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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
GOP Pulls Ahead in Tight U.S. Senate Races; Ebola Nurse's New Apology; Nik Wallenda's Death-Defying Stunt; Brady, Patriots Rout Broncos
Aired November 03, 2014 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: New polls giving Democrats and President Obama news they do not want to hear. Just one day from the midterm elections, Republicans seem to be pulling ahead in many of the tight races across the country. The White House now preparing for Democrats to lose control of the Senate.
We'll break down all of the new numbers. We'll also talk about the big races in the last-minute push coming from political heavy hitters. That's all coming up.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Ebola nurse Kaci Hickox won her fight in court against a state-imposed quarantine. This morning, she's opening up with a new apology to the public.
BERMAN: And a death defying stunt broadcast on live television. And that, folks, was the point. Daredevil Nik Wallenda blindfolded, tightrope walking between two Chicago skyscrapers. The dramatic video, ahead.
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.
ROMANS: Nice to see you, everyone. I'm Christine Romans. It's Monday, November 3rd. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.
Republicans waking up to good news this Monday. For them, a swarm of new polls giving edge to their candidates and increases the odds the GOP will gain control of the Senate. This spells trouble for Democrats. This weekend, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, he told the progressive group that, quote, "Iowa is critical". Just hours later, a "Des Moines Register" poll came out showing Republican Senate candidate Joni Ernst is now up seven points over Democrat Bruce Braley, a much bigger margin than other recent polling.
Democrats have been bringing out the big guns. Bill Clinton was there. That did not seem to dim Joni Ernst's confidence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT: America is coming back. The question is how. We are going to come back. We have got to grow together, and to grow together, we have got to work together. And to get that result, Iowa needs to send Bruce Braley to the Senate. JONI ERNST (R), IOWA SENATE CANDIDATE: We are reaching out to every
Iowan that we possibly can. So, it's not just Republicans. It's independents and it's a lot of Democrats, too, that see the need to change direction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: The big guns getting out in Kentucky as well. Hillary Clinton was stumping in Lexington for the challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes. Now, Democrats had been hoping to pick up the seat of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. But a new NBC News/Marist poll has McConnell nine points ahead. That's a bigger lead than he had in earlier September.
Grimes and Clinton, they were talking this weekend trying to define McConnell as a creature of Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALISON LUNDERGAN GRIMES (D), KENTUCKY SENATE CANDIDATE: He doesn't have a plan for the future. He doesn't have a vision that's for me or for you because our senator bought and paid for by the millionaires and billionaires. That's all he's been looking out for.
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Make sure you send Alison Lundergan Grimes to Washington to fight for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: In Louisiana, Senator Mary Landrieu is leading a three-way race for reelection by seven points. Now, the problem is in Louisiana, a candidate has to reach 50 percent to win otherwise, the top two vote getters go to a runoff. And in a head-to-head match up with Republican Bill Cassidy, the latest polls show Landrieu trailing.
BERMAN: In Georgia, Democrats had hoped that Michelle Nunn could pick a Republican seat. But the latest NBC News/Marist poll there shows that Republican David Perdue is ahead by four points. As in Louisiana, if neither candidate gets to 50 percent on Tuesday, they go to a runoff. This runoff would be in January. Right now, if you poll the runoff, the Republican David Perdue leads in that as well.
In a debate on Sunday, Michelle Nunn went after Perdue on economic inequality, where Perdue did his best to saddle Nunn with the President Obama's deep unpopularity in Georgia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE NUNN (D), GEORGIA SENATE CANDIDATE: David, during your tenure at Dollar General, you made over $40 million. And yet, there were 2,000 women that sued the company during your tenure. And they said they were paid less, and it was found by federal investigators that they were paid less.
DAVID PERDUE (R), GEORGIA SENATE CANDIDATE: There's no wonder why this president wants you in Washington. He needs a rubber stamp to make this government bigger. He's already added $7 trillion to our debt. He wants to add $6 trillion more. He's on track to more than double our debt, even though he said he would cut it in half.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: That promise by the way from the president was to percent cut the deficit in half. Not the national debt. Cutting the national debt would be actually impossible, right?
BERMAN: Yes, you need to run a surplus which hasn't happened since the 2000.
ROMANS: Or write a very big check, $10 trillion.
BERMAN: Exactly.
ROMANS: All right. Four minutes past the hour.
President Obama just wrapped up campaign stops in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, stumping for gubernatorial candidates in states where he is still popular enough to turn out votes. For the most part of this election cycle, the president headlined the big money fund-raisers for candidates who mostly preferred to avoid standing too close to the president at rallies.
