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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Hillary Campaigns in Iowa; Marco Rubio Announces Run for President; Iraqi Prime Minister Meeting with Obama; Nigeria Missing Girls: One Year Later. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired April 14, 2015 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[04:30:00] JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: But don't look for a big rally or even a public one. She'll actually be holding an education round table and meeting with local officials and party activists. Now, these small, down-sized events will be the hallmark of her campaign, at least for now, as she tries to build a connection with voters.
She spent the night in Iowa, after arriving late last night at the end of a 1,000-mile road trip from Chappaqua, New York. She stayed in Pittsburgh on the first night, aides said, stopped at a Chipotle restaurant outside Toledo, and made one stop in Illinois before finally reaching Iowa.
Now, the campaign is already well underway in Iowa. Potential Democratic candidates like Martin O'Malley and Jim Webb have already been in the state. That's why she says she needs to fight for every vote and she may have to.
Some Democratic activists we talked to say they still have questions about what she stands for. Now, Clinton will get a chance to answer some of those questions today at her listening tour, which is similar to what she did when she first run for the Senate 15 years ago in New York.
But this listening tour will continue for a few weeks as she visits other early voting states of New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada, and, of course, starts those fund-raising trips.
At the end of May, she intends to give a bigger presidential announcement to give a broader outline on what her platform actually is -- John and Christine.
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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thanks to Jeff for that.
What about President Obama? Mrs. Clinton, the secretary's former boss and one-time opponent. Well, he weighed in on her race. He said it's a little early to endorse. Listen to what he said.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think she will do great. I have known her for a very long time. We had a really tough primary in 2008. I saw firsthand how tenacious and determined and compassionate she is when it comes to the issues facing the middle class, and she was an outstanding secretary of state. So, I'm not going to do any political prognosticating. That's your job. But I will tell you that she'd be an excellent president.
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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. There are new developments on the Republican side of the race this morning as Florida Senator Marco Rubio becomes the third GOP senator to announce his run for president. Rubio opened his bid Monday at Miami's Freedom Tower, an icon to Cuban-Americans like Rubio.
His speech made frequent references to a, quote, "generational divide".
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SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), 2016 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now, the time has come for our generation to lead the way towards a new American century.
(CHEERS)
That is why tonight, grounded by the lessons of our history, but inspired by the promise of our future, I announce my candidacy for president of the United States.
(CHEERS)
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ROMANS: He's 43 years old. Hillary Clinton is 67. Jeb Bush is 62. So, he gets a bang for his buck on both sides there.
Chief congressional correspondent Dana Bash has the latest from Miami.
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DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, 43-year-old Marco Rubio tried to turn his youth and relative inexperience compared to older candidates into a plus by saying, time and time again in his announcement piece that this should be a time for a generational change, that the candidates of yesterday are just that and that there needs to be somebody for tomorrow.
Now, at one point, it was pretty clear he was explicitly talking about Democrat Hillary Clinton. But at another, it seems as though he was alluding to Republican Jeb Bush -- by talking about the fact that some people are telling Rubio to wait his turn, but he feels like he has to start now, that now is his time. And we are hearing some mutual friends of Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are
saying just that to him. That they wish he wouldn't run right now, that there is a generational difference that benefits Jeb Bush, that it is his time, and not Marco Rubio's.
So, Rubio talked a lot about his personal history, his family history, the fact that he comes from Cuban exiles and the fact that he has an American dream story that really is palpable for him, it drives his world view as a hawk on the world stage, and also here in the United States, his conservatives ideals, small government and lower taxes.
The question, though, of course, just like the other two Republicans freshman senators who announcement before him, whether or not their youth and inexperience is too reminisce for some Republicans of Barack Obama -- John and Christine.
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ROMANS: All right. Dana Bash -- thanks, Dana.
Rubio wasted little time lashing out at Hillary Clinton. At 43, the freshman senator likely the youngest candidate in the crowded Republican field, he aimed his generational theme directly at the former secretary of state.
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RUBIO: Just yesterday, a leader from yesterday, began a campaign for president by promising to take us back to yesterday. Yesterday is over.
