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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Trump Hits Carson As "Super Low Energy"; Clinton And Sanders Trading Fire; Joe Biden Opens Up About 2016 Decision; Jeb Bush Attends Campaign Finance Pow-Wow; OSU Homecoming Parade Crash; Strong Earthquake Felt In South Asia. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired October 26, 2015 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:31] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: You will hear what drove the decision. Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Christine Romans. It is 30 minutes past the hour this Monday morning. Let's begin with the breaking news this morning. Five people are dead after a whale watching tour boat capsized near off Canada's west coast near the town of Tofino.

Carrying 27 people on that boat, now officials say 21 people were rescued. One remains missing. They say a search and rescue efforts have finished. The case has now been handed over to the Royal Canadian mounted police as a missing person's case. No word on the cause of the disaster.

But the tour company, Jamie's Whaling Station, an adventure center, it is cooperating with investigators to determine exactly what went wrong here.

BERMAN: This morning, Donald Trump on the attack. He is now running second to Ben Carson in Iowa. Over the weekend, Trump raised Carson's faith as an issue. He also criticized his stance on immigration and trade and bashed what he called Carson's super low energy level.

As for Ben Carson, he spent the weekend ducking these punches. CNN's Ryan Noble has the very latest from Washington.

RYAN NOBLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, good morning. Donald Trump will be in New Hampshire this morning after a weekend of tweaking his chief rival, Ben Carson. During a rally in Florida, Trump touted his own Presbyterian faith and told the crowd in Florida that he didn't even know what a Seventh Day Adventist is.

Carson is a Seventh Day Adventist. Trump later said he was not attacking Carson's religion and said Sunday he would not apologize. Trump said that polls show him leading with Evangelical voters. However a new Quinnipiac poll in Iowa shows Carson with more support from that key voting block.

During an interview on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION," Trump recycled an attack he used against Jeb Bush to describe Carson.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Ben Carson is a low energy person. I think Ben Carson is a lower energy person than Jeb if you want to know the truth. We need strong energy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLE: Now Carson has eclipsed or drawn even with Trump in two different polls of likely Iowa caucus goers. Trump sent attacks Carson's way, Carson attempted to avoid in engaging the billionaire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I really refuse to get into the mud pit. Hillary actually was right when she said that Republicans are there trying to destroy each other. I really think that was a huge mistake in the last cycle. I'm certainly not going to get into that. No matter what anybody say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLE: While Carson has closed the gap in Iowa, Trump still maintains a healthy lead nationally and in the early primary states of New Hampshire and South Carolina -- John and Christine.

ROMANS: All right, thanks for that, Ryan. New developments on the Democratic side of the race, for the first time, Bernie Sanders took direct swings at Hillary Clinton. This happened at the Democratic Jefferson Jackson dinner in Iowa.

Sanders highlighted the differences of Clinton over the Defense Marriage Act, Pacific free trade, the Keystone XL pipeline and the Iraq wars. Clinton and Sanders traded fire over what he called her shouting on the issue of gun control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've been told to stop and I, quote, "shouting about gun violence." First of all, I'm not shouting. It's just when women talk some people think we're shouting.

BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All that I can say is I am very proud of my record on women's issues. I certainly do not have a problem with women speaking out. I think what the secretary is doing there is taking words there and misapplying them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Overnight in his first interview since announcing that he would not run for president, Joe Biden revealed the moments that he says framed his decision. He told "60 Minutes," that his wife, Jill, actually wanted him to run. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I remember about a month ago we were on the porch at home and I said, you know, maybe we should just -- I don't know we will get there in time. Maybe we should say we're not going. Jill said about what the Supreme Court?

JILL BIDEN, JOE BIDEN'S WIFE: What about education and community colleges? I felt everything we worked so hard for in this administration, could all change.

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: That's because she's prejudice. She thinks I have the best chance of winning the general election.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is really interesting to hear that. You were really pushing him to go forward.

JILL BIDEN: Yes. Sure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will you ever run for political office again?

BIDEN: No.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Really interesting interview. Biden said his late son, Beau, who died of cancer earlier this year, believed that Joe Biden could run and win. He said Beau never pushed him to do it. There was no Hollywood moment.

Joe Biden said his 11-year-old granddaughter helped him make his final decision when she pleaded with him not leave and get in the race.

[05:35:09] ROMANS: All right, joining us now is CNN politics reporter, Jeremy Diamond via Skype, from New Hampshire where Donald Trump is holding events this morning. He is following Donald Trump.

BERMAN: He will be everywhere today.

ROMANS: Very rare for Donald Trump to be interviewed on television to start the week. Good morning, Jeremy. Let's talk about Donald Trump this morning.

He has been usurped in the polls by Ben Carson in Iowa, an important state. He said he accepts it, but he doesn't quite understand why and he comes out swinging with his comments about he is a Presbyterian.

He doesn't understand really what Ben Carson is religion is, but he is a Presbyterian. What do you make of all this?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN POLITICS REPORTER VIA SKYPE: He has made it clear he will go after Ben Carson and we will see it in the next Republican debate on Wednesday. He was certainly attacking Ben Carson on everything from trade to immigration.

And there was definitely a dog whistle to Evangelical voters when he says that he doesn't understand what Seventh Day Adventism is and that's obviously crucial in the state of Iowa where Evangelical voters are much sought after by Republican voters. We will see if Donald Trump continues the attacks. Ben Carson himself did criticize or at least question Donald Trump's own faith back in September when he questioned whether Donald Trump had the humility and the fear in God.

He said he realizes where his success comes from, from God and Donald Trump doesn't. Not as direct from Donald Trump this week, but certainly a dog whistle to Evangelical voters.

BERMAN: You know, it's interesting, Jeremy, religion used to be something that was whispered about in the back rooms and you used to see these dark campaigns underneath the radar. This year, I feel like it is much more front and center with these comments by Donald Trump.

As you said, Ben Carson started it. Ben Carson has also talked about religion in a way that people are not used to. He would not support a Muslim to be president, talking about Jews if they were armed during the holocaust maybe not all of them would have died. In a way, has he opened the door to this kind of direct attack?

DIAMOND: Yes. I mean, Ben Carson is the one who's talked about religion the most. The comment of Muslims should not be president or he would not support them as president. He doesn't believe they would not compromise their views while serving as president.

I think this is what happens when you have these two candidates, Donald Trump and Ben Carson leading in the polls, both of them non- politicians. This is their first time for both of them on the national political stage as candidates.

So I think they are both breaking the rules of politics. You are seeing these kinds of unconventional conversations going on.

ROMANS: Let's talk about the Democrats here because you saw Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders this weekend specifically on the idea of shouting of gun control. Hillary Clinton is playing to win here, isn't she?

DIAMOND: Yes, absolutely. I mean, I think Sanders fired a shot this weekend at her during the Jefferson Jackson dinner. She fired back the next day when Bernie Sanders said that Clinton was shouting over gun control.

Clinton was quick to pull the sexism card there by saying some people think women are shouting when in fact they're not. So Bernie Sanders definitely took a blow back for that comment.

We will see more of that into the 2016 race and we see these two candidates trying to compare and contrast records and go after each other. This is politics and a president election.

BERMAN: Jeremy, in Houston today, there are a whole lot of Bushes, many of whom has been president, one of whom wants to be president, Jeb Bush, is down there with George H.W. Bush, George w. Bush and then Barbara Bush. We get to meet all of the presidents. The Bush campaign has made big cut backs and announced they are putting a