CNN Washington correspondent Erin McPike has more from the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIN MCPIKE, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, President Obama headlined his last campaign rally of the season yesterday. He had campaigned in just seven rallies this year. He was in Connecticut yesterday afternoon campaigning for the Democratic governor. He has been trying to get the women and Latino voters.
Listen here to him make an appeal just yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hope is what America is all about, hope and better days. Hope and building up the middle class. Hope in handing down something better to our kids. That's why you have to vote. That's what Dan Malloy believes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCPIKE: Now, again, President Obama won't be campaigning today or Tuesday. That was it. The White House is likely preparing for this possible Republican Senate takeover that would happen after the elections on Tuesday.
Listen here to Republican Senator Rand Paul and former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell talk about the likely outcome on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: I think the wind is at our back. I think this election is going to be a referendum on the president. Even he acknowledged, his policies will be on the ballot. And he will indirectly on the ballot.
ED RENDELL (D), FORMER PA GOVERNOR: I think the Republicans, be careful what you wish for. If they get the Senate, they better do something. They better send the president some responsible piece of legislation or they'll get crushed in 2016.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCPIKE: We also learned this weekend that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was briefed over the weekend. And he was told that he should expect that Wednesday morning, he will wake up and be the majority leader to be, John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: President Obama's trip to Pennsylvania on Sunday faced a non- political hitch. Air Force One developed what the White House calls a minor mechanical problem with its wing flaps. That was where the president headlined a rally in Temple University. The plane replaced by a back up with a modified Boeing 757, which is usually used for runways too short to accommodate the giant 747 that the president normally flies.
ROMANS: It's like one long day Monday and Tuesday. One long days of up and down the steps of those planes. In Florida, Vice President Joe Biden campaigned for Democrat Charlie Crist, while former Governor Jeb Bush stumped for current Governor Rick Scott. Later today, Bill Clinton will put in his own appearance, making one last push for Charlie Crist at the University of Central Florida rally.
BERMAN: There are signs the race for governor in Maryland may be getting much tighter even though Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1 in that state, a very blue state. Democrat Anthony Brown, the current lieutenant governor, has slid to within a point of Republican Larry Hogan in the polls. And the respected "Cook Political Report" just declared that race a toss up. National Democratic groups pouring money out into that race. And First Lady Michelle Obama headed in Baltimore today a big rally at the War Memorial Building.
ROMANS: This is not the only close race for governor by any means. The Cook Political Report" now rates a total of 14 states across the country too close to call, including ten involving incumbents, that's the greatest number of imperiled incumbents in the report's 30-year history. Democrats had been hoping to eat into that lead on Tuesday, but they are finding themselves on defensive in several states they now hold, including as we reported Maryland and Connecticut.
BERMAN: An apology this morning from Kaci Hickox, even the nurse has a court order blocking her quarantine, she still plans to stay away from her neighbors until her 21-day incubation period for Ebola expires. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KACI HICKOX, NURSE: I understand that the community has been through a lot in the past week and I do, you know, apologize to them for that. I will not go into town, into crowded public places. You know, I have had a few friends visit me in my home. And that's absolutely fantastic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Hickox says her goal along has been to make the national Ebola debate about science and not politics.
Meanwhile, a possible Ebola patient is being evaluated right now at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina. The unidentified male patient flew into Newark International Airport three days ago from Liberia. We are told he travelled to the Durham area on a commercial bus before developing a fever on Saturday. Lab results due back this morning.
BERMAN: A New York City doctor fighting Ebola is showing signs of improvement this morning. Dr. Craig Spencer's condition had been serious, but stable, just upgraded now to plain old stable. That's nine days after he was admitted with a high fever. Spencer caught Ebola in Guinea while treating patients. He was working for Doctors Without Borders.
Of course, it has been a big debate ever since Dr. Spencer got back even before. Should health care workers returning from West Africa face mandatory quarantines here at the United States even if they show no signs or symptoms of Ebola? Look at these results from the new NBC News/"Wall Street Journal" poll -- 71 percent of the Americans say that these medical personnel should be subjected to a 21-day quarantine. Only 24 percent say no.
ROMANS: All right. Nine minutes past the hour. Time for an early start on your money.
Stocks right up here at records, folks. Now, this is what it looks at the moment. U.S. futures pointing slightly lower for the first day of trading in November. November historically a very good month for stocks. And again, October is supposed to be the scary month and despite an early scare, stocks ended the month at record highs.
The Dow Friday up 195 points. That is a record high. The S&P 500 at a record. All together, the Dow and S&P gained 2 percent, and the NASDAQ climbed 3 percent.
