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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

First GOP Debate Line-Up Revealed; Bernie Sanders Closing in on Clinton; FBI Looking into Clinton Email System; Bush, Clinton Trade Barbs Over Women's Health; Planned Parenthood Fetal Tissue Controversy; French Military Begins Testing Plane Debris. Aired 4- 4:30a ET

Aired August 05, 2015 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:28] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: We now know which Republican candidates will face off in the first presidential debate! And you know what? Not everyone is happy about it. So, who is in and who is out?

We have new reaction this morning and a new poll that could show some trouble for Hillary Clinton.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Christine Romans. It is Wednesday, August 5th. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East.

So, we know who will be on the main stage for the first Republican presidential debate at 8:00 p.m. tomorrow. Now, based on five recent mainstream polls, FOX News has selected Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker to take center stage, with other top pollers flanking them. That leaves seven Republican hopefuls sharing, I guess the consolation prize of 500 p.m. debate that is likely to draw far fewer TV viewers.

The latest on the debate now from CNN's Dana Bash in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, this is the biggest Republican field in modern history, 17 candidates. So, it's really not easy for the GOP or the networks to navigate such a crowded debate stage. Never mind candidates who have to face a front-runner reality TV star. That is why they decided to have just 10 people max on the stage, and FOX News announced which are going to make the cut.

And they determine that, by the way, based on national polling. Here they are: Donald trump, he's going to be in the middle. Next to him, former Governor Jeb Bush. On the other side, Governor Scott Walker. From there on out is former Governor Mike Huckabee, neurosurgeon and first-time political candidate Ben Carson, Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, as well as Governors Chris Christie and John Kasich.

Now, Kasich bumped former Governor Rick Perry out of this main debate, which is a big disappointment for him. He is the longest serving governor in Texas history. He really wanted to redeem himself from his embarrassing performance on the debate stage four years ago. Remember that oops moment?

But also, he's been the most aggressive in getting in Donald Trump's face. He called him a cancer on conservatism. So, that is going to be a big problem for him.

But for those who will be on the stage, prime time, the key thing, according to a lot of aides I've talked to is do no harm. One aide actually said something very wise, that you probably can't win at this stage of the game, but you sure can lose -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Dana, thanks so much.

Candidates who did not make the cut for the 8:00 debate are reacting this morning and some are lashing out at FOX News and the Republican National Committee. They are frustrated.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum's spokesman says in a statement, "The idea that they have left out the runner-up for the 2012 nomination, the former four-term governor of Texas, the governor of Louisiana, the first female Fortune 500 CEO, and the three-term -- Fortune 50 CEO, I suppose, and a former three-term senator from South Carolina due to polling seven months before a single vote is cast is preposterous."

But the RNC's chief spokesman defends the fairness of the debate selection process.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN SPICER, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, RNC: If you don't use some degree of polling, then it becomes completely subjective. And the last thing I think people want, frankly, is people in Washington or people at the RNC deciding who gets in based on the fact that they have held some kind of elective office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: You see him in front of the Quicken Loans Arena. That is where LeBron James plays. Will anyone play like LeBron on Thursday?

The other Republicans trying to put an optimistic spin being sent to the second tier debate, Rick Perry, who just missed in the 8:00 p.m. debate, tweeted, "I look forward to being on the FOX News 5:00 p.m. debate for what will be a serious exchange of ideas and positive solutions to get America back on track."

Carly Fiorina put out a statement staying, "I look forward to answering questions on Thursday in Cleveland. I continue to be encouraged by the support of conservative activists and grassroots Republicans across the country."

And a super PAC backing Bobby Jindal pretty much instantly posted an ad that will air in Iowa during the main debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AD NARRATOR: The debate in Cleveland is all about a celebrity. But one candidate is moving up where it counts, in Iowa -- Bobby Jindal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Lindsey Graham took a light-hearted approach, suggesting viewers pregame what he called the Trump debacle by grabbing a cold one, watching the happy hour debate and hiding their cell phone numbers.

ROMANS: Frontrunner Donald Trump is positioning himself for Thursday's debate, previewing the topics he plans to highlight. In an interview last night with Bill O'Reilly, Trump said, he does not plan to go directly at Jeb Bush or his other competitors for the nomination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to be right down the middle.

[04:05:00] I want to talk about policy. I want to talk about the wall. I want to talk about illegal immigration. I want to talk about bad trade deals.

