Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
GOP Candidates Trade Insults; CNN Republican Debate Lineup Set; Biden Bares His Soul To Colbert; Stocks Mostly Lower Around The World; Deadly Flooding Devastates Eastern Japan; NYPD Apologizes To James Blake. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired September 11, 2015 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: -- how she's trying to turn it all around ahead. Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm John Berman. It's 30 minutes past the hour right now. New this morning, at long last we know where they will stand, the official staging for the CNN debate. CNN has announced that Donald Trump will be center stage literally next Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.
That location determined by his standing in the polls. He is leading in the polls. The most notable addition to the main stage is Carly Fiorina who is eligible after CNN changed the requirements.
Trump and Fiorina will be joined by Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, John Kasich and Chris Christie.
The undercard debate at 6:00 p.m. will include Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki and Lindsey Graham. Gilmore is not at 1 percent at the national polls.
He will not be there. These debates are looking more crucial and more contentious with the race heating up and getting ever more personal. CNN's Sara Murray with more on that.
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Good morning, John and Christine. The gloves are coming off on the Republican side. Candidates are trading insults as Donald Trump dominates the Republican field.
Our new CNN/ORC poll shows Donald Trump ahead with 32 percent support among Republican voters, a wide lead over Ben Carson who is at 19 percent support but gaining momentum. Both candidates are far ahead of Jeb Bush who comes in at 9 percent.
The tenor of this campaign has really changed over the last couple of days. You're seeing Trump insulting Carly Fiorina about her looks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want to take this one back about Carly Fiorina?
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (via telephone): Many of the comments are made as an entertainer because I did "The Apprentice." I decided not to do it again because I wanted to run for president. Some comments are made as an entertainer. Everybody said as an entertainer, it is a much different ball game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: Christine, Ben Carson insulted Donald Trump about his faith. Bobby Jindal even called Trump a carnival act and an egomaniac.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOVERNOR BOBBY JINDAL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have a man with no ideology or intellectual curiosity. He is only for himself. He said his favorite book is the Bible. He could not name one verse. This is a complete narcissist. It has been a fun show. The idea of Donald Trump is great. The reality is awful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: Then we had Jeb Bush on CNN and he said he actually agreed with everything Bobby Jindal had to say about Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think he believes that he can insult his way to the presidency. I don't think history is a good guide for that. I think he needs to begin to say what his vision is for the future. Up until now, I think Governor Jindal is actually correct. That he is not a serious candidate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: Now those comments alone give you an idea of how this debate has moved beyond the substance of the candidates to attacks over personality getting much more vicious, more quickly than many people intended.
As for Bobby Jindal, it is difficult to see whether this will actually help him in the polls. He is still much further behind Jeb Bush and Donald Trump and even Ben Carson -- John and Christine, back to you.
ROMANS: All right, Sara Murray, thank you for that, Sara. An emotional Joe Biden is casting doubt on his potential bid for presidency during his appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." The vice president talking about his faith and parents and the pain over his son, Beau's death, he opened up with Colbert about his plans for the future.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look, I don't think any man or woman should run for president unless number one, they know exactly why they would want to be president and two, they can look folks out there and say I promise you, you have my whole heart, my whole soul, my energy and my passion to do this. And I'd be lying if I said that I knew I was there. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Wow. Biden was just really unusually candid with Colbert especially how he feels and coping with the loss of his son. Listen to this story about a near emotional breakdown he suffered during a recent visit to a military base.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: I was talking about them being the backbone and sineau of this country and all of a sudden, it was going great. And a guy in the back yells, Major Beau Biden, bronze star, sir, served with him in Iraq. And all of a sudden, I lost it. How could you -- I mean -- I shouldn't be saying this. You can't do that. You can't do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: You know, the context here, Stephen Colbert lost his father and two siblings in a plane crash. These are two men who know pain and suffering.
[05:35:06] It was a fascinating discussion. I don't think we should underplay what Joe Biden said. He can't say he's there in terms of deciding to put the full effort in running for president. It doesn't sound like if he hasn't decided today that he would jump in.
ROMANS: On the Stephen Colbert point, interesting they both have a very deep Catholic faith and they both were raised to question their Catholic faith, but still be devout Catholics.
On the point of whether he is ready to run, whether he is there, his supporters say that is precisely why they want him because he is not an automaton politician. He is somebody who is out there and can feel and cares for them and that is why they say run, Joe, run.
BERMAN: All right, there are some brand new poll numbers overnight along these lines that spell some trouble for Hillary Clinton. The CNN/ORC poll shows support for her dropping both in the primary and against potential Republican opponents.
Clinton's lead is now just 10 points over Bernie Sanders nationwide. Last month, Clinton was up 18. In June, her lead was 43 points. This follows polls from Iowa and New Hampshire where Sanders is neck and neck or even ahead of Hillary Clinton.