(CHEERS)
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[04:35:03] ROMANS: Democrats already slamming Rubio. The DNC releasing a memo calling the senator, quote, "a champion for the failed economic policies of the past that devastated hard working middle class families.
BERMAN: Dr. Ben Carson could become the next candidate to enter the race for president. The retired Republican physician is planning what he calls as a major announcement on May 4th in Detroit. Now, his campaign will not confirm that he's running. They insist that the campaign is still in the exploratory phase.
ROMANS: All right. Secretary of State John Kerry is appealing to Congress to give him a little space so he can finish negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran. Kerry held a classified meeting with House members last night, urging them not to pass legislation that could derail the talks. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and the Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will brief lawmakers today on the specific, diplomatic and economic elements of this emerging deal with Iranians.
BERMAN: Russian Vladimir Putin has approved the delivery of an $800 million air defense missile system to Iran. This is straining ties between Moscow and Washington, already strained. More importantly, it threatens to complicate at least the nuclear talks between the United States and Iran because that missile system would make it difficult for the U.S. or Israel to attack Iran's nuclear infrastructure if the Iranians violated any agreement in the future.
ROMANS: The prime minister of Iraq is in Washington, making his first official visit to the U.S. since taking office. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi will meet with President Obama at the White House this morning before a close door session tonight with the Secretary of State John Kerry. Al-Abadi will be looking for more help from the White House to fight ISIS.
I want to bring in senior international correspondent Arwa Damon. She's live for us from Baghdad.
What is it that the Iraqis want from the U.S. here, Arwa?
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what the prime minister was saying to reporters just before he got on that plane yesterday was that the most vital thing at this stage is more weapons, more military assistance and more air strikes. He did say that there had been an increase in recent weeks, but again, it quite simply is not enough.
But he does face a tough challenge when it comes to pushing forward with the request because of just how weary the United States is of Iran's role and influences inside Iraq. Iran has played a very crucial role when it comes to Iraq's battle against ISIS. Many saying that Iraq reacted very quickly, whereas the U.S. dragged its feet when it came to actually taking action and taking a significant role in the battle in and of itself against ISIS.
And that being said, even though there has been much touted about the success of the Iraqi security forces in Tikrit and just how impactful those U.S.-led coalition air strikes were, since then, ISIS has managed to strike back and very hard over the weekend, breaching the outer perimeter of the nation's largest oil refinery in Baiji.
Video posted online showing massive plumes of black smoke rising from the refinery. ISIS fighters inside. The battle there is still ongoing. And on multiple fronts in al-Anbar province, another of ISIS stronghold, the terrorist organization managing to takeover three towns, sending residents fleeing on foot to the provincial capital of Ramadi. So, this is a very critical juncture because even though, yes, ISIS may for now have been pushed out of Tikrit, even bigger battles face Iraq. And these are battles the prime minister says can he win, but he cannot do this on his own.
ROMANS: All right. Arwa Damon, thank you so much for that.
BERMAN: Tough sentences for four Blackwater security guards -- former guards who killed 14 unarmed civilians in Baghdad eight years ago. Three of the defendants received 30-year prison terms. The other got life in prison for an incident that triggered really international outrage. All four of the contractors claim they fired in self defense. All vow to appeal what they are calling a perversion of justice.
ROMANS: All right. Thirty-nine minutes past the hour.
It is Equal Pay Day. Today marks how far past December 31st women must work to earn as much as men last year. They sound antiquated, but gender still a factor when determining salary. For full-time workers, women earn 78 cents to a man's dollar.
It's true that women and men tend to work in different professions, or historically have. The most common jobs for women remain secretary, nurse, teacher. For men, it's driver, sales worker and manager. Even when you account for men and women in the same jobs, the gap still exists.
I want you to take teachers for example, women hold 70 percent of the teaching jobs and earn 87 cents to the man's dollar. Better than the other industries, but still, 87 cents to the dollar. For retail sale, 70 cents to the dollar.
[04:40:03] For lawyers, 83 cents to the dollar.
