Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Ryan Gives Conditions for Taking Speakership; The Race for President: Biden Taking Veiled Shots at Clinton?; New Guidelines for Mammograms; MLB Playoffs: Mets Win Game 3 Against Cubs 5-2. Aired 5- 5:30a ET
Aired October 21, 2015 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: One stock falling this morning, Chipotle. The Burrito chain reported quarterly sales growth of 12 percent.
[05:00:02] It sounds good. Most companies will love those numbers. But a Chipotle's worst growth in two years. The chain just isn't growing at a rapid speed it once was.
That's because it already has a big footprint, almost doubling the number of restaurants in the last few years.
Also big loss yesterday, IBM had a tough day.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, yes.
ROMANS: That's why you had the Dow close a little bit --
BERMAN: A lot of bad quarters in row for IBM.
"NEW DAY", I mean, EARLY START, whatever show we have scheduled next --
ROMANS: CNN --
BERMAN: -- continues right now.
ROMANS: Breaking overnight, Paul Ryan announcing he is opened, he is opened to serving as the next speaker of the House with a whole bunch of contingencies?
BERMAN: So, what on earth is Joe Biden this morning? Is he about to announce he is running for president? And what is he saying about Hillary Clinton. The stark frequent contrasts that all of a sudden he is drawing. What does it all mean?
ROMANS: He is so popular at every event he goes. Everyone is just waiting.
BERMAN: But less popular in the polls than he was one month ago.
ROMANS: This is true. BERMAN: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It's Wednesday, October 21st. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.
So, let's begin with the breaking news overnight about Congressman Paul Ryan. He now says he is willing to serve as speaker of the House, but he has conditions. He is laying out tough conditions and, you know, he's only creating a little more tension on Capitol Hill. Ryan is demanding support from all the unruly in the House Republican caucus, including far right lawmakers who effectively force out current Speaker Boehner and nixed his heir apparent Kevin McCarthy. And Ryan is setting a deadline, Friday, just two days.
For the very latest, let's bring in none other than senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Christine.
Congressman Paul Ryan, the Republican from Wisconsin, who served as Mitt Romney's running mate in 2012, has now agreed to serve as the next House speaker, but only under the condition that fractured congressional Republicans come together and present a unified front.
Now, Ryan met last night with Republicans on Capitol Hill and issued what could be described as a political prenuptial agreement. He said it's time for House Republicans to be visionaries, not obstructionists.
REP. PAUL RYAN (R), WISCONSIN: We need to move from an opposition party to being a proposition party. Because we think the nation is on the wrong path, we have a duty to show the right one. Our next speaker has to be a visionary one.
ZELENY: Now, Ryan agreed to be speaker, but only if they agree to a set of rules. Ryan has a bright future and did not want to accept this position, but he was under considerable pressure to do so.
Ryan said he wants to know by Friday if all 247 House Republicans will support him. Now, this could be a heavy lift. He wants support from all the divided Republican groups, ranging from the Tea Party supporters, to the moderates. He'll find out on Friday if he gets their backing or not.
If not, for House Republicans, it's back to square one to replace Speaker Boehner, who is essentially driven out by House conservatives late last month -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: All right. Our thanks to Jeff there. Another huge political question this morning, will today finally at last be the day that Vice President Joe Biden announces if he is running for president? The answer is, who the heck knows?
What we do know is that all of a sudden he is offering frequent stark contrast between himself and Hillary Clinton. Hmm. Why?
So, he praises Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, but he's been noting that he was sent in as a closer with foreign leaders. He claims he spends upwards of seven hours a day with President Obama and most notably, the vice president is repeatedly taking deeply veiled shots, in which she counted Republicans among the enemies she is proud of making.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is possible, it is necessary to end this notion, to end this notion that the enemy is the other party. End this notion that it's naive to think we can speak well of the other party and cooperate. What is naive is to think it's remotely possible to govern this country unless we can. That is what is naive.
It's mostly important that everybody in this room understand the other team is not the enemy. If you treat it as the enemy, there is no way we can ever, ever, ever resolve the problems we have to and you end up with the dysfunction we are experiencing here in Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: In trying to portray himself as among the president's most trusted counselors, Biden now seems to be dramatically altering his account of the advice he gave on the night Obama green-lit the raid where Osama bin Laden was killed.
