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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Today, Pope Speaks To Congress; NYPD Assessment Lists Potential Attackers; Hackers Stole More Fingerprints Than Thought; Chinese President Meets With Big Tech Execs; Two Hundred Twenty Killed In Mecca Stampede; Trump Talks Trash Against Rivals; Clinton Denies Starting Birther Movement. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired September 24, 2015 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- Francis fashion, he meets with the homeless at Catholic charities and then he heads to New York where he speaks before the United Nations. Another much anticipated speech. He has been critical of Christians.
We are expecting that perhaps he will make some comments to put countries in the hot seat asking them perhaps to do a little more to help the refugees in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. We don't know, of course, what Francis will say. No one knows that. That is exactly who he is. We know if he speaks off the cuff, he could have these countries experience a coming to Jesus moment -- John, Christine.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: So after his meeting with the president, the pope spoke to 300 bishops at St. Matthew's Cathedral. He praised the bishop's courage as they bring healing to the victims of sexual abuse from priests.
Last night, the pope was met by adoring crowds at the basilica at the campus of Catholic University in Washington. He was there to canonize a new American Saint Junipero Serra.
This canonization is another source of controversy. A lot of Native Americans see Serra as a symbol of the mission systems oppression of the Native Americans. But the pope praised the new saint for trying to protect the natives and defend their dignity.
From there, the pope made an unscheduled visit. Clearly designed to make a statement with nuns from the Little Sisters of the Poor, the group has been fighting Obamacare that requires contraceptive coverage in health plans.
Vatican officials say the pope did not bring up the nuns' lawsuit, but instead focused on their ministry to the elderly poor. The spokesperson said in a statement the Holy Father spoke to each of us individually from the youngest postulant to our centenarian, and then he spoke to all of us about the importance of our ministry to the elderly. We were deeply moved by his encouraging words.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Later today, after the pope's speech to Congress, he will fly to New York where he'll be welcomed to JFK Airport by Mayor Bill De Blasio and Cardinal Timothy Dolan. He will arrive for a prayer service at the cathedral. The security for the pope's visit as a top concern really for
the NYPD, the department says there are no known threats to Pope Francis, but an NYPD threat assessment does list several groups that have expressed support for an attack on the pope including ISIS- inspired lone wolf attacks.
CNN's Don Lemon asked New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton about those threats.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM BRATTON, NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: A long list of nut jobs, crazy people. The concern is that some of them have the capability to carry out a threat. ISIS has shown remarkable validity to inspire people to engage in action, lone wolf-type of action. We treat this seriously. We watch it and monitor it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Stay with CNN all day long for continuing coverage of the pope's visit. We will be live as the Holy Father addresses Congress and heads to New York City.
BERMAN: We have breaking news out of Yemen. At least 29 people are dead at a bomb attack at a mosque there. This happened as worshippers were attending a morning prayer service. Officials say the death toll is expected to rise. At this point, no group has come forward claiming responsibility.
Hackers who stole security files from millions of Pentagon and government employees got away with 5.6 million fingerprint records. That is 4.5 million more than originally reported. That news comes just before the state visit to Washington by China's President Xi Jinping. Some officials believe China is responsibility for the breach.
ROMANS: All right, time for an EARLY START on your money. Stocks fall in Asia. China closed higher. Shanghai stock index is up 1 percent. European shares and U.S. stock futures are also higher. We will hear more from the fed chief, Janet Yellen today. She is giving a speech on inflation and monetary policy. Stay tuned. That could change expectations for when the fed will raise interest rates.
China's president gets an audience with the biggest names in tech. Look at this, Xi Jinping met with Apple's Tim Cook and Microsoft's (inaudible), Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and other executives for a tech government summit. The irony here is Facebook and Google and other sites are blocked in China.
Zuckerberg posted, quote, "On a personal note, this was the first time I have ever spoken with a world leader entirely in a foreign language. I consider that a meaningful personal milestone." For many of the business leaders there, the milestone they would really to see, however, is an easier time doing business.
[05:35:03] BERMAN: Stop hacking into the computer systems.
ROMANS: And there are a lot of rules of the road in China that have proven frustrating for American business.
BERMAN: Less hacking.
ROMANS: Less hacking and more intellectual property rights.
BERMAN: Donald Trump out in front in a new poll, but he is on the attack this against, well, everyone including us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: We have some disturbing breaking news this morning. Officials in Saudi Arabia say the death toll in a stampede at the hajj pilgrimage near Mecca now up to at least 220 people, 450 injured.
For the latest on this horrible accident, I want to bring in CNN's Becky Anderson live from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. This is just a real tragedy there.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is. The Saudi Civil Defense as you rightly point out now confirming 220 people dead, 450 wounded. The pictures that we are going to show you now are the very latest that we have to CNN.
