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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Trump, Carson Enter "Muslim President" Fray; American Hostages Released in Yemen; Day Two for Pope Francis in Cuba; Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired September 21, 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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[04:30:04] DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Would I be comfortable? I don't know if we have to address it right now but I think it is certainly something that could happen.
CHUCK TODD, MSNBC ANCHOR: 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Now both Trump and Carson find themselves in dramatically reordered battle to become president.
Carly Fiorina has vaulted into the second place in a new CNN-ORC poll, riding the wave from her CNN debate performance. She received rock star treatment at a Republican conference in Michigan and says she has every intention of milking the new attention and 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 as people come to know me and they understand who I am and what I've done, and most importantly what I will do, 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 little bit more about me.
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ROMANS: All right. For the very latest, let's turn to CNN's Sunlen Serfaty on Mackinac Island.
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL 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 just 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. And if you compare that to Carly Fiorina, she has leaped 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's 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 this controversy which happened last week in New Hampshire. That exchange he had with a supporter not only failing to correct that supporter who claimed that 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: But 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 that he would and that he does not have a problem with that. John, and Christine.
BERMAN: All right, Sunlen, thank you so much.
So this morning it is clear that Donald Trump is feeling the heat from Carly Fiorina at least on Twitter. Overnight he wrote, "There is no way that Carly Fiorina can become the Republican nominee or win against the Dems. Boxer," he means Barbara 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 offer."
He also notes, "I am attracting the biggest crowds by far and the best poll numbers also by far. Much of the media is totally dishonest. So sad."
And on "STATE OF THE UNION" with Jake Tapper Donald Trump accused the debate moderator, Jake Tapper, of going easy on Carly Fiorina. Listen.
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TRUMP: 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: You heard Jake laughing there in the background. Carly Fiorina will get a national platform this evening. She will be a guest with Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show."
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, quote, "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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[04:35:04] TODD: 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.
TODD: 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: A spokesman for the Carson campaign says the candidate did not mean a Muslim should be prevented from running for president. Only that Carson, quote, "just doesn't believe the American people are ready for that."
BERMAN: Republicans this morning attacking President Obama's nomination of a gay man to be secretary of the army. Mike Huckabee is slamming Eric Fanning's nomination in a statement. He said the president is, quote, "more interested in appeasing America's homosexuals than honoring America's heroes." These are Mike Huckabee's words.
Ted Cruz called early White House talking points not encouraging but he says he will wait until Fanning's confirmation hearings to weigh the nomination on its merits.
ROMANS: All right. Developing this morning, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden appears to be on board with a possible run for the White House. A spokesperson for Jill Biden is not disputing an NBC News report that she is, quote, not an obstacle to the bid for the Democratic nomination for her husband that he is now considering.
There had been speculation she was reluctant to mount another bid. And meanwhile, nearly 50 top Democratic fundraisers and activists have signed a letter urging Joe Biden to jump into the race, saying he is sure to win if he does. Even so, Hillary Clinton tells 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 some new poll numbers in the Democratic race coming out at 6:00 a.m. this morning and they may surprise a lot of you. So you want to tune in for that.
The United States is increasing the number of refugees it will admit and resettle in the upcoming fiscal year and beyond. 85,000 refugees from all over the world will be accepted during the fiscal year 2016. That is an increase of 15,000 and covers the White House's commitment to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees to help Europe deal with its migrant crisis. In 2017, the total number will be increased to 100,000. Secretary of State John Kerry made the announcement during a visit to Germany.
ROMANS: Syria's Assad regime welcoming Russia's growing military role in the country's bloody civil war. But Secretary of State John Kerry is warning it could lure more extremists to the conflict and complicate peace efforts. Syria's Foreign minister disagrees, insisting Russia's increased flow of arms to the region could be a game changer in the war against ISIS.
BERMAN: The president of Iran says he believes a lack of trust between his country and the United States will not end any time soon. But as Hassan Rouhani insists the first steps had been taken toward easing that distrust because of the landmark nuclear agreement. The Iranian leader tells CBS News what matters now is the direction the two nations are taking. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSAN ROUHANI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (Through 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 that Iran's parliament and Supreme National Security Council will approve the nuclear agreement.
ROMANS: All right. Time for an EARLY START on your money this morning. U.S. stock futures lower after a pretty rough end to last week. The Dow dropped 290 points Friday. A lot of uncertainty about the Federal Reserve's plans for an interest rate hike. You know, the Fed left interest rates unchanged on Thursday and now the focus is on the Fed's obvious concern about global growth.
