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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Eyebrows Raised Over Trump and Carson's Comments on Muslims; Donors Urging Joe Biden to Run for President; Night of Firsts at the Emmys; Two American Hostages Released by Yemeni Rebels; NFL Updates. Aired 5-5:30aET

Aired September 21, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:18] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Dramatic developments in the race for president. Donald Trump, Ben Carson statements this weekend raising a lot of eyebrows about Muslims in America. And Carly Fiorina surging in the polls.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Two American hostages held captive for months in Yemen, they are free this morning.

BERMAN: A night of firsts at the Emmy awards. Historic wins, records broken, laughs made, tears shed. I can think of nothing else after that. We've had a lot happened.

ROMANS: Stage crawling.

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BERMAN: Stage crawling. Good morning, welcome to EARLY START, I'm John Berman.

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It is Monday, September 21st, it is 5:00 a.m. in the East.

Let's start with controversy in the Republican race for President. Ben Carson says a Muslim should not be President. Donald Trump suggests we might already have a Muslim president.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you imagine supporting or comfortable if a Muslim ever became President of the United States?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can say that, you know, it's something that at some point could happen. We'll see. You know, it is something that could happen. Would I be comfortable? I don't know we have to address it right now but I think it is certainly something that could happen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said you'd have no problem putting a Muslim in your party. TRUMP: I mean some people have said it already happened, frankly. But of course you wouldn't agree with that.

ROMANS: Now both Trump and Carson find themselves in a dramatically reordered battle to become President.

Carly Fiorina has vaulted into second place in a new CNN/ORC Poll riding the wave from her CNN debate performance. She received rock star at a Republican conference in Michigan and says she has every intention of milking the new attention and the new focus on her campaign.

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CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: More people know who I am and we know based on what's happened before this debate, that is people come to know me and they understand who I am and what I've done, and most importantly what I will do, and they tend to support me. And so the truth is we're going to stay out here working hard every single day so that people who may be were introduced to me for the first time at that debate now get to know a bit more about me.

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ROMANS: For the latest, let's turn to CNN's Sunlen Serfaty on Mackinac Island.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Christine. Well this new poll shows just how much the debate has really shaken up the race.

And that's especially highlighted when you look at the state of the field one month ago. These new poll numbers show that Donald Trump, he is still in the lead but he's on a downward slope. He is sliding 8 percentage points since early September. If you compare that to Carly Fiorina, she has leapt up 12 percentage points, that's a huge gain in really only about three weeks.

This also shows a really stunning collapse in support for Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker. He's really seen a huge drop fast. Now basically registering at an asterisk that is less than one half of a percentage point.

Now meanwhile Donald Trump as he's seen his support slide. He continues to get questions on the campaign trail about the controversy which happened last week in New Hampshire. That exchange he had with the supporter not only failing to correct that supporter who claimed President Obama is a Muslim, that President Obama is not an American, but for not disputing the claim that this supporter made that Muslims are a problem in the U.S. On "State of the Union," Jake Tapper asked Donald Trump if he has a responsibility to correct the record, here's how he responded.

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TRUMP: You know we could be politically correct if you want. But certainly -- are you trying to say we don't have a problem? Because I think everybody would agree. I have friends that are Muslims. They're great people. Amazing people. And most Muslims like most everything, I mean these are fabulous people. But we certainly do have a problem. I mean you have a problem throughout the world.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR, "STATE OF THE UNION": What's the problem?

TRUMP: Well you have radicals that are doing things. I mean it wasn't people from Sweden that blew up the World Trade Center, Jake.

TAPPER: I get that. But to say we have a problem and it's called Muslims because there are some extremist Muslims is tarring all Muslims. You would agree that the vast.

TRUMP: No, I don't agree with that at all. But you have extremist Muslims that are in a class by themselves. I mean they are -- it is a problem in this country and it's a problem throughout the world.

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SERFATY: And Trump was also confronted over the weekend by a student at an event who asked him if he would consider including a Muslim in his cabinet or potentially even putting a Muslim on his ticket. Donald Trump said he would and that he does not have a problem with them. John, and Christine.

[05:05:00] BERMAN: All right, Sunlen, thank you so much.

So the last few hours, Donald Trump has been on an anti-Carly Fiorina twitter rant.

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BERMAN: Overnight, he wrote, "There is no way that Carly Fiorina can become the Republican Nominee or win against the Dems. Boxer killed her for Senate in California."

And he writes, "Carly Fiorina did such a horrible job at Lucent and HP, virtually destroying both companies, that she never got another CEO job offer." Trump also writes "I am attracting the biggest crowds by far, and the best poll numbers, also by far. Much of the media is totally dishonest." He writes and it makes him so very sad.