Now Bernie Sanders tells Wolf Blitzer that even he is surprised at the speed of his surge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes. I'm stunned. Look, we have a message that I believe from day one was going to resonate with the American people. Did I think they would resonate as quickly as they have? The answer is no.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMANS: All right, Hillary Clinton training her fire not on Sanders, but on Republicans that she might face in the general election. She blasted Governor Scott Walker on his home turf in a speech at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
In Ohio, Clinton took a shot at Donald Trump and his Carly Fiorina comments, but she didn't even mention his name.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We hear from candidates on the other side about turning back the clock on women's rights. There is one particular candidate who just seems to delight in insulting women every chance he gets. I have to say if he emerges, I would love to debate him.
Now it seems to me just observing him that Governor Walker thinks because he busts unions, starves universities, guts public education, demeans women, scapegoats teachers, nurses, and firefighters, he's some kind of tough guy on his motorcycle.
A real leader, well, that is not leadership, folks. Leadership means fighting for the people you represent and putting their interests first.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: We also got to see Clinton's new more fun side as has been advertised on her appearance on Ellen Degeneres' show. It aired Thursday including Clinton's attempt to do "The Nae-Nae."
BERMAN: Did she achieve "The Nae-Nae?" I'm no expert.
ROMANS: I have to ask my kids. She appears on the "Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon on September 16th.
BERMAN: All right, Democrats in the Senate have handed a major victory to President Obama. They helped prevent the possibility that Republicans can block the Iran nuclear deal. The measure will go into effect. The president will not have to use his veto pen. The deal did not have the support of a single Republican senator and several Democrats voted against it.
ROMANS: All right, time for an EARLY START on your money this Friday morning. Asian markets closed lower. Their week is now over. European and U.S. stock futures are also lower. Yesterday, the damage report, the Dow climbed 77 points, a little bit of a relief. The S&P and the Nasdaq up.
Oil down 2 percent below $45 a barrel. This morning, a new Goldman Sachs report and forecast saying oil is going to keep going down, Goldman Sachs says $20 a barrel.
New York could become the first state in the nation with a $15 minimum wage. Governor Andrew Cuomo will push the state legislature to adopt that wage. Vice President Joe Biden in New York to appear with Stephen Colbert, of course, he praised Cuomo's decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: It is reasonable. It's rational. It is the right thing to do. The federal minimum wage needs to be raised. It has been ten years since Congress has increased it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Biden called stagnant wages the biggest issue facing the economy and missing piece of the economic recovery for the Obama administration. Cuomo announced a $15 wage for fast food workers. He wants it extended to construction workers and everybody in New York.
Restaurant owners not happy with the increase that was signed through. The New York State Restaurant Association says it will cause a host of negative unintended consequences like fewer jobs in those field, fewer hours, and maybe higher menu prices. That is an economic philosophical debate falling on deaf ears in cities across the country really.
[05:40:08] All right, nearly half a million people have been ordered to leave their homes in Japan because of devastating floods there. We are live with the rescues and the clean up now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: Devastating floods in Eastern Japan, nearly half a million people have been ordered to leave their homes. More than 2 feet of rain has fallen since Monday. This unprecedented downpour sent flood waters raging through the communities.
At least three people are dead and two dozen are missing at this point. I want to get the latest from CNN's Will Ripley live from Joso City that's north of the Tokyo -- Will.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, you really do get a sense of the destructive power of these floods when you see damage like this behind me, these temporary buildings that were floating. In fact, the flood yesterday even picked up some houses off of their foundation and they were floating down the river as well.
But also as the water goes down, we also get a sense of the infrastructure damage and the reason why these neighborhoods may not be habitable for quite some time. You have to drive for a couple of kilometers to see anything other than the headlights on cars.
We saw some power crews out here checking the grid and trying to see if they can get the lights back on. It is definitely not clear yet when power will be restored for the thousands of homes or even when any of these places will be liveable when you're dealing with the damage from the flooding that we saw.
[05:45:03] You mentioned three people now dead, 22 people missing, and there has been more rain farther up Japan's eastern coast in the city of Osaki. There were evacuation advisories issued and there are still dozens of people who are trapped in flooding that caused damage like this.
With more rain in the forecast for parts of Eastern Japan and already water logged ground, there is a lot of uncertainty about what will happen here if it rains again -- John.
BERMAN: Will Ripley, thanks very much.
ROMANS: All right, New York Police Department apologizing for the mistaken identity arrest of a tennis pro, but did race play a role in this takedown? Details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: New York City's top police official apologizes to former tennis star, James Blake. The police commissioner along with New York City's mayor reaching out to Blake after he was thrown to the ground and handcuffed by a plain clothes police officer in a case of mistaken identity. We get more this morning from CNN's Jason Carroll.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Christine, New York's police commissioner finally was able to reach James Blake by phone and apologized to him late Thursday afternoon. Police say Blake accepted the apology.
The tennis star was roughed up by a plain clothes police officer in what police call a case of mistaken identity. It happened Wednesday afternoon while Blake was in front of his Midtown Hotel. He was waiting for a car to take him to the U.S. Open when suddenly an unidentified man rushed him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
