them. Listen to what John Kasich said to Jake Tapper this weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KASICH: I have not endorsed him, that's correct.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, "STATE OF THE UNION": You have not endorsed him. Do you know what you're going to do when you go into the voting booth?
KASICH: No, we still have time. That's something I think about a little bit, but not a lot.
TAPPER: Have you ever voted for a Democrat for president?
KASICH: No.
TAPPER: You've only voted Republican?
KASICH: Yes, but I'm a Republican --
TAPPER: Right.
KASICH: -- and I have been, you know.
TAPPER: Is it possible that you will not vote for a Republican for president? KASICH: Let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is a -- this is very disturbing and alarming to me. I shouldn't say alarming, that's not alarming. I wish that I could be fully enthusiastic. I can't be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NOBLES: I know we don't already start talking about 2020, Eugene, but we could be in a situation where if the Republicans are unsuccessful they're two leading candidates, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, could be two men who did not vote --
SCOTT: Right.
NOBLES: -- for their party's nominee in 2016.
SCOTT: Yes, and that is very possible, but I think things -- one thing that's worth paying attention to with what Gov. Kasich said is he said no, he has yet to decide what he's going to do. He doesn't really know what he's going to do.
And I think Ted Cruz made it very clear, as well, that there is some room and some time, perhaps, for Trump to do some things that perhaps could win both of their votes. The likelihood of that happening, I don't know how high that is, but there still is time. And so, maybe they will end up getting on the Trump train as well.
NOBLES: It seems like it's close but we're actually --
SCOTT: Yes.
NOBLES: We've got quite a bit of time before going to the polls.
SCOTT: Quite a bit.
NOBLES: All right, thanks, Eugene.
KOSIK: All right, Eugene Scott, thanks so much.
All right, time for an EARLY START on your money. Dow futures are slightly higher following solid gains Friday after that strong U.S. jobs report. European stock markets -- they are in the green as well. Asian markets closed higher overnight. On Friday, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq both closing at record highs thanks to the jobs report.
The U.S. economy created 255,000 jobs in July. This is the second straight month of better than expected job growth. The unemployment rate holding steady at 4.9 percent.
One stock we are going to be keeping our eye on today, Wal-Mart. The retail giant will reportedly announce it's buying online shopping site jet.com for $3 billion. Wal-Mart has really tried hard to take on Amazon and it's going to be buying Jet to help give it much-needed scale -- a much needed influence in this e-commerce world. No comment from Wal-Mart on the report.
[05:40:00] NOBLES: OK. Team USA swimmer, Katie Ledecky smashing her world record. The big star, so far, of the Rio Olympics. The must- see moments from the Games coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NOBLES: Donald Trump's so-called bromance with Vladimir Putin is turning into a big question hanging over his campaign. The two men have paid each other compliments in the media and Trump has made remarks about NATO and Crimea that could have only provoked smiles in the Kremlin. Meantime, parts of Russian state media are embracing Trump, painting him as an eccentric billionaire ready to deal with Moscow.
Senior international correspondent Matthew Chance joins us now live from Saint Petersburg, Russia. So, Matthew, do we know at all how Putin feels about Trump?
[05:45:00] MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's made some positive remarks about Donald Trump, he hasn't been critical of him. He said look, he's a colorful figure, he's an eccentric billionaire. And that's very much a line that's been picked up by, of course, the state media, which very much takes it cue from Vladimir Putin's opinions and the opinions of the Kremlin.
He's cast Trump -- cast in the state media here in a generally positive light. Somebody who makes positive statements about Russia that sees the world perhaps more from the point of view of Russia than his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, might do.
And so, I think there's a sense in which many Russians, including from the president down, would like to see a Trump presidency in the United States, but not every Russian feels that way. There's, of course, a lot of people that would prefer Hillary Clinton, as well, not least because they see her as more consistent that Donald Trump. He may be pro-Russia in some of his statements but they also see him as not particularly reliable and that's something that makes some Russians very concerned.
NOBLES: All right, Matthew Chance, live for us in Saint Petersburg. Thank you, Matthew.
KOSIK: Breaking news this morning. Delta Airlines experiencing a global computer outage. Delta putting out a statement saying the outage has "delayed all departing flights, but flights en route are operating normally". Delta is advising travelers to keep checking the status of their flights while the airline works to fix the problem.