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BERMAN: And on "STATE OF THE UNION", Donald Trump accused debate moderator, Jack Tapper of going easy on Carly Fiorina. Listen.

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TRUMP: Well I think Carly had a good night, but I think you gave her a lot of very easy questions. You know you read off a couple of questions which all you had to do is say I agree with that. So I think that you know she had some pretty easy questions. You gave her some beautiful softballs. I think ...

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BERMAN: That voice is Jake Tapper laughing at Donald Trump right there.

Carly Fiorina will be on "The Tonight Show" tonight with Jimmy Fallon.

ROMANS: All right, happening this morning a Muslim-American group plans to call on Ben Carson to drop out of the Presidential race after Carson said the U.S. should not elect a Muslim President.

Carson asked whether a President's faith should matter to voters, responded "I guess it depends on what that faith is." And he added if it is consistent with the constitution, no problem.

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TAPPER: So do you believe that Islam is consistent with the constitution?

BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, I don't, I do not. I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that.

TAPPER: And you -- would you ever consider voting for a Muslim for congress?

CARSON: Congress is a -- is a different story but it depends on who that Muslim is and what their policies are.

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ROMANS: A spokesman for the Carson campaign said the candidate did not mean a Muslim should be prevented from running for President. Only Carson only that Carson "just doesn't believe that the American people are ready for that."

BERMAN: Let me read just read Article 6.

ROMANS: Please do.

BERMAN: At least Article 6 paragraph 3 of the constitution; "No religious test shall ever be required as qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

This morning Republicans are attacking President Obama's nomination of a gay man to be the next Secretary of the Army. Mike Huckabee slammed Eric Fanning's nomination in a statement saying the President is "more interested in appeasing America's homosexuals than honoring America's heroes." Those were Mike Huckabee's words.

Ted Cruz says the early White House talking points are not encouraging. But he says he will wait until Fanning's confirmation hearing to weigh the nomination on its merits.

ROMANS: Developing this morning, the wife of Joe Biden appears to be on board with a possible run for the White House. A spokesperson for Jill Biden not disputing a NBC news report that she

is "not an obstacle" to the bid for the Democratic nomination her husband is now considering. There had been speculation she was reluctant to mount another bid.

Meanwhile nearly 50 top Democratic fund-raisers and activists have signed a letter urging Joe Biden to jump into the race, saying he is sure to win if he does. Hillary Clinton though telling CBS that she is not doing anything to prepare for a Biden run.

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HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, we are not. Because this, you know this is such a personal decision and the Vice President has to you know sort this out. He's been so open in talking about how difficult this time is for him and his family and he's obviously considering what he wants to do, including whether he wants to run. And I just have the greatest respect and affection for him. And I think everybody just ought to give him the space to decide what's best for him and his family.

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BERMAN: We have a new poll coming out for the Democratic race in less than one hour. You'll want to stay tuned for that because I think the results are going to surprise many of you.

The President of Iran says he believes the lack of trust with his country and the U.S. will not end anytime soon.

But Hassan Rouhani insists the first steps have been taking toward easing that trust because of the landmark nuclear agreement. The Iranian leader tells CBS News what matters now is the direction the two nations are taking.

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HASSAN ROUHANI, PRESIDENT OF IRAN (via translation): We wanted this incorrect accusation that Iran is after nuclear weapons corrected and resolved. And that the goal of Iran is peaceful activity. In this deal, we have accepted limitations for a period of time in order to create more trust with the world.

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BERMAN: Rouhani says he is confident Iran's parliament and Supreme National Security Council will approve the nuclear agreement.

ROMANS: Right, time for an early start on your money. European Asian shares are mixed. Shanghai's index is up about 2 percent. U.S. Stock Futures up a bit. Look, it was a really tough day on Friday. The Dow dropped 290 points. The focus is the Fed's concern about global growth.

That was something resonating throughout markets on Friday and again overnight. ROMANS: JP Morgan Chase CEO and billionaire, Jamie Dimon, says he

would be fine paying a bit more in taxes. Here are his comments on Sunday's "Meet the Press."

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[05:10:06] JAMIE DIMON, CEO, JPMORGAN CHASE: If you said to me would you pay 10 percent more, I'd say yes, I'd have no personal problems at all, Zero. And I understand you know that I should be paying more than my assistant pays and something like that.

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ROMANS: The top income tax rate is currently 39.6 percent. Executive pay and taxes have been a big issue on the campaign trail.

