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Pope Arrives in the U.S.; The Race for President; New York Yankees Legend Yogi Berra Dies at 90; German League Player Scores 5 Goals in 9 Minutes. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired September 23, 2015 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Boris Sanchez.
[05:00:00] It's Wednesday, September 23rd, 5:00 a.m. on the East Coast.
And we start today with a historic moment outside Washington as Pope Francis arrives for a six-day visit.
He was greeted in person by the president, the vice president and their families. The pontiff greeted by a raucous welcome at Joint Base Andrews. Then in a symbol of humility that marked his papacy, the pope climbed into not the usual limousine, but they got his Fiat hatchback for a drive to walk. You won't catch him riding dirty.
Today, Pope Francis will be formally welcomed on his first ever with a White House ceremony and also for the one-on-one private meeting with the president.
With the latest on what's ahead for the Holy Father today, senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Boris, it was one of the biggest symbolic moments of the Obama presidency, with the president and first family, plus the nation's first Catholic vice president and Dr. Jill Biden altogether greeting the pope. It made for an unprecedented welcome for the United States at Andrews Air Force Base.
Day two of the pope's visit later on this morning, it will be a sight to behold. For starters, 15,000 visitors are expected to cram on to the White House South Lawn to witness the pope's official arrival ceremony. After the president greets the pope, the two leaders will speak to the world and then hold a one-on-one meeting with only translators in the room. That is all before Pope Francis addresses Congress on Thursday. The Vice President Joe Biden will be in attendance for that.
And even though the president and pope are allies on issues ranging from climate change to income inequality to Cuba, the White House has been very secretive about what these two men will discuss during their meeting in the Oval Office. Perhaps that's because this pope can be full of surprises. I can tell you, after their last meeting in Rome last year, we asked the president whether any hot button social issues were raised, the president said the pope unexpectedly brought up immigration reform, and the White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett is telling CNN these two leaders may have more business to tackle in the coming months as the president winds up his time in office -- Boris and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right, Jim. Thanks for that, Jim.
Also on the pope's schedule today, the canonization of a new American saint. Father Junipero Serra established the Spanish mission in California more than 200 years ago. But his canonization is controversial. Many Native Americans and Latinos hold him responsible for the enslavement of California Indians and their forced conversion to Christianity. Others see Father Serra's canonization as an opportunity to begin healing very old wounds.
On Thursday, more opportunities for controversy as the pope addresses a joint session of Congress. The mystery there: will he bring up climate change? Economic inequality?
CNN's Rosa Flores has the latest from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christine and Boris, Pope Francis waking up in the United States for the very first time. This is his first trip to America.
And he's got an action packed day. He starts off at the White House with a welcome ceremony. And then he meets the bishops, and then he comes to the basilica you see behind me for the canonization ceremony of Junipero Serra. And he's the first Hispanic-American to be canonized.
Now, I've been flying with the pope on the papal plane. There was a papal plane press conference on the way from Cuba to the United States where we were asking the pope about, you know, what is he going to say on his speech before Congress, the much anticipated speech before Congress. And he said that the embargo will not be mentioned.
But he did say that what happens he might speak about bilateral and multi-lateral relations agreements and how they are a sign of progress and co-existence. As for what he is actually going to say? Well, we're going to have to wait until Thursday to find out -- Christine, Boris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Thank you, Rosa.
The pope's U.S. tour, including Washington, New York and Philadelphia has triggered one of the largest security mobilizations in American history. Jointly run by the Secret Service, and the FBI, the security operation involves federal, state and city law enforcement officers.
Their task is complicated. Part of the reason is we know the pope is spontaneous. He often reaches out, interacts with the huge crowds he draws, and it's also complicated by the variety of places he's going to be visiting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH CLANCY, DIRECTOR, U.S. SECRET SERVICE: Each venue is different and presents different challenges, an outdoor event as opposed to an indoor event. With an outdoor event such as we see here on the Ben Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, it creates enormous challenges, but we have to adapt to that. We had.
You have to have structure. If you don't have structure, you have mayhem. And you have to have routes available so if there is an incident, we can certainly get the Holy Father out of the city.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Make sure to stay with CNN for live coverage of the pope's visit all day long. And we're going to bring you events as they happened.
ROMANS: Another big, very high profile visit today, China's president touring Washington state.
[05:05:04] Tensions between the U.S. and China are as high as they have been in years. A long list of concerns for U.S. officials, industrial espionage, human rights, Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea and a host of other issues. Today, President Xi Jinping will visit Boeing's factory.