I may say that I can negotiate better than any of these folks. I did write "The Art of the Deal", I built a phenomenal business, as you know. And, you know, I have certain abilities that they do not have.

I'm not looking to hurt anybody. I'm not looking to embarrass anybody. If I have to bring up deficiencies, I'll bring up deficiencies. But certainly, I'm not looking to do that.

I'd rather go straight down the middle. You don't know what's going to come at you. You don't know where these other people are going to come.

You don't know whether or not the three folks that are asking the questions -- I mean, they're going to try and trick you up, which is unfortunate, because all of that has nothing to do with being a great president, but I'm doing it because it's something you have to do.

And, again, I've never debated. My sort of -- my whole life has been a debate, but I've never debated before. These politicians, all they do is debate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: My whole life has been a debate but I've never debated before, the Republican front-runner.

On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders is edging closer to front- runner Hillary Clinton in the first of the nation primary state of New Hampshire. A new WMUR poll finds the Vermont senator is trailing Clinton by just six points. The margin of error there is 5.9 percentage points, so you'll hear a lot of people say they are statistically tied this morning.

Nationally, the former secretary of state is still well ahead of Bernie Sanders, leading in polls by more than 30 points.

Some big news overnight: we learned that the FBI is looking into the security used to protect Hillary Clinton's private e-mail system during her time as secretary of state. Her lawyer David Kendall confirms to CNN that the bureau is checking to make sure materials were properly stored.

"The Washington Post", which first reported the story, says the FBI is not targeting the former secretary and that she is not accused of any wrongdoing.

The Clinton campaign sent out a statement saying, "She did not send nor receive any e-mails classified at the time. We want to ensure that appropriate procedures are followed as these emails are reviewed will not unduly delaying the release of her e-mails. We want that to happen as quickly and as transparently as possible."

ROMANS: All right. Hillary Clinton now sparring with Jeb Bush over federal funding for women's health. The former Florida governor gave Clinton an opening while attacking Planned Parenthood at an evangelical conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You can take dollar for dollar, although I'm not sure we need a half billion dollars for women's health issues.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Jeb Bush said he's not sure we need half a billion dollars for women's health issues. I'm reading it because I want to quote it exactly.

Now, he's got no problem giving billions of dollars away to the super wealthy and powerful corporations, but I guess women's health just isn't a priority for him.

Now, this really isn't complicated. When you attack Planned Parenthood, you attack women's health and when you attack women's health, you attack America's health.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The counterpunching spilled over into a war of tweets as Clinton told Bush, "You are absolutely and unequivocally wrong." And Bush responded, "What's absolutely unequivocally wrong is giving taxpayer dollars to an organization whose practices show no regard for the lives of the unborn."

In the end, Bush walked back the remark that started it all, saying in a statement, "With regards to women's health funding broadly, I misspoke, as there are countless community health centers, rural clinics and other women's health organizations that need to be fully funded."

BERMAN: You're going to hear a lot about this from the Democrats, I'm sure.

ROMANS: Yes.

BERMAN: A new undercover video, a fifth, has been released by an anti-abortion group alleging Planned Parenthood is illegally profiting from the sale of fetal tissue. This is sparking outrage in the Republican ranks and now is becoming a major talking point in the race for the White House.

Let's get more from CNN senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, call this the latest sign this controversy over use of fetal tissues and research is going to stick around for a while. Some congressional Republicans are talking about linking the fight over Planned Parenthood to a possible government shutdown battle this fall.

And the release of another controversial video is adding fuel to the fire. It's like the other productions -- edited undercover video with a Planned Parenthood official identified as a research director in Texas apparently unaware she is being recorded, talking about extracting intact fetus cadavers and body parts from abortions for use in fetal tissue research, interspersed and talking about budgets and money.

The end of the video includes graphic pictures of what is described as fetal tissue with the voices of the actors who posed as representatives of a company that collects tissue samples, asking questions and identifying body parts with Planned Parenthood lab technicians. Several states including Texas has launched Planned Parenthood investigations with a video, accusing the group of offering to adjust medical procedures in order to preserve tissue and parts for research groups to purchase.

There are calls for the Justice Department to investigate. Planned Parenthood asserted in a statement that the footage released today doesn't show Planned Parenthood staff engaged in any wrongdoing or agreeing to violate any legal or medical standards.

[04:10:06] The latest polling on Planned Parenthood from Monmouth University shows about half of Americans oppose cutting funding to the organization but it runs sharply along party lines, 68 percent of Democrats oppose defunding and 66 percent of Republicans favor it -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Joe Johns, thank you for that.