So, really, it's a widespread problem. It hasn't improved in any significant way over the last decade. That's why Equal Pay Day is always such a big deal.
I will tell you one thing that I find kind of inspiring about what is not an inspiring story. If you look at millennial women and men with college educations and live in metro areas who are not married and do not have children, that particular demographic, women make more than men.
BERMAN: But if you're not married and don't have children, that's the issue. You've got to make a choice that some people think --
ROMANS: These are young people just starting out. So, for the first time, you've got the slice of the demographic starting -- they're starting out equal. Women actually a little bit ahead. Maybe that's the trampoline for some progress for the next generation.
BERMAN: I will tell you, from the political standpoint, no coincidence this is happening on the day when Hillary Clinton has the first official campaign.
ROMANS: You think so?
BERMAN: I know so. Her first official campaign today. Interesting, no doubt.
New developments this morning in the police shooting of unarmed black man Walter Scott. The passenger in his car when the chase began has now broken his silence. We will hear what he said, next.
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ROMANS: A volunteer Tulsa County deputy is now facing a manslaughter charge in the fatal shooting of a black suspect during an undercover gun operation. Prosecutors say 73-year-old Robert Bates was negligent for shooting Eric Harris with a handgun instead of a taser earlier this month. Now, police are standing by their deputy saying the shooting was an accident.
[04:45:01] Let's get more this morning from CNN's Ed Lavandera.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, the shooting death of Eric Harris earlier this month is under a great deal of scrutiny, especially now that the reserve deputy accused of carrying out that shooting, 73-year-old Robert Bates, has now been charged with second degree manslaughter.
Sheriff's officials here in Tulsa and Bates' own attorney says that this shooting was excusable, that it was an accident of misfortune, and that Bates should not be charged of any kind of criminal conduct. That he was acting within his duty as a reserve deputy in this case.
His attorney spoke with us and made that case.
SCOTT WOOD, ROBERT BATES' ATTORNEY: He is very upset about what happened. He feels badly. The incident completely took him by surprise. He has all the requisite training. He's taser certified. If you watched the video, you know he was quite shocked when his gun went off.
LAVANDERA: Sheriff's officials say that Robert Bates inadvertently grabbed his handgun, a small 357 revolver, instead of his bright yellow taser that was attached to his chest. Now an attorney for the family of Eric Harris says they don't know how a mistake could happen in this situation.
And, of course, there are a lot of questions as to exactly why Robert Bates was involved in an operation like this. We're told by sheriff's officials that he was there in a back-up capacity.
But the attorney for the family of Eric Harris alleges that Robert Bates paid his way to being a police officer after making thousands of dollars of donations and equipment to the sheriff's department here in Tulsa. Sheriff's officers here in Tulsa say that is definitely not the case. They say that he had gone through training and was well- equipped to be involved in a situation like that -- John and Christine.
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BERMAN: All right. Ed, thanks so much.
A series of new developments this morning in the shooting of a fleeing man by South Carolina Police Officer Michael Slager. The shooting caught on video that now has Slager facing murder charges. We now know the name of the man who remained in the car when Walter Scott took off running. His name is Pierre Fulton. He has released a statement saying, quote, "I'll never know why he ran, but I know he didn't deserve to die." We also have a new audio recording of Officer Michael Slager after the shooting, seeming to laugh as he says his adrenaline is still pumping.
Listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED OFFICER: By the time you get home, it'd be a good idea to kind of jot down your thoughts about whatever happened, once the adrenaline stops pumping and stuff.
OFFICER MICHAEL SLAGER: It's pumping.
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BERMAN: A man tasered by Michael Slager last year is filing a lawsuit. Julius Wilson claims Slager used excessive force last August after Wilson initially refused to get out of his car.
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OFFICER: Back up. I'm going to tase. Back up. I'm going to tase.
(EXPLETIVES DELETED)
OFFICER: Turnover! You're going to get hit again!
JULIUS WILSON, FILING LAWSUIT OVER TASERING: During my lifetime, I've witnessed violent acts by police officers, with proof of acts, the word of police officers is taking over the word of the victims forced to endure these violent acts. As the video shows, I myself have been a victim of such force by the police.