One stock plunging today, Volkswagen. The car company's CEO apologizing to customers for broken trust. This after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the company cheated on emissions tests for almost 500,000 cars on U.S. roads. By programming some diesel cars to turn on emission controls only when tested. Volkswagen CEO stopped short of admitting guilt but apologized and promised to cooperate fully with the investigation. The company has stopped selling the cars at the center of that issue.
BERMAN: An emotional end to television's biggest night. Tracy Morgan who is still recovering from a devastating highway accident last year. He appeared on stage to a standing ovation. He thanked everyone for their prayers and their positive thoughts and then he showed the world that he has not lost his comic touch.
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TRACY MORGAN, COMEDIAN: It's 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.
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[04:40:20] Only recently I've started to feel like myself again. So which means a whole lot of young women are going to get pregnant at the after-party.
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BERMAN: Morgan handed out the top prize of the night. Best Drama Series went to HBO's "Game of Thrones." Winter is in fact coming. Another HBO show "Veep" won the Emmy for Best Comedy series. Its star, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, won her fourth straight Best Actress Emmy.
She looks like she owns it up there, right? ROMANS: She said she was so like happy to have such a cool job. She
loves her job and then to get this on top of it.
BERMAN: That's how I feel when I win my Emmys every year.
(LAUGHTER)
BERMAN: And you see Mel Brooks up there. He's a funny guy, too.
Jon Hamm finally won Best Actor for his role as Don Draper.
ROMANS: Crawling up to grab his success there.
BERMAN: He said there must be some mistake because he's been nominated a whole bunch of other times before and this is the only time he won.
ROMANS: He definitely deserves it. He deserved it.
BERMAN: Congratulations, Don Draper.
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: She's terrific in that series. She's terrific.
All right. 41 minutes past the hour. American hostages held for months inside Yemen. Now free this morning. The story behind their release next.
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[04:45:05] BERMAN: Two U.S. hostages who were held for six months by Houthi rebels in Yemen are free this morning. The two men along with four other captives 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 be taken by the Houthis remains in captivity this morning.
Let's get the latest from CNN's senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh.
Nick, the news that two are free, that will be welcomes to those families.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Certainly. Terrible few months they must have been through since they were first taken captive around about March as far as we know. Scott Darden, a logistics operator, shipping in and out aid actually into Yemen, and Sam Farran, reportedly involved in assisting with security arrangements for some of the expats living in Yemen.
But that negotiation for their release assisted, the White House says, by Omani officials. It was Oman, the eastern neighbor to Yemen that let that plane land and sent the plane to collect them. And we also understand that on that plane as well, outside of the three Saudi Arabian captives who were released by the Houthis and the one Briton, the British government confirms. And also released was a Houthi delegation.
A bit of backstory here. The Houthis are a rebel group inside Yemen in a lengthy civil war now with the Saudi Arabian-backed coalition to try to get the old government back in power in the country. Very brutal, 5,000 dead. Roughly about 2,000 of those civilians. Houthis now being pushed back towards the capital. So the suggestion from one diplomat I heard is in fact the Houthis are trying to release these men in a bid to try and spark up peace talks again to some degree.
The U.S. is backing the Saudis in this war here with intelligence and a little weaponry which they sell to Saudi Arabia. So the release of American captives certainly a goodwill gesture. Will that have any impact on a peaceful solution here, many doubt that. They see the Saudi Arabians feeling perhaps that the military solution is preferable to them. And if they can push the Houthis out of the capital by force. But it could be very bloody but certainly now out of the equation. Two American citizens. The fate of one, though, many had thought he might have been on the plane still unclear. His name, details, being kept close by U.S. officials based on safety -- John.
BERMAN: Still some uncertainty there, but good news for those two families.
Nick Paton Walsh, thank you so much.
ROMANS: Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl was a disillusioned soldier who was frustrated with his mission and his 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 he 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 expected in the next few days.
BERMAN: An Alabama man is facing three counts of attempted murder in a shooting at a church in Selma. 26-year-old James Minter allegedly opened fire inside the Oasis Tabernacle Church. His girlfriend, their infant daughter and a pastor were shot. The mother is in critical condition. Police investigating a possible motive, saying Minter and his girlfriend were involved in a dispute over visitation and police say there was an ongoing domestic violence situation according to police.