Ten minutes past the hour. Time for an early start on your money this Wednesday morning.

European and Asian stocks mostly higher, U.S. stock futures are up. Yesterday, a down day for stocks.

Big story this morning we're watching, the Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart saying the economy is ready for an interest rate hike in September. In an interview in "Wall Street Journal," where he says basically you have sharp deterioration in the economy to stop a rate hike in September. So, a rate hike is coming, that from a voting member of the federal of the market committee. That's a really important piece of information for you.

Yesterday, the market pulled down by Apple. Apple stock fell more than 3 percent yesterday. It's now down 15 percent from its record set in April.

A lot of people wondering, hit this record and, boom! You wipe out on $113 billion in value. That is essentially the entire value of huge companies like Netflix and McDonald's wiped off of value.

Why is Apple slipping? There is concern Apple is losing ground in China, a very important market. At the same time, the U.S. smartphone market is saturated and Apple is dependent on those iPhone sales.

You know, you shouldn't feel too sorry for Apple, though.

BERMAN: I don't.

ROMANS: It's still the world's most valuable company. It's sitting on a record $200 billion in cash. And it has beautiful little profit margin.

BERMAN: (INAUDIBLE) on that.

ROMANS: Exactly.

BERMAN: That's like a heck of an Ottoman right there.

All right. Happening now, experts investigating pieces of a plane found washed ashore in the Indian Ocean. Is it from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370? A huge day in this investigation. We are live right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:15:01] ROMANS: Testing begins today in France to determine whether debris from a Boeing 777 that washed ashore on Reunion Island came from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Aviation experts in France will be doing their work in the presence of Malaysian authorities, hoping to link a recovered wing fragment to the doomed jetliner and learn more about its final moments.

Let's get the latest from CNN's Saima Mohsin live in Toulouse, France.

And there's only one 777 missing in the world and it is the Malaysian flight. That flaperon is part of a 777. So, at this point, they need to put these pieces together and tell us officially that they think this is the downed jetliner.

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Christine, good morning, from the laboratory where all of that will happen at some point today.

They haven't arrived yet. The groups involved, that is, of course, the United States, Air Safety Board, the Boeing group and Malaysia authorities, French authorities, they are due to arrive here together. Chinese officials, too.

And early this morning, we were told someone from the Australian Safety Board is also joining this group. It's getting bigger and bigger and that is because everybody wants to make 100 percent sure that this is really a part of MH370.

Now, as you say, we should get that information soon. It should be relatively easy, but they don't want to get this wrong. They are saying they don't really want to do this through the process of elimination. That MH370 likely went down in the Indian ocean, it is the only 777 aircraft missing. They want a direct link between this flaperon and MH370.

Now, what they'll do is they will arrive here together, they will assemble together and then they will crack open the sealed container which the flaperon is contained together, likely to be filmed, according to standard operating procedure of previous aircraft investigations, and then they'll carry out the test they have agreed over the last few days.

They have been meeting both in Paris and Toulouse. CNN learned that the NTSB from the United States and Boeing and Malaysian investigator in charge met in Toulouse yesterday to go through the test they want to run.

What are they will likely to be, Christine? Well, things like sonograms, x-rays. They'll try and see this piece from a 3D dimension. From every angle they can, they'll look at the exterior and the take note of what they can find and then they'll take it apart piece by piece.

So, part one is, of course, conclusively determining that this does belong to MH370. Part two is taking more detail tests which may -- the results may take weeks, by the way, to say how exactly did that plane go down, if it is, indeed, MH370 -- Christine.

ROMANS: Yes. And one of the most interesting angles of that, studying the barnacles, studying the stress on the middle, trying to figure how long it was in the water, and who it hit the water. Was it, you know, a zombie aircraft? Or was it a crash or an explosion? All of those things remain to be determined by these scientists.

Saima Mohsin for us near Toulouse, thank you.

BERMAN: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling on Jews in the United States to reject the nuclear agreement with Iran. With thousands of Jewish Americans in a webcast audience, the prime minister called the deal fatally flawed and warned they'll be more terrorist attacks and deaths if it is approved.

Later today, the president gives a very big speech at American University. That is where John F. Kennedy gave a huge speech on the nuclear disarmament back in 1963. The president using that backdrop to try to convince Congress to approve, or at least not affirmatively reject the nuclear deal. They have until mid-September, Congress does, to vote.