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BERMAN: A spokesperson for the North Charleston Police Department declined to discuss Wilson's case.
The world outraged after Boko Haram kidnapped hundreds of girls in Nigeria. Now, it is one year later, where has that outrage led? Has anything been done? Will the children be saved? We're live, next.
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[04:52:23] BERMAN: One year after Boko Haram abducted more than 200 school girls in Nigeria, the threat of kidnappings remains reality there. Amnesty International reports more than 2,000 women and girls have been taken by Boko Haram since the start of 2014. Nigeria's president-elect pledges to crush the insurgency. It hasn't happened yet.
CNN's Christian Purefoy is in Abuja, at the site of a vigil for those girls who have been abducted -- Christian.
CHRISTIAN PUREFOY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, yes, campaigners are gathering behind me as they have done every day as the girls disappeared with the now famous #bringbackourgirls.
It has to be remembered that in a few hours time, around noon local time, John, one year ago, over 270 girls were kidnapped from Chibouk village and put in a truck and they're about to take an exam, and nothing has been heard from them since. Everyone we speak to in the corridors of power has no idea where the girls are. The worry is they have been sold off as sex slaves or killed in the violence that is ongoing with the military and terrorist group Boko Haram.
But, really, John, no one has any idea. But the campaigners we speak to here today say they wouldn't be sitting here if they didn't believe hope for the girls would come back alive -- John.
BERMAN: There's still hope, I suppose.
Christian Purefoy, thanks so much. I appreciate it.
ROMANS: All right. You did not just imagine it -- yes, indeed, air travel got worse last year. Which airlines were the worst offenders? That's next.
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[04:57:27] ROMANS: Let's get an early start on your money this morning.
U.S. stock futures are higher at the moment. You know, that could change, though. We've got earnings reports coming out this morning giving a picture of just how well profits are growing or not growing at the big companies. In fact, earnings expected to fall by 3 percent this quarter. That's the first profit decline since 2009. If profits fall, that could suck the oxygen out of the stock market.
All right. For highly skilled foreign workers, it's getting harder to stay in this country. This year, 233,000 people this year applied for the H-1B visa. That's the most common visa for highly skilled workers. That's a record high. It's up significantly from 172,000 last year.
Eighty-five thousand people will get the visas. The government grants 85,000 of these highly skilled visas and they grant through a lottery process.
Business leaders want more. They say Congress needs to act now to raise the cap. They say these workers are crucial in STEM fields, science technology, engineering, math. And they also create jobs.
Critics say it's a way for companies to pay less for talent and not hard enough for talent in the U.S. That's an ongoing debate. But indeed, that shows you the demand to get those good jobs here in the U.S.
Flying got a lot worst last year. According to a new report, looking at factors like customers complaints and bumped passengers, quality for most airlines fell. The worst performer of 12 airlines, Envoy, which used to be known as American Eagle, it had the highest rate of lost bags, the worst on-time performance.
One group not complaining, airline investors. They made money. The industry posted record profits. All of those things that you hate about flying are the things shareholders love.
BERMAN: I know. And if you don't like it, stop flying. But you can't. So, there it is.
ROMANS: You can't, you can't. I guess buy some shares of airline stocks. >
BERMAN: Yes.
EARLY START continues right now.
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ROMANS: The 2016 presidential race intensifying this morning. Senator Marco Rubio officially launching his campaign, complicating an already crowded Republican primary race as Hillary Clinton finishes her road trip to Iowa, ready to begin her low key listening tour. We are breaking down all of the latest developments. It's 19 months to go until Election Day.
Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
BERMAN: I'm John Berman. Great to see you today. It is Tuesday, April 14th. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.
And happening this morning: do you have your GPS tracker? Hillary Clinton has made it to Iowa. She has first official campaign even there this afternoon. She's been driving there on a 1,000-mile road trip.
You can see, she went to a Chipotle in Ohio where she was not recognized, ordered a burrito bowl, unrecognized. Hillary Clinton, former first lady and secretary of state.