And this announcement, brand new announcement just crossed the wires. China's commercial aircraft corporation, Boeing, announcing this morning they've signed a deal to complete a 737 completion center, to build a 737 completion center in China, and a group of Chinese companies will buy 300 Boeing jets.
The President Xi will take part in tech demos at Microsoft. He's going to visit a high school in Tacoma. On Tuesday, he gave speech in Seattle, pledging to work with America to stop cyber crimes and telling the American business leaders there China is opened for business.
I got to tell you, though, there are a lot of concerns, specifically, Chinese government activity in the cyber hacking field. That's the U.S. has been very concerned about those allegations the Chinese says they don't do that. I can guarantee you, along the way on this tropic, that topic will come up behind closed doors.
SANCHEZ: Certainly. The indication is that there may be an agreement for something that would kind of keep them alive when it comes to peaceful attacks on infrastructure. But there is nothing related to cyber espionage.
ROMANS: Right, talking about some kind of framework, the rules of the road. But we'll see what comes up.
SANCHEZ: Turning now for the latest battle on the battle against ISIS in Syria. A U.S. official tells CNN that American commanders are proposing to provide arms and ammunition to a coalition of up to 5,000 anti-ISIS Syrian rebels. The group loosely known as the Syrian-Arab Coalition has had recent success against ISIS and at the same time, the Pentagon effort to equip and train other moderate Syrian rebels has been faltering.
Meantime, the Syrian government confirming it's now received advanced fire and recon aircraft from Russia. The Assad regime says the planes and drones are enhancing its ability to target ISIS fighters. This as a top former general goes before a Senate panel, criticizing what he calls America's failure to stabilize the situation in Syria.
General David Petraeus arguing that chaos in Syria is creating an opening for Russia to reestablish its empire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID PETRAEUS, RETIRED U.S. ARMY GENERAL: Like a nuclear disaster, the fallout from the meltdown of Syria threatens to be with us for decade, and the longer it is permitted to continue, the more severe the damage will be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Meantime, ISIS is crank up the Syrian refugee crisis. Nearly a dozen ISIS videos released in recent weeks denounced the refugees, calling them unbelievers, while begging them to return to the ISIS caliphate.
The Senate now working to avoid a government shutdown before the October 1st deadline. Senate leaders say a stopgap funding bill to extend the federal budget for another ten weeks is gaining traction. In the meantime, the White House Budge Office has started working with government agencies on shutdown plans already, just in case there is a lapse.
ROMANS: It feels like 2013 all over again.
All right . Time for an early start on your money.
Asian shares closed lower after China's manufacturing company hit a six-year low. European stocks bouncing a bit. We're watching the auto sector. Volkswagen shares, wow, recovering a little from early losses.
But I got to tell you, this is a huge scandal for Volkswagen. It has shed more than a third of its value this week as the emissions scandal grows. VW now saying there could be 11 million of its cars that have this rigged software to help it avoid emissions testing, rather.
The drug that saw 5,000 percent price hike overnight, well, coming down. Turing Pharmaceutical CEO, a guy named Martin Shkreli, he became the face of public outrage after his company hiked the price of a drug called Daraprim from $13.50 a pill to $750. Now, he's backing down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN SHKRELI, CEO, TURING PHARMACEUTICALS: We agreed to lower the price of Daraprim to a point that is more affordable and is able to allow the company and make a profit but a very small profit. And we think these change will be welcomed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The controversial CEO has not said just how much lower that price will be or when that change will be made.
SANCHEZ: He is certainly coming under a lot of fire. He also has quite a bit of history on social media, making comments that now are coming back to light, not really gaining him any favor.
ROMANS: Yes, a 32-year-old former hedge fund manager, you know, self- taught in the pharmaceutical business. We have an interesting story about his background on CNNMoney.com. I encourage anybody who's interested in that story to go to CNN Money because very interesting about his business background there.
SANCHEZ: Donald Trump and Ben Carson refusing to back down about controversial comments about Muslims. The development in the race for president, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:12:50] ROMANS: All right. The State Department and Hillary Clinton at odds over just how the investigation into her private e- mail server got started in the first place, Hillary Clinton says she was initially asked to turn over e-mails as part of a benign record keeping procedure. But "The Washington Post" reports the State Department initiated the investigation as soon as it discovered Clinton was exclusively using a private server in her home. The former secretary of state says she cannot explain that discrepancy.