ROMANS: The mother of the girl who became known as Boston's Baby Doe will be arraigned in court today. Rachelle Bond is charged with an accessory after the fact in the death of 2-year-old Bella. Her body was found on a beach back in June. The mother's boyfriend, Michael McCarthy, he is charged with murder. Police investigating a possible motive say --
BERMAN: They say that the boyfriend apparently --
ROMANS: Thought she was possessed.
BERMAN: Yes. Possessed.
ROMANS: And was trying to -- such a sad story.
BERMAN: It's an awful, awful story out of Boston.
Crews in northern California are still struggling with two monster wildfires. The Valley and the Butte Fires are ranked the most destructive in state history. Officials say another 162 homes were destroyed Sunday bringing the total to nearly 1600 in the past two weeks. Cleanup has begun in some areas where residents are seeing for the first time what little is left of their homes.
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ANNE CURTIS, HOME DESTROYED BY WILDFIRE: Everything was destroyed. My house, the barn, the woodshed. Three cars, some tractors. A whole backhoe. The tires melted off.
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BERMAN: The Valley Fire is a little more than 50 percent contained. Authorities say the cause is still under investigation.
ROMANS: Francisco. Francisco. That is what they are chanting in the streets. Pope Francis meeting with the Castro brothers, delivering a new message to the people of Cuba, next.
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[04:53:23] BERMAN: The Pope is getting set for his second full day on his historic trip to Cuba. Following a morning mass, he will fly to Santiago for a meeting with bishops. The Pope already breaking barriers meeting with the Cuban President Raul Castro and Raul's predecessor, Fidel. The Pope treading lightly when discussing human rights, refusing so far to directly criticize the Cuban dictators.
Let's get more now from CNN's Ed Lavandera in Havana.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, Pope Francis ended his first full day in Cuba doing what he loves to do most. Meeting with a large group of young people. This was significant because the Vatican brought in a Wi-Fi system and encouraged the young people in the crowd to send out social media messages to the rest of the world. Important because Cuba is one of the most disconnected countries on the planet. So access to this Wi-Fi connection is extremely rare for many people.
And this was significant. The Pope really seemed to enjoy all of it. And now he moves on from Havana on Monday. He will fly to the eastern provinces of Cuba, holding a series of masses over the next couple of days in the towns of Holguin and Santiago before he flies to the United States and starts his pilgrimage there and visits the cities of Washington, New York and Philadelphia -- John and Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Thanks for that, Ed.
If you are a workaholic, you might want to consider moving here.
BERMAN: Here?
ROMANS: Not here.
BERMAN: Not here? Where?
ROMANS: I'll tell you which cities work the hardest.
BERMAN: Where? I've got to stay away. I've got to run.
[04:50:50]
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ROMANS: Good morning. I'm Christine Romans. Let's get an EARLY START on your money this Monday morning. A splitting Fed-ache in markets around the world after the Fed chickened out of raising interest rates last week. European nations' shares mixed. Shanghai's index up almost 2 percent. U.S. stock futures are up, too, following an ugly end of last week. The Dow tumbled 290 points on Friday. The focus now on the Fed's concern about global growth. We're expecting volatility, John.
BERMAN: All that Yellen gave me a Fed-ache.
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ROMANS: My gosh. We could write down all of the terrible puns.
BERMAN: Right?
ROMANS: Johnny Depp had a big box office weekend. "Black Mass" brought in $23 million in the U.S. this weekend. It's a true crime story where Depp stars as crime lord Whitey Bulger.
What is his name?
BERMAN: Bulger.
ROMANS: Bulger. I'm not familiar. But I know he is legendary. Depp has had a string of box office bombs recently, making this the best opening since "The Lone Ranger" in 2013. This weekend's box officer winner, "The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trial." The second installment in the "Maze Runner" series made $33.3 million.
All right. What's the hardest working city in the country? Chicago.
BERMAN: That's according to Chicago.
ROMANS: That's according to a new CNN Money analysis. They work an average of 39 hours per week with 14 paid vacation days.
[05:00:01] So when it comes to the hardest working cities around the world, Chicago doesn't even come close to the top. Hong Kong lands the number one spot. Workers there have the longest hours in the world. More than 50 hours per week. Also topping the list, Mumbai, Mexico City, and New Delhi.