ROMANS: In Colorado, gripping testimony from family members who lost loved ones in the Colorado movie theater massacre. Jurors, struggling to hold back their tears. They are trying to decide whether James Holmes should be put to death for killing 12 people and wounding 70 others.

Victim impact statements resume later this morning. On Tuesday, a father described how he and his family return occasionally to the Aurora theater where his son was shot and killed. Tom Sullivan telling jurors they sit in row 12 and leave seat 12 vacant. That is where his son Alex was sitting when Holmes shot and killed him.

BERMAN: So sad.

Firefighters in California are having a hard time gaining ground of a huge wildfire there. The Rocky Fire has burned northwest of Sacramento and grew to 67,000 acres on Tuesday. So far, officials say the flames are 20 percent contained. The fire has destroyed dozens of homes and buildings, tens of thousands of people have been force to evacuate.

ROMANS: Wow. That story just keeps going on.

All right. In just hours, the guide who led the hunt to kill Cecil the Lion, the guide faces a judge. We're live after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:23:28] BERMAN: This morning, at least 27 people are dead after two trains derailed on the same bridge in India. The trains were crossing a small bridge that have been flooded, about 450 miles south of New Delhi. The waters caused part of the track to sink into the rain-soaked grounds, sending both trains tumbling off within minutes of each other. More than 300 people were rescued.

ROMANS: The guide accused of helping an American hunter kill Cecil the Lion, that guide is expected to stand trial today. Theo Bronkhorst says he has done nothing wrong. As for the American hunter, the Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer, Zimbabwe authorities have called for his extradition. The landowner where the hunt took place also faces charges.

CNN's David McKenzie has the very latest for us this morning from Zimbabwe.

Good morning.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.

I'm here at the magistrate's court here in a small town in Zimbabwe. Theo Bronkhorst arrived a short time ago to face those charges of poaching which if found guilty could get him ten years in jail. I have to say, he seems overwhelmed by the media focused on this case that has caused such worldwide outrage. I grabbed him before he went into court and here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: What do you feel about the charges laid against you and the landowner?

THEO BRONKHORST, HUNTER'S GUIDE: I think it's frivolous and I think it's wrong.

MCKENZIE: And you think you'll come through this?

BRONKHORST: I got a good legal team and I hope so.

MCKENZIE: What is your feeling about the issue of hunting in Zimbabwe?

BRONKHORST: It's an integral part of our country and it's got to continue.

[04:25:00] And if we do not use wildlife sustainably, there will be no wildlife.

MCKENZIE: And do you feel you had all of the right permits and everything was above board?

BRONKHORST: I believe so.

MCKENZIE: And so, what do you think about the way you've been prosecuted like this?

BRONKHORST: Crazy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: Well, the Zimbabwean park authorities say they want to ban hunting on the margins of the park.

But something really interesting here. We have spoken to a senior park official who told us, in fact, they want all of this attention to die down so that hunting can continue, because they say it's one of the only ways they get money in to start their conservation work here in Zimbabwe -- Christine.

ROMANS: Let me ask you a little bit about maybe some tension between the U.S. government and the Zimbabwean government. I mean, the U.S. has accused Zimbabwe of sort of human rights abuses in the past. Is there political -- you know, political friction at play when you look at Zimbabwe official, they sort of want to highlight an American here? They want to kind of put an American on trial? MCKENZIE: Well, that is certainly what some opposition members have

been telling me here in Zimbabwe. I think it's worth mentioning that at least 80 individuals and companies are under sanctions of the U.S. so there could be some politics at play here.

Of course, the second American who was named, the doctor from Pennsylvania who they said was also involved in illegal hunt, they say, he says he wasn't here in April, yes, he conducted a hunt, but he has sent all his documents to prove that he did it all legally.

So, I think there are some politics at play. But at the same time, the issue of hunting is a hot button issue, and several American airlines have now banned flights taking those trophies back to the States. So, certainly, it's something that continues, whether it's the overreaction or a correct reaction that really depends on your viewpoint -- Christine.

ROMANS: And then some hunting companies urging those airlines to reverse their decision. Indeed, it's a -- it's an interesting, interesting story. We know you'll continue to follow it for us, David. Thank you so much.

BERMAN: All right. We now know which Republican candidates will face off in the first big debate.

ROMANS: Whoa! Look at all of those guys!

BERMAN: All of them against each other on one stage. But there are some people a little bit upset they will not be in this august group. We will hear their frustrated reaction, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)