It is not clear from the scene whether the rescues are ongoing or whether these people are in fact dead. Those pictures are from the scene from the city of Mina, and that is huge settlement, more than 100,000 tents.
Imagine that temporary accommodation for visiting pilgrims, a reminder of the enormous numbers of people involved in this pilgrimage.
[05:40:06] Christine, at least 2 million people expected to attend this year. That doubles the population of Mecca. In the past, the hajj has been hit with stampedes.
In 1990, 1,500 people died in a crush in the tunnel. Today is the ritual of the stoning of the devil where people throw pebbles at a wall symbolizing their rejection of evil and this particularly day too has seen several tragedies in the past.
The most recent tragedy was a decade ago. That was some 350 people killed on a bridge notorious for bottlenecks back in 2006. That did prompt tightening of security.
Of course, there are massive logistical and safety concerns for the Saudi authorities who host these millions who descend on Mecca. And authorities now telling us 4,000 rescue personnel have been deployed along with some 220 ambulances to help them.
We are getting reports of dozens of ambulances bringing the injured to hospitals in the region. Authorities are also well too aware that the pilgrimage is a target for terrorist groups as it has been in the past and the security this year for the hajj is particularly intense.
We have been told that they have 100,000 troops and counterterrorism units deployed. As we know, at present, a huge tragedy. The Saudi Civil Defense confirming 220 people dead at least and 450 have been injured. Back to you.
ROMANS: All right, thanks for that, Becky Anderson.
BERMAN: A new barrage of attacks from Donald Trump at an event in South Carolina, he targeted most of his presidential rivals. He speculated that Carly Fiorina is broke. He called Hillary Clinton shrill, a remark on Chris Christie, a remark at Rubio and Mike Huckabee all sweating during the CNN debate.
Now despite of this, Trump remains on top in the latest poll. Fox News has him at 26 percent. Ben Carson is eight points behind him. Carly Fiorina on the rise right there.
Let's get the latest on the Trump remarks in South Carolina from CNN's Sara Murray.
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Good Morning, John and Christine. Donald Trump rallying voters as he fielded questions in a more serious forum here in Columbia, South Carolina last night, giving a hint of what middle class families can expect in his tax policies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will be putting a tax plan in next week that will be very long on policy and will be a great plan with a major reduction in taxes for the middle class. That's what we have to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: An aide to the Trump campaign says we can expect the tax policy next week. Now here in South Carolina, Trump seemed like he was trying to get his groove back after a shaky debate performance. He came out swinging against nearly all of his GOP rivals.
But the newest target is Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Trump called the senator a lightweight and took issue with the senator questioning whether Trump was ready to be commander in chief.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Marco Rubio, who by the way, has the worst attendance record in the U.S. Senate has got the number one worst attendance record and they want him to be president, right?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: Now there were some old feuds reignited tonight as well. Donald Trump saying that he is now boycotting Fox News after they, quote, "Treated him very unfairly." Back to you, John and Christine.
BERMAN: He is not boycotting CNN, though. Donald Trump will be on CNN just a few hours during the 7:00 hour of "NEW DAY."
ROMANS: All right, Hillary Clinton insists there is no way she started the birther movement. The former secretary of state is taking a shot at Donald Trump in an interview with CNN's Don Lemon.
Clinton is calling all those rumors about President Obama's citizenship untrue. She brushed off allegations from some Republicans that she is responsible for starting them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Care to respond. Did you or your campaign start the whole birther thing and did you have --
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (via telephone): That is so -- no. That is so ludicrous, Don. Honestly, I just believe, first of all, it is totally untrue and secondly, the president and I never had any kind of confrontation like that.
This is such a bad example of what's wrong with instantaneous reactions and people feeding off the rhetoric of Donald Trump. Obviously we all have to stand against it. I have been blamed for nearly everything. That was a new one to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Take a look at this brand news Fox News poll. Voters asked regardless of how you will vote, who will be the next president? Hillary Clinton is on top at 28 percent. Donald Trump is in second at 20 percent. Bernie Sanders is the distant third at 5 percent.
[05:45:04] BERMAN: Let's take a look at what's coming up on "NEW DAY" traveling man, Chris Cuomo, joins us right now. Good morning, sir. You have been busy.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": John and Christine. It turns the pope will say global warming is real and Hillary Clinton did it. I love that conversation she had with Don Lemon. What an interesting thing in the political process.
What great time for Pope Francis to be here, about the confluence of a man and moment and a message. He will be the first pope ever to address a joint session of Congress. Everybody wants to know what he's going to say. What will he not say?
Most importantly, how is he going to say it? We heard global warming at the top of his agenda. We will take you through our guesses at what it could be and once the pope is going to give his speech, you get full and an analysis all morning long.
You will hear about the attacks on rival candidates. Is this a strategy that can take Donald Trump to the presidency? John and Christine.
BERMAN: We saw you get a wave from the pope yesterday, Chris.