[05:05:01] Now, Biden says he was in favor of the attack on bin Laden's compound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: So as he walked out of the room and walked upstairs, I said -- I told him my opinion, I thought he should go and follow his own instincts. But it would have been a mistake, imagine if I had said in front of everyone, don't go or go, and his decision was a different decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: So listen to what Biden, though, said in 2012 about his advice to the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: We owe the man a direct answer. Mr. President, my suggestion is don't go. We have to do two more things to see if he's there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Hmm. He also did not include Hillary Clinton when listing officials who supported the raid -- a notable omission to say the least.
As for Hillary Clinton, her campaign has been celebrating the backing of officials all over the country, including the rising Democrat star, there he is, HUD Secretary Julian Castro. But there are reports of some of the officials she is listing, including mayors in Wilmington, Delaware, and San Antonio have not actually endorsed her.
BERMAN: New volleys in the ongoing feud between Jeb Bush and Donald Trump over the September 11th attacks and whether George W. Bush, whether he actually kept the country safe before September 11th. That is a question that Donald Trump has raised.
Jeb Bush has a scathing op-ed in "The National Review". He writes, "Let's be clear, Donald Trump simply doesn't know what he is talking about, his bluster overcompensates for a shocking lack of knowledge on the complex security challenges that will confront the next president of the United States."
Donald Trump responded overnight to FOX News, perhaps softening his tone a bit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I respect the fact that Jeb is defending his brother, I think that's good. I would do the same.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS: If Jeb wins the nomination, will you support him?
TRUMP: Absolutely, yes. I would absolutely support him. He's a good person. He's a good man. I would support him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Trump signed a pledge saying he would support whoever the eventual GOP nominee is. Now, there are other GOP contenders, George Pataki and others, who are questioning whether they would support Trump if he's the nominee. Interesting to see.
Trump, himself, he's in Iowa campaigning. There is a Republican campaign next week in Colorado.
ROMANS: He says Jeb Bush is a nice guy. But he's also called him weak, soft, a leader.
BERMAN: Nice guy is not always a compliment, as, you know, someone two tried to date high school girls when I was a high school boy.
ROMANS: You are a nice guy, John.
BERMAN: Yes, but that doesn't mean anything. You never just want to be the nice guy or have a good sense of humor. ROMANS: Well, he wants to be president.
BERMAN: That's what Donald Trump is saying.
ROMANS: All right. Democrats on the House Benghazi committee are considering resigning their post after Hillary Clinton testifies this week. Congressman Adam Schiff of California says, by staying on, he and other Democrats would only lend legitimacy to a committee that in his words really has none. Schiff and fellow Democrats on the Benghazi panel say they plan to attend Thursdays, questioning of the former secretary of state to ensure proceedings are fair.
BERMAN: Canada's new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will honor a pledge to end the coalition bombing campaign against ISIS. Trudeau informed President Obama of his decision to pull six Canadian fighter jets from the battlefield. The candidate will continue to provide humanitarian aid and training in Syria and Iraq.
ROMANS: Breaking news this morning, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Moscow overnight, meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Russian state media reported the two talked about military action against what a Kremlin spokesperson calls terrorist extremist groups.
The U.S. has expressed concern that Russia's main interest in putting troops and military plains in Syria is in depending the Assad regime against Syrian rebel fighters rather than attacking ISIS.
BERMAN: New details emerging about that American airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, that killed 22 staff members and patients earlier this month. "The New York Times" reports that military investigators believe American and Afghan forces unfamiliar with the area and with no experience working together may have directly contributed to wrong decisions leading to that attack.
President Obama traveled to West Virginia today where he will address a critical issue for that state and so many states -- substance abuse. Drug overdose deaths in West Virginia, they are twice the national average. The president will announce federal, state and private sector commitments to help ensure people struggling with addiction get the medical help they need. The goal is to get them help before they end up in prison.
ROMANS: All right. Nine minutes past the hour. Let's get an early start on your money this morning. Not great so far for stocks, China stocks fell more than 3 percent, breaking a recent winning streak. European shares, they have been opened for a couple hours. They're lower, too.
U.S. stock futures looking a little more upbeat. Stocks flipped a little yesterday, dragged down by the health care sector, by IBM. The Dow is now down 3.4 percent this year. In fact, the Dow has jumped 6 percent. So, if you bought that big pull back, you are feeling good.
Donald Trump may be leading in the polls, but gamblers have money on Marco Rubio for scent 2016. Rubio now has a substantial lead over his GOP rivals on Predictit, an online platform, where people actually put money down for who will win the primary.
[05:10:04] Rubio surged above Jeb at the end of September, has led ever since. Trump a distant third. Another sign maybe that insiders don't believe Trump or Ben Carson can win despite their strong poll numbers. Interesting, people are putting money on it, on the primaries.