Bernie Sanders says he's OK with bringing back a 90 percent tax rate on the wealthiest Americans. Something that hasn't been in place since the early 1960s.

BERMAN: An emotional end to the television's biggest night.

Tracy Morgan, who is still recovering from the devastating highway accident appeared on stage to a standing ovation. He thanked everyone for prayers and positive thoughts. And then he showed the world -- he showed the world he has not lost his comic touch.

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TRACY MORGAN, COMEDIAN: It has been a long road back. I suffered a traumatic brain injury that put me in a coma for eight days. When I finally regained consciousness, I was just ecstatic to learn that I wasn't the one who messed up. Only recently I've started to feel like myself again. So, which means a lot of young women are going to get pregnant at the after-party.

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BERMAN: That's not a joke that everyone can make right there, I don't know.

ROMANS: I'm not sure.

BERMAN: Morgan handed out the top prize of the night Best Drama Series which was the HBO's "Game of Thrones."

ROMANS: A dozen Emmys handed out, they broke the record for the most wins ever in a single year.

BERMAN: Another HBO show "Veep" won the Emmy for Best Comedy Series. It stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus who won fourth straight best actress Emmy. It turns out she's very, very funny. Taking a selfie with Mel Brookes right there. And that's the creator of (INAUDIBLE) right there.

And how about this, Jon Hamm finally won Best Actor for his role as Don Draper in the very last season of "Mad Men." He'd been nominated like a million and a half times and had never won, so this came as a surprise to him. He said there must be some mistake.

ROMANS: Have you seen it?

BERMAN: "Mad Men"?

ROMANS: Yes. The last season? Could we talk about it?

BERMAN: Yes, So he does the coke ad and he wins the Emmy all in the same year.

Viola Davis not only won, she made history becoming the first African- American woman to win Best Actress in a drama series for "How To Get Away With Murder."

ROMANS: Yes, she's really talented on that show. That's a really good show.

All right, American hostages held captive for months in Yemen. They are free this morning. The story behind their release after the break.

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BERMAN: Two American hostages held for six months by Houthis rebels in Yemen are free this morning.

The two men along with four others captors were flown to Oman. Scott Darden and Sam Farran had been trying to flee Yemen in March when they were taken prisoner. One other American also believed to have been taken by the Houthis remains in captivity this morning. So cause for celebration, but also concern.

Let's get the very latest from CNN international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh. Nick?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well the elation of the families of Scott Darden and Sam Farron of course obviously totally contrasting with the agonizing wait for the family of that third American of whom little detail is known.

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WALSH: There had been original reports suggesting there were three Americans on board the flight that left the capital of Yemen, Sana'a yesterday bound for Muscat, the capital of neighboring Oman.

Now that plane had been organized by the Omani government who played a significant role we're told by the White House in organizing that release.

On board that plane too three Saudi Arabian citizens and one Britain the U.K. Government has confirmed. But now it's landed a long time now in Oman obviously Scott Darden and

Sam Farron beginning the task of being debriefed and acclimatizing back to normal life. And we're told by a diplomat in Yemen that this was part of a move by the Houthis who were holding these Americans and other foreigners to try and begin some kind of peace process. A goodwill gesture, if you like.

A Houthi delegation, remember the Houthis are locked in a bitter civil war holding the capital but surrounded in many fronts by a Saudi Arabian backed coalition that used the skies and the ground forces to try and pressure them there that the Houthis were perhaps getting this plane in the air with the foreigners on board as a goodwill gesture to perhaps try and spark up peace talks to some degree.

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WALSH: It has been brutal this war. 5,000 dead roughly 2,000 of those said to be civilians. Many of them killed by air strikes we're told by Human Rights groups. Many cease fires have collapsed. The U.N. want to see talks begin. Maybe this plane's landing in Oman was a bid to try to say to the Americans who are backing the Saudis, look we are genuine about peace. That message from the Houthis, but many diplomats are skeptical whether they actually can bring some kind of cessation to the hostilities here. But still for two American families wonderful news yesterday, and for one a moment of agonizing wait, and then the sad news that yes, their loved one is still in captivity. John.

BERMAN: Nick Paton Walsh for us in Beirut. You've got to feel for that family of that man still in captivity right now. Thank you, Nick.

ROMANS: Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was a disillusioned soldier who was frustrated with his mission and commanders when he hatched a plan to run away from his outpost for just a day or two. That's according to military prosecutors who claim Bergdahl then planned to demand a meeting with the general to air his grievances but instead was captured by the Taliban.