Clinton also breaking her silence on the Keystone Pipeline. She is taking a position against that controversial project.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it is imperative that we look at the Keystone Pipeline as what I believe it is, a distraction from the important work we have to do to combat climate change and, unfortunately, from my perspective, one that interferes with our ability to move forward to deal with all the other issues. Therefore, I oppose it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Clinton says she will be releasing a plan for a clean energy agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada in the next few days, a plan she says, Boris, will create jobs. SANCHEZ: Donald Trump refusing to back down. The Republican front
runner still taking heat for not correcting an anti-Muslim comment made by a supporter at a town hall meeting. Trump says it's not up to him to defend the president, insisting he won't be apologizing in this interview with CBS's Scott Pelley.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT PELLEY, CBS NEWS: It was a testing moment for a man running for president.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think so.
PELLEY: You never know when they're coming.
TRUMP: I don't think so.
PELLEY: But here you had a bigot.
TRUMP: That wasn't a testing. Well, you don't know that.
PELLEY: You could have slapped down.
TRUMP: You don't know that. I mean, he asked a question. You don't know that he was a bigot. But, look, look, he said --
PELLEY: A problem in this country is Muslims?
TRUMP: Well, let me ask you this, you said, there is a problem in this country, and it's Muslims, all right? I love the Muslims. I have many, many, friends, people living in this building, Muslims. They're phenomenal people. But like everything else, you have people where there are problems.
Now, we can say there are no problems with the Muslims. There's no problem. There's no terrorism. There's no crime. There is no anything. They didn't knock down the World Trade Center.
To the best of my knowledge, the people that knocked down the World Trade Center, you know where they -- they didn't fly back to Sweden.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Trump also making an appearance last night on the "Late Show" with Stephen Colbert. And it sounds like he's hit the wall when it comes to questions about Barack Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[05:15:04] STEPHEN COLBERT, COMEDIAN: This is the last time you ever have to address the question if you hit the ball. OK?
TRUMP: Go ahead.
COLBERT: OK. Like sauce all over my hand, this meatball so big. OK.
TRUMP: I want to hear this.
COLBERT: Barack Obama born in the United States?
TRUMP: Let me just --
COLBERT: Was he? It's a meatball.
TRUMP: I know.
COLBERT: It's hanging out there. Right there. Come on.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: And you want to know, I don't talk about it anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: And Trump didn't want to hit the meatball. But he did turn up the attacks on Marco Rubio tweeting overnight, quote, "Senator Marco 'amnesty' Rubio, who has worst voting record on Senate just hit me on national security. But I said, don't go into Iraq. Vision."
Trump will be campaigning in South Carolina, speaking to the African- American Chamber of Commerce in North Charleston.
ROMANS: Ben Carson trying to calm the uproar. Carson initially said he did not believe a Muslim should be in the White House. And he was slammed by Democrats and fellow Republicans and now appears to be softening that position.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't care what a person's religious beliefs are or what their religious heritage is. If they embrace American culture, if they embrace our Constitution and are willing to place that above their religious beliefs, I have no problem with them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Carson insists he has not changed his position on Muslims. In a Facebook post, he claims he can support a Muslim candidate for president if that candidate renounces Sharia law.
SANCHEZ: Meantime, Carly Fiorina hitting the campaign trail in South Carolina, trying to build on a strong performance in the CNN debate The former Hewlett Packard CEO now second in the polls fighting back against attacks from front runner Donald Trump.
We get more from CNN national correspondent Sunlen Serfaty in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Boris and Christine. While as Carly Fiorina rises in the poll, Donald Trump is really
ramping up his line of attacks, going after her business record, saying that she sounds like a robot, even saying that her voice gives him a headache.
Now, on the campaign trail in South Carolina, Carly Fiorina says she believes this is one small sign she is starting to make Donald Trump sweat now that she's in the second spot.
Here's what she said Tuesday in Myrtle Beach.
CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It might seem that Donald Trump is getting a little nervous. Maybe I'm getting under his skin a little bit. I am happy to run on the facts of my record and Mr. Trump is going to have to run on the facts of his record.
As I said during the debate, all of us will be revealed over time and under pressure. And I think it's that's fair for the voters to see.
SERFATY: And the Fiorina campaign has been trying to capitalize on this moment, this momentum that they see after the debate. But Carly Fiorina herself admitted, she says that she is keenly aware that it's not just about doing well in the debates, that she has to bring something more to make that momentum stick.
So, she is in the middle of a three-day swing throughout South Carolina. She will hit three cities today. The campaign says that they are eager to show her in setting that show off her substance. She had a national security conversation for over an hour yesterday, but they also want to highlight her style and her personality.