NOBLES: In Mexico, the death toll is rising from the remnants of Tropical Storm Earl. At least 40 people have been killed following landslides in eastern Mexico.Hurricane center forecasters expect more heavy rain the region which could produce more flash floods and mudslides.
KOSIK: Meantime, a state of emergency declared in the capital of Macedonia, hit by torrential rain and flooding. At least 21 people have been killed. The government is being criticized for a slow response to the crisis. Some areas of the country are getting more than three times as much rainfall in a day as they usually get in a month. More rain is in the forecast.
NOBLES: In the southeastern U.S., heavy rainfall and possible flooding in the forecast as well. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us now the latest. Pedram, good morning.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Alison and Ryan, good morning, guys. The southern U.S. really going to be the big weather story this week as we've got a storm system that's been locked in the place the past couple of days -- a frontal boundary that's not going anywhere anytime soon. So if you put this together we're really drawing a tremendous amount of Gulf moisture which there is plenty of this time of year to go around, around the southeast.
So the heavy rainfall potential is already there. In fact, look at what's happened just off shore in the big bend of Florida in the last two days. Estimations put at least 15 to potentially 20 inches or rainfall down on top of the water in the past couple of days. So you move this over land over the next few days and bring similar amounts. At least the forecast models think at least 15 inches possible in some areas, potentially slightly higher amounts possible.
But even still, you look at areas like New Orleans, out towards Mobile, six to eight inches possible in the next couple of days. So all of this could lead to very much localized flash flooding events across those cities. And then you look to the north, temperatures beginning to moderate just a little bit. We'll go with 87 in New York City, 85 in Detroit.
Call Duran Duran -- look what's happening. You'll enjoy this across the southeast with all the rainfall but temperatures come back. Call Duran Duran because the 80's are back across Atlanta -- guys.
KOSIK: All right, Pedram, thanks so much. Let's take a look at what's coming up on "NEW DAY". Chris Cuomo is back from vacay. Hope you had a good one.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": Good morning, thank you, Alison. Good morning to you, Ryan. So here's the question. Is this the week? Is this the week that this election for president becomes about you? Donald Trump says he has his economic plan ready to tell you about it. What will he do to bring more jobs and better-paying jobs, and how will he get that done? We have real voters on with what answers they want to hear in this big speech he's giving today.
But, the election still has its bitter edge. Trump has a new assault on Clinton's character and there are some new polls suggesting why he is going there. Trump may be losing by more than ever.
Plus, we have breaking news for you this morning. There is a major issue at airports around the world. What you need to know if you're traveling this morning. We have that next on "NEW DAY", my friends.
KOSIK: All right, headaches already on a Monday morning.
NOBLES: Yes.
KOSIK: Thanks, Chris.
NOBLES: Thanks, Chris. The hottest ticket in sports isn't at the Olympics, it's A-Rod's last Yankee game on Friday. How much are these tickets selling for online? We'll get an early start on your money, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:53:45] NOBLES: It is day three of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and it could be another big day for the Americans in the pool. Michael Phelps swam to his 19th career gold Sunday and Katie Ledecky continued her world dominance. It was also a great start for the U.S. women in gymnastics.
CNN's Coy Wire is following all the developments and he is live in Rio for us right now. Coy, get us up to date.
COY WIRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ryan, good to talk to you. It was an incredible opening weekend for Team USA. It was actually up in the air whether or not Michael Phelps would be selected to swim in the 400 freestyle relay last night. He actually insisted that he swim ahead of the games to prove he was worthy of a spot, and worthy he was. I think it's safe to say the coaches made the right decision in having him take part.
Americans hadn't won gold in any international competition in this event since 2009 but Phelps' second leg in the race gave Team USA a lead they would not relinquish. Phelps gets his 19th gold medal, extra special because it was his first in front of his 3-month-old son, Boomer, who was in attendance. Phelps first individual event, guys, is today. That's the 200-meter butterfly.
[05:55:00] You mentioned 19-year-old Katie Ledecky and she straight slayed it, smashing her own world record in the 400-meter freestyle. She took home the gold after beating her best time from 2014 by almost two seconds. She was in a league of her own. Ledecky will defend her Olympic title in the 800 freestyle later this week.