Bergdahl faces up to life in prison on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. A decision on whether he will face a court martial is expected in the next few days.

BERMAN: The Dallas Cowboys are off to a 2-0 start, but they suffered a big loss in the process.

Also the Patriots are awesome. Coy Wire with our daily Patriots report and also some Bleacher Report coming up next.

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[05:22:24] BERMAN: The NFC East leading Dallas Cowboys. They have a perfect 2-0 record, but some devastating news for Dallas as well.

ROMANS: Coy Wire has more in this morning's Bleacher Report, hey Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, we'll get to your Patriots John, don't worry.

Look, Dallas lost star (INAUDIBLE) Dez Bryant for at least six weeks with a broken foot and it now looks as if Tony Romo, the quarterback, is going to miss about eight to ten weeks with a broken collarbone.

Here's a video. This is in the third quarter, Romo gets planted. (INAUDIBLE) in the turf by Eagles linebacker, Jordan Hicks. Now Romo said that he knew right away his collarbone was broke and it's the same one he broke in week 7 of 2010 when he had to miss the rest of the year.

Look at this like Jimmy (INAUDIBLE) off the top rope (INAUDIBLE) drills him. Now Romo's going to get tested today to determine if he needs surgery. The good news the Cowboys won the game, 20-10, but this injury bug could make for a long season in Dallas.

The Packers hosting the Seahawks in a rematch of last seasons NFC title game that lost Green Bay a trip to the Super Bowl. A bit of redemption on his mind. Aaron Rodgers shines like on this play. Opening drive, Scrambles left, throws right, this guy could fit square pegs in round holes all day. 29 yard touchdown to James Jones (ph). Seattle would fight to take the lead in the fourth quarter, but Rodgers to Rodgers, Aaron to Richards, would seals the deal with a -- now with 27-17 win over Seattle. The Packers are now 37-3 at Lambeau Field to 20-10 with Rodgers at QB.

Bills fans were buzzing all weekend ahead of their match up against John Bernard's Patriots. A chance to go 2-0 with wins over the Pats and Colts. But Mr. Tom Brady Jr. had other plans. In the first half, the Patriots scored three touchdowns in less than six minutes. Brady was smoking like Jim Carrey in "The Mask." Throwing three touchdowns, 466 yard passing. The Bills didn't give up, they didn't give in, not as a comeback until the very end when (INAUDIBLE) Taylor threw his third interception and Pats win, 40-32. Blah, blah, blah.

Titans they make it a house call to the Browns. Johnny Manziel starting in place of the injured Josh McCown. And Manziel with surprise in the win showing slashes of his college days when he won the Heisman Travis Benjamin twice on the deep strike for touchdown.

Manziel gets his first win as the Browns starter. Cleveland wins 28- 14.

Christine, sorry about your Bears; they lost big to the Cardinals, 48- 23. And John, your Pats, I mean when I used to play for the Bills, I used to hate going up against the Pats. And yesterday, I had PTSD. Pats traumatic stress disorder. Good win, my friend.

BERMAN: But you have just spent the week taunting the Patriots. Don't taunt the Patriots leading up to a game against them. It doesn't seem like a wise move.

WIRE: I cannot condone those actions. I agree with you, you are right.

BERMAN: Coy, thanks very much, I appreciate it.

[05:25:08]

ROMANS: A big shakeup this morning in the race for president. Donald Trump and Ben Carson facing new criticism for what they are saying about Muslims. And Carly Fiorina wow, she sky rockets in a new CNN poll.

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ROMANS: New controversy in the race for President. Donald Trump and Ben Carson facing new criticism for what they are now saying about Muslims.

BERMAN: The historic trip by Pope Francis in Cuba. Meeting with not one, but two Castro brothers and delivering a new message to the Cuban people, that's just days away from his arrival in the United States.>

ROMANS: An emotional night at the Emmys. Historic wins, records broken and a triumphant surprise appearance to close out the night.

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ROMANS: Welcome back to EARLY START. A lot going on this Monday morning. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: And I'm John Berman; it's about 30 minutes past the hour right now.

New controversy in the Republican race for President this morning. Ben Carson says a Muslim should not be President, Donald Trump suggests we might already have a Muslim President.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you imagine supporting or being comfortable if a -- if a Muslim ever became President of the United States?

TRUMP: I can say that you know it's something that at some point could happen. We'll see. I mean you know it's something that could happen. Would I be comfortable? I don't know that we have to address it right now but I think it is certainly something that could happen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said you had no problem putting a Muslim in your cabinet.

TRUMP: I mean some people have said it already happened, frankly. But of course you wouldn't agree with that.