BERMAN: Except, you know, in addition to the hundreds of millions of dollars being donated to super PACs and campaigns and the like.
ROMANS: Yes, right.
BERMAN: New questions surrounding the deadly shooting of a Florida musician by a plain clothes police officer. We have new information. What are investigators saying? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: Breaking overnight, a veteran New York police officer is dead. He was shot in the head while chasing a suspect overnight. Officer identified is 33-year-old Randolph Holder, was responding to reports of a man with a gun when he was shot. Police say the suspect was arrested several blocks away. He is in custody, hospitalized with injuries. Officer Holder, the fourth NYPD officer killed in the line of duty during the past year.
ROMANS: Breaking news out of Kentucky where right now an officer has been shot during a standoff with a gunman. This is happening as we speak in the town of Prestonsburg, a local station identifying the officer as Adam Dixon, saying he was shot in the chest. Ne is now in the hospital, we can tell you. We do not know yet his condition. Police say the man who shot Dixon has barricaded himself inside a home.
Again, this is a developing situation. We are following all of the latest on this. We're going to bring you more details as they come in.
This morning, the family of a popular drummer who was shot to death Sunday morning by a Palm Beach Garden police officer pleading for help, authorities say 31-year-old Corey Jones was struck, stuck in his car off I-95 when he was approached by an officer who thought the vehicle was empty.
That officer opened fire when police say he was, quote, "confronted" by an armed subject. Joe's family is asking any witnesses to come forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[05:15:03] SYLVESTER BANKS, SR., COREY JONES' GRANDFATHER: I would like to plead to the public for help concerning my grandson, things that whichever occurred or took place -- I would just like the appeal to them for help.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMANS: The officer who shot and killed Jones was not wearing a body camera. His car was not equipped with a dashboard camera.
We get more this morning from CNN's Alina Machado. She is in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, those who knew Corey Jones say they are struggling to understand how it is that this 31-year-old man ends up dead following an encounter with a police officer. This all happened early Sunday morning at around 3:15. Jones was on the side of Interstate 95 after having car trouble.
Police say Officer Nouman Raja was on duty that night but dressed in plain clothes and driving an unmarked car. Officer Raja had stopped to investigate what he thought was an abandoned car on the exit ramp when police say the officer was suddenly confronted by an armed subject. So, he discharged his firearm killing Jones.
Police say a handgun was recovered at the scene. They say Jones bought it just three days before the confrontation, but we still don't know if that handgun was fired during the shooting.
The officer involved in the shooting joined the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department earlier this year in April. He is now on paid administrative leave while this investigation continues -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: All right. Thanks, Alina.
There was a policeman hunt in New Mexico this morning for the suspect in a deadly road rage shooting on a freeway in Albuquerque. Authorities say two cars were traveling westbound on Interstate 40 Tuesday when the suspect pulled up to the other vehicle and started firing, hitting a four-year-old girl.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAY SCHULTZ, ALBUQUERQUE POLICE: We will confirm the four-year-old child has passed away. And, again, we are begging for the community's help. This should have never happened. This is a complete disrespect of human life. And we are starting to see this throughout our nation. And this is something that should not be happening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: The child's parents were not injured. It is still clear what led to the attack. Police have a description of the car driven by the shooter, but it has not been found.
ROMANS: Federal officials are offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to an arrest following a rash of arson fires at six predominantly black churches in St. Louis over the last few weeks. Now, investigators say each of the fires was set at the front doors. The six churches are within 3 miles of each other. No one has been injured in any of these fires.
BERMAN: Temperatures rising, finally, along the East Coast. Let's go to our meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: John and Christine, good Wednesday morning to you guys.
Certainly an Indian summer, at least it feels like it for a lot of people across the Midwest and Northeast. Look at these temps, 60 in the morning hours around Chicago, New York, also sitting in the 60s in the early morning hours. Certainly not something you would see in the middle to later portion of October. And when you think about what we started from.
Earlier in the week, on Monday, New York City was down to 36 degrees in the morning hours. We'll warm up to the mid-70s by Wednesday afternoon over this region. High pressure, flow over the area. Gorgeous, gorgeous setup.
Atlanta, 76, Washington will make it up to the mid-70s, even Chicago had 76 degrees. You work to the south. You have big changes in the forecast as far as rainfall around the state of Texas, a trough coming in, some tropical moisture, potentially, interacting with it as we head into this weekend.