So, what's it's going to take to keep the rally going in November? First, the outcome of the midterms might be important. Wall Street is hoping for Republican victories and more pro-business policies. Also, they are watching for strong corporate earnings as consumers start holiday spending. Holiday spending, by the way, with gas prices lower, a lot of people are hoping that's good for retailers and good for holiday --
BERMAN: I can't tell you how many people mentioned now that Halloween an over, I'm hearing holiday music.
ROMANS: No, no, no.
BERMAN: Which is welcome, right? What's wrong with two months of holiday spirit?
ROMANS: As long as it's not two months of credit bills.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: All right. Breaking overnight. Investigators revealing new details about the Virgin Galactic disaster. The events that led up to the spacecraft falling apart, ahead.
BERMAN: Plus, daredevil Nik Wallenda blindfolded on a tightrope. Is there even sweat yet? He's walking between two skyscrapers in Chicago. The dramatic video, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Federal investigators are blaming an improper pilot command for Friday's Virgin Galactic spacecraft disaster. At a news conference Sunday night, officials say the spacecraft's co- pilot prematurely deployed the ship's feathering system, before the structure violently breaking into pieces, leaving a debris field on the ground five miles long. The feathering system is used to help the craft descent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER HART, ACTING CHAIRMAN, NTSB: Today, the investigators did extensive work on scene. They found almost all of the important parts of the space vehicle that we need in order to complete our investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The crash killed 39-year-old co-pilot Michael Alsbury. Pilot Peter Siebold parachuted to safety and is described as alert and talking to his family and doctors this morning.
BERMAN: We are learning details this morning how the police kept media away from the protests of the Michael Brown shooting. According to the "Associated Press", the FAA agreed to a request by police to restrict 37 miles of air space over Ferguson for 12 days, citing security concerns. But audio recordings reveal local authorities wanted to keep news choppers away during the violent street protest. The FAA is expected to release those audio recordings today.
ROMANS: The question is, were they trying to prevent coverage of it, or were they trying to prevent the choppers from enflaming the situation?
All right. Breaking overnight, the woman who became the face of the controversial Death with Dignity Act has died. Brittany Maynard ended her own life Saturday at her home in Oregon. She had been diagnosed earlier this year with a fatal brain tumor and was told by doctors she had just six months to live. She made headlines after saying she intended to die under Oregon's Death with Dignity Act. She was 29 years old.
BERMAN: Thoughts with her family.
The lava that had been racing toward a town on Hawaii's big island has slowed down a little bit. That's according to officials there. The director of Hawaii's civil defense say the flow has stalled 480 feet from the main road in and out of Pahoa. Still, authorities alerted about 50 household in the city to be prepared to evacuate.
Lava has been erupting from Mount Kilauea since June. So far, it smothered part of a cemetery, cross the country road and burn a whole lot of vegetation.
ROMANS: The United Nations has issued an eye-opening report on climate change. Officials say adverse consequences will become irreversible unless greenhouse emissions are curbed soon. The report shied away from specific recommendations, but it did suggest that global warming can be reduced with shifts to renewable energy sources and technologies that captured more greenhouse emissions from the atmosphere.
BERMAN: Record-breaking snow from Maine to the Carolinas. Look at this -- this was the scene in Foxborough before the New England patriots game. We have a full report coming up to tell you what happened during the game.
The flurries, they came down. The crews worked quickly to clean it up. Some parts of the state hit with rain and gusty winds which created hazardous conditions for drivers.
An historic early snowfall in Maine where the weather service says this is the first time ever Bangor has been hit with double digit this early in November. And check out the scene in Columbia, South Carolina, this is the South, that is snow in parts of the city. The same story in North Carolina. This is the city of Sparta. The snow plows out in full force clearing the roads there.
ROMANS: Unbelievable pictures. It's only November 3rd. Indra Petersons has the look at the weather.
BERMAN: Explain yourself.
ROMANS: She told us it was coming.
INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It was a Halloween weekend. We are talking about that and snow. We're not talking about a trace here and there.
Take a look at some of these totals, almost two feet of snow. We're talking about as far south as Tennessee. This was an unbelievable weekend, and yes, snow flurries as far south as South Carolina that we just showed you. That was only one side of the equation. We had winds, thy were gusting, they were howling out there, 40 to 70 mile per hour in places like Massachusetts.
So, what are we left with? Frost and freeze warnings not just the Northeast, look at how far South this morning. We are dealing with the chilly temperatures.
Take a look for yourself. Nashville above freezing in the 30s, notice even 40s out to New York City and D.C. this morning.
So, everyone wants to know what is going on. Don't worry, that system has already exited out of the area. Warmer air is moving in, guys. It's going to feel a lot better quickly.
But as soon as it comes in, it's also going to disappear. It's another frontal system is out there. So, some rain today. Midwest down to the south. Keep in mind heavy rain in Oklahoma and Texas. But, it's the same system, once that warm temperature makes its way in, it will start to back them off as well.