CUOMO: I was blessed. See what happens in the next quiz show.
BERMAN: You need all the help you can get.
CUOMO: That's for sure.
ROMANS: The religious intervention to win the quiz show. All right, thanks so much.
China's president heading to the White House meeting with President Obama tonight, cyber security and hack attacks on the agenda. We are live right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:50:27]
BERMAN: All right, what a week in Washington. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives there today. He will have a private dinner tonight with the president. The two presidents have a complicated relationship with the countries dealing with military, economic and human rights disagreements.
Let's get the very latest from CNN's Andrew Stevens live in Hong Kong. Cyber security and hacking are at the very top of the list right now -- Andrew.
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is right, John. It is said they have a good personal relationship. Mr. Obama and Mr. Xi may have to dial up that side. They have a lot of differences to deal with. Cyber security, as you say, hacking, right up there.
Xi Jinping has been in Seattle and he has heard the same story over and over again over the past 24 hours about the concerns the real concerns that American business have to protect businesses and getting into the Chinese markets and getting in safely.
There was two key meetings today that Xi had, one was a forum organized by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson. That represented the cream of the tech industry in the U.S. like Tim Cook of Apple and Jeff Bezos of Amazon was there.
We had Microsoft as well. All the big players were there as were the big leaders of the Chinese companies, the Alibaba and others. The key topic here, John, is the U.S. complaining through the commerce secretary, who was also at the meetings, complaining about lack of access and intellectual property rights and pirating and allowing U.S. companies to compete on a level playing field.
So President Xi did hear a lot of this. He did say he wanted to ease restrictions for U.S. companies moving into China. He did say a lot of the right sounding words, but the proof of the pudding is in people looking forward.
And remember, at the meeting in Washington, there are sanctions on the table from the U.S. to impose against Chinese companies who are hacking -- John. BERMAN: Yes, the tone and some of the whispers will be the most interesting there to see there. Andrew Stevens, thank you so much.
ROMANS: That is a $1 trillion who's who of people gathered there talking. You look at the value of the companies. That's just really the cream of the crop there. Wow. I don't think I can count the value of those companies.
BERMAN: More than $10.
ROMANS: How do lower medical bills sound? Speaking of little pocket change, Hillary Clinton says she can make it happen, her big plans for health care next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:57:06]
ROMANS: Hi, there. I'm Christine Romans. Let's get an EARLY START on your money this Thursday morning. U.S. stock futures down a bit after yesterday's 51-point lost for the Dow, two-down days for stocks struggling because of the Federal Reserve's warning about global growth. Will Fed Chair Janet Yellen repeat that warning? She is speaking at UMass Amherst.
Volkswagen's CEO is out and its stock rises, up more than 4 percent this morning. VW admits it cheated on emissions tests secret software allowed up to 11 million cars to run clean only when they were being tested.
CEO Martin Winterkorn said, quote, "I am doing this in the interest of the company even though I am not aware of any wrongdoing on my part. The stock has been disseminated by the widening emissions scandal. The company has lost a third of its value in just a few days.
Hillary Clinton has a plan to lower the rising cost of health care. Under her proposal, insurers would cover three doctor visits a year. Patients would be able to apply for a tax credit of up to $5,000 if they are out of pocket costs are more than 5 percent of the income.
Premium and deduction costs are rising much faster than wages. Nearly half of all workers have to pay $1,000 in deductibles before the insurance kicks in. Her plan goes right to the core for middle class complaints about the rising cost of health care in this country.
BERMAN: A very big day ahead, the pope speaks before Congress in a few hours. Donald trump on "NEW DAY" in one hour. "NEW DAY" starts now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POPE FRANCIS: Good morning.
ROMANS: Pope Francis set to speak before Congress in hours. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some on the right will like what he says. Some on the left will like other things that he says.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very concerned that the religious leader, the head of a church is being recognized as a head of state.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 818 tons of concrete block.
ROMANS: Security for the pope's visit is a top concern.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 37 miles of barriers and fencing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In addition to protecting the pope, we are protecting the crowds.
TRUMP: People fall out of love with me certainly that can happen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is boycotting Fox News.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think this is divorce. I think it might be a momentary separation.
TRUMP: I am so tired of this politically correct crap.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CUOMO: Good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It's Thursday, September 24th, 6:00 in the east. Alisyn and Mich are in New York and we are at the U.S. Capitol Building.
Pope Francis will once again to make history. He will be the first pontiff to address a joint meeting of Congress. One adviser calls today's speech the big one of the Holy Father's D.C. visit.
Now if his comments at the White House about immigrants, climate change, specifically, global warming, poverty are any indication, it may leave some Republicans squirming, but his words may also put Democrats in an awkward position.
Here's the big question will someone come back at the pope? Let's begin our comprehensive coverage with CNN's chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto, joining me now. Good morning, Jim.