Certainly, drought relief for this region, but some of the models indicating possibilities of ten inches for parts of north Texas and then work your way to the south in excess of 10 inches possible in the next five days around say, Corpus Christi. So, certainly, a flood event we are watching carefully there.
Back to the north we go. Look at the temperature trend, it will cool off. Enjoy it, John and Christine. The mid-70s go bye, bye. You bring the 60s, the low 60s back, which is more in line you expect this time of year -- guys.
ROMANS: Yes, but still really great. OK, thanks, Pedram. Thanks for that.
New guidelines for mammograms from the American Cancer Society. They're now telling women to have them later and less often. The society's new recommendation calls for annual mammograms starting at age 45 instead of 50. And at age 55, women are now advised to cut back on mammograms to once every two years.
The society does acknowledge one recommendation does not fit all. Insisting any women who want to abide by the old guidelines should be free to do so. We should say, if you have the breast cancer gene, or a history of breast cancer or dense breast tissue in your family, then you should continue -- talk to your doctor. You probably need mammograms as frequently.
BERMAN: It's tough, confusing information I think for a lot of people.
All right. The New York Mets, the Kansas City Royals, oh so close to the World Series. The Cubs proving that "Back to the Future II" was a mediocre movie that you never saw.
Andy Scholes --
[05:20:00] ROMANS: You saw it.
BERMAN: -- with the details on the bleacher report, next.
ROMANS: You saw it.
BERMAN: I did, "Back to the Future II". II, I saw II, everyone saw I.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: A rough morning for Cubs fans. Could be another 107 years before that next World Series.
ROMANS: Oh.
BERMAN: Just saying.
ROMANS: That is so mean.
Andy Scholes has more on this morning's bleacher report.
Hey, Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, guys.
You know, back to the future day, it looks like we could add one more thing to the list of that movie actually got wrong for 2015 would be like. To win the World Series, now, the Cubs are going to have to come back from 0-3 in league championship series.
And, Berman, only your Red Sox accomplished that.
Now, Wrigley was rocking last night. They're hosting a game in the NLCS for the first time since 2003. But the top of the 3rd, Mets Daniel Murphy, what can you say about him? He is red hot. He homered in five straight games, tying Carlos Beltran's post-season records. He's got six overall in the playoffs.
Fast forward to the top of the 6, tied at 2. The Cubs are going to get a strikeout, but the ball gets away. Younis Cespedes comes in to score. The Cubs should have been out of the inning. Instead the Mets take the lead. They go on to win this game by a final of 5-2. New York leads the series three games to none.
The American League Championship Series, the Royals absolutely routed the Blue Jays in game four to take a 3-1 lead in that series. Kansas City scored 14 runs on 15 hits. They win it 14-2. Twelve runs, the largest victory by a road team in an American League post-season history.
[05:25:06] It's incredible. Blue Jays now try to bounce back from that drabbing, and avoid elimination later today in game five. First pitch for that one is at 4:00 Eastern.
Then, the Mets will look to sweep the Cubs in game four of the NLCS. That game starts at 8:00 Eastern. It could be seen on CBS.
A Wisconsin jewelry store owner is apologizing to Bucks center John Henson after Henson said he was racially profiled by a store employee. Earlier this week, employees at the store locked the doors and then called police when Henson tried to enter. The owner, Thomas Dixon, met with Henson yesterday and apologized. Henson said the store had recently robbed, but that's still no excuse for the way he was treated.
All right. And, Berman, I got a bone to pick with you, because I personally think "Back to the Future 2" was the best one. You had flying cars, hoverboard, and you got this hat, which you actually can buy in stores right now. They did get something right for 2015.
BERMAN: It is worthy to see in a hat, Andy Scholes. It is worth it. I'll grant you that. I -- this is maybe the first time you are wrong on anything films, but the hat is nice.
SCHOLES: I disagree. Disagree, disagree, disagree.
BERMAN: That's awesome. Wear that all day. Good for you.
SCHOLES: I might.
ROMANS: Thanks, Andy Scholes.
SCHOLES: All right.
ROMANS: All right. Twenty-six minutes past the hour. Breaking overnight, Paul Ryan.
BERMAN: It's an awesome hat. I wasn't expecting the hat.
ROMANS: It is an awesome hat.
Look, he may be giving Republicans what they have been asking for, announcing he will serve as speaker of the House, on one condition, wait, on two conditions, wait, on three conditions.
BERAMN: And the hat. He's demanding Andy Scholes hat, too.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: Breaking overnight, Paul Ryan says, sure, he'll be speaker of the House, but there is a big if.