A campaign aide telling me that they are eager to show she is a real person -- Boris and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Sunlen Serfaty for us in Myrtle Beach, thanks, Sunlen.
History-making night on the pitch in Germany, one player scoring five goals in less than nine minutes. You have to see it to believe it. Andy Scholes has the bleacher report, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:22:18] SANCHEZ: The sports world mourning the death of New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra this morning. Berra died of natural causes Tuesday at his home in New Jersey.
ROMANS: Andy Scholes has morning on this morning's bleacher report.
Hey, Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, guys.
Yogi Berra was one of the most iconic players to play baseball. He won ten World Series with Yankees. The most all-time by any player. Berra also won three American League MVP awards during his 17-year career. And after his playing career, he went on to manage both the Yankees and the Mets. Berra was known as much for his off huge humorous quotes, as his on-field achievement. The two most famous are probably "it ain't over until it's over" and "it's deja vu all over again". Yogi Berra was 90-years-old.
All right. The battle for the AL East between the Yankees and Blue Jays continuing last night. Toronto, bottom 9, Yankees up by 1. Dioner Navarro take Andrew Miller deep, to tie the game. We would go to extra innings. In extra, 2 on for Greg Byrd. He's going to take this one deep. This is his third home run in three games. Yankees were to win it 6-4. They trail the Blue Jays by two-and-a-half games with 12 to go.
In the NL, Cubs and Brewers squaring off. Kris Bryant going to get ahold of this one. This will be his 26th home run of the season the most ever by a Cubs' rookie. That's all Jake Ariata would need. He pitched a three-hitter as the Cubs would win this one 4-0. Ariata is the first pitcher to get to 20 wins this season with an ERA under 2. He's the front runner to win the NL Cy Young Award. The Cubs are closing in on their post-season berth since 28.
All right. It's not often we get German soccer highlights in the bleacher report, but Bayern Munich, Robert Lewandowski's four star hand. He came in yesterday's match with his team down a goal. And then he goes on to score not one, not two, not three, not four, but five goals, and he did it in under nine minutes. It's the fastest anyone has scored five goals in Bundesliga history. Bayern would beat Wolfsburg 5-1.
Check out the manager there. He could not believe it. Guys, there are some teams in Europe that haven't scored five goals in entire season. And Lewandowski did that in under nine minutes.
How do you think those teams are feeling right now?
ROMANS: Oh, man. Curious about them. How is he feeling right now?
SCHOLES: What a game.
SANCHEZ: Great highlights on EARLY START as well.
ROMANS: That's cool, that's cool.
All right. Andy Scholes, thanks.
SCHOLES: Have a good one.
ROMANS: Twenty-four minutes, 25 minutes past the hour.
Pope Francis waking up in the United States for the very first time, beginning a historic trip to take him to the White House this morning. We are breaking it all down, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [05:28:25] SANCHEZ: Pope Francis waking up in the United States for the very first time, set to meet one-on-one with President Obama in just a few hours. We are breaking down this historic six-day visit.
ROMANS: Donald Trump and Ben Carson still defending their controversial comments about Muslims, as Hillary Clinton faces new questions about her State Department e-mail investigation. The race for president intensifies this morning.
SANCHEZ: And the loss of a legend overnight. Yankee's Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra passed away at 90-years-old.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Boris Sanchez.
ROMANS: So nice to see you here this morning.
I'm Christine Romans. It is 28, 29 minutes past the hour.
Let's begin with this: the historic moment outside Washington as Pope Francis arrives for his six-day visit.
Greeted in person by the president the vice president and their families, the pontiff greeted by a raucous welcome at Joint Base Andrews, then in a symbol of the humility that marked his papacy, the pope climbed into not the usual limousine, but instead, he climbed into a Fiat hatchback for the drive to walk. Today, Pope Francis will be formally welcomed on his first ever visit to the White House -- to the U.S. with his White House ceremony. He's also going to hold a private one-on-one meeting with the president.
With the latest on what's ahead for the Holy Father today, we've got senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Christine and Boris, it was one of the biggest symbolic moments of the Obama presidency, with the president and first family, plus the nation's first Catholic vice president and Dr. Jill Biden altogether greeting the pope. It made for an unprecedented welcome for the United States at Andrews Air Force Base.
Day two of the pope's visit later on this morning, it will be a sight to behold. For starters, 15,000 visitors are expected to cram on to the White House South Lawn to witness the pope's official arrival ceremony.