How about the U.S. women's gymnastics team, absolutely stunning. Yesterday's qualifying round during team competition. You had Team USA and then way behind them was everyone else. Simply outstanding. They'll go for the team gold on Tuesday. Simone Biles, Aly Raisman -- both qualified for the all-around event. The men's gymnastics teams -- they're going to go for gold today in team competition.
Now, in the Olympics there's triumph and you also sometimes have tragedy. Yesterday we saw a horrific crash during the women's cycling road race. Annemiek van Vlueten of the Netherlands leading in the latter stages. The final descent she loses control in a corner hitting a curb and flying over her bike. A catastrophic scene. She suffered a concussion, three fractured vertebrae. She was lying motionless for a while. She did tweet from the hospital, guys, saying that she is doing OK.
All right, we have to take a look at the medal count after two days of competition. The USA leading the way, 12 total medals, China has eight, Italy and Japan tied with seven apiece. We have men's hoops playing today against Venezuela, Ryan. We also -- look out for Ibtihaj Muhammad, a Muslim-American competing in fencing. She'll be the first American to ever compete wearing a hijab. Just one of the many great storylines of the athletes who've come down to Rio to pursue their Olympic dream.
NOBLES: All right, Coy, take a deep breath. A lot to report there from Rio. We appreciate that live report. Thank you, sir.
Let's get an EARLY START on your money now. He never said the word retirement but Alex Rodriguez is saying goodbye. A-Rod will play his last game as a New York Yankee this Friday and then become a special adviser and instructor for the team.
Now, ticket prices for A-Rod's final game are surging online. Average resale prices online have skyrocketed nearly 400 percent before the announcement. Tickets were going for about $75, now they're $345. They've already started to level out a bit since the news of A-Rod's retirement first came out. The tickets were even higher yesterday afternoon, climbing 500 percent.
It's looking like a higher open for Wall Street. Dow futures are up, as are more European markets. Asian markets also finished with gains. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq both closed at record highs on Friday following a strong jobs report. It is the eighth record high of the year for the S&P. It's up nearly seven percent so far in 2016. Those Brexit fears seem to be far in the rearview mirror. But the Dow is still about 50 points away from an all-time high. It has some ground to make up after declining nine of the past 11 sessions.
Delta Airlines computers are down. The airline experiencing a global outrage right now. "NEW DAY" has the latest details.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Folks, we're playing games with Hillary.
CLINTON: I may have short-circuited and, for that, I will try to clarify.
TRUMP: She took a little short circuit in the brain.
KAINE: She's said over and over again, I made a mistake and I'm going to fix it.
KASICH: I wish that I could be fully enthusiastic. I can't be.
NEWT GINGRICH, (R), FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: If you look at the last few days I think he's gotten the messages.
NOBLES: It is day three of the Olympic Games.
KOSIK: Team USA breaking records in Rio.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's been electric.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: USA.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Katie Ledecky took her first gold of the games, breaking her own world record in the process.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The women's U.S. gymnastics teams dominating the competition.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is Michael Phelps' 19th gold medal. There really is no stopping him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.
CUOMO: Wow, were you up watching? Were you screaming USA, USA all over the place?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: I ended up watching some of the highlights the next morning but I'm just as excited.
CUOMO: Holy cow, Ledecky, huh?
KEILAR: Yes.
CUOMO: It's like she's got an outboard motor strapped her in the pool.
KEILAR: I know, it's amazing. Very exciting swimming.
CUOMO: Very cool. We've got Olympic fever here on NEW DAY this morning. Good morning to you. It's Monday, August 8th, 6:00 in the East. Alisyn is off, Brianna Keilar is here with me.
KEILAR: Very nice to be here.
CUOMO: It's good to have you. And we do have breaking news for you. Delta Airlines grounding all departing flights around the world this morning. Why? A system-wide computer failure.
KEILAR: Yes, and there is a ripple effect that we're seeing. It is causing major delays for air travelers today. We want to go to CNN's Alison Kosik now. She has all of the breaking details on this big story. Alison, what can you tell us?
KOSIK: Brianna, this is a system-wide computer failure forcing Delta to actually ground departing flights around the world. Thousands of Delta passengers are currently on standby as the airline works to fix this problem.