Easy to see day by day see the cold air retreat. Look what happens behind the cold front. Here comes the chill. By the way, we are not talking a lot of snow your way. Just temperatures this time of year, you're going to see cold fronts come one after the next. I'm not ready for like two feet of snow yet.
ROMANS: Thanks, Indra. I'm not ready for two pieces ever.
Unbelievable footage from high above the Chicago River. This is what Nik Wallenda saw Sunday as he walked on a wire stretched between two skyscrapers in the Windy City. Fortunately for him, the city did not entirely live up to its nickname. He inched along some 600 feet in the air. For an encore, he walked between Marina City's west and east towers blindfolded. Wallenda called his record-breaking stunt the most challenging of his career so far.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIK WALLENDA, TIGHTROPE WALKER: The big thing is the intimidation factor. You know, when you walk to the edge of the building and look down 600 feet and say, I'm doing this blindfolded, and there's winds. And even though the winds were light and praise God for that, it's still -- there's winds. And even hearing them, it is extremely, extremely intimidating.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Did you watch?
ROMANS: I watched with my eyes closed.
BERMAN: That's how I go through life, by the way. Now, look, the big question the networks have to face, including audiences, you know, have to ask themselves, what happens if he falls? Why are you really watching?
I mean, it is an amazing skill that he does display. But is it something that should be on television? I ask you that. ROMANS: I'll think about that.
BERMAN: All right. One thing that I know --
ROMANS: Deep thoughts from John Berman.
BERMAN: One thing that I know should be on television -- a legendary match up of quarterbacks, but just one can emerge victorious. Two will enter. One will lead. It is the handsome one who left smiling.
Tom Brady with an epic, epic, epic win. Three epics. Laura Rutledge has the details in the "Bleacher Report", next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: Sunday evening, really one of the greatest of all time. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, two of the NFL's all time greats. Tom Brady has won three Super Bowls. Peyton Manning only one. They faced off Sunday in Foxborough, folks.
ROMANS: We can't let him talk about this anymore. Laura Rutledge is here with more on the morning's "Bleacher Report".
Hi, Laura.
LAURA RUTLEDGE, BLEACHER REPORT: Hi, Christine.
I've got some Tom Brady stats that I think John is going to like. Sunday's game was the 16th time Manning and Brady had played head-to- head. Brady has won 11 of those match ups. Now, lots of snow made its way to Gillette Stadium early Sunday morning, but it was cleared away by kickoff.
As usual, the cold weather did not bother Tom Brady. He threw four touchdowns to Manning's two. And the Broncos were just out flat the whole game. Patriots dominate, 43-21. The hottest team in the AFC. They have won five straight and have the conference's best record.
Steelers Ben Roethlisberger made history on Sunday night football. Big Ben threw six touchdowns against the Ravens giving him 12 touchdowns in the last two games. That's an NFL record. Steelers won easily against the Ravens, 43-23.
To NASCAR we go. Things got heated between Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski at Texas Motor Speedway. Gordon took exception to Keselowski knocking him out of the race, in an all out, all fashion racing brawl got started on fifth road. Both drivers came away with a bloody lip after the fight. Keselowski is starting to get a reputation as an instigator on the track. He was already on probation from a post-race fight three weeks ago in Charlotte.
A terminally ill cancer patient named Lauren Hill is inspiring others with her story. Yesterday, Hill got to live out her dream of playing college basketball playing for Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati in over 10,000 fans. Hill scored the first basket of the game and the place went nuts. Doctors said her brain cancer was terminal, officials moved the season opener up two weeks so she could play. But Lauren who practiced through chemotherapy isn't giving up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAUREN HILL, PLAYED FIRST COLLEGE GAME: I don't want it to be my last game and I don't plan on it being my last game. Even if I can't play and I'm in a wheelchair by then, or anything that happens, I'm still going to try to be there with my team and be there to support them because they've always been here to support me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUTLEDGE: Wow. Lauren's outlook through the journey has been nothing short of amazing. And the game that started with her scoring the first basket ended with the crowd chanting loudly, "We love Lauren".
Back to you, John and Christine.
ROMANS: This is why sports is so much bigger than the game. Sports is about teamwork and teammates and helping each other. Just what a great --
BERMAN: Look at that. So much courage. That woman showing so much courage and the support she has around her. She's wonderful.
ROMANS: Thanks, Laura.
RUTLEDGE: Thank you.
ROMANS: New polls this morning bringing the clearest sign yet the Republicans could take control of the U.S. Senate, pulling ahead in tight races across the country. We're going to break down all these new numbers for you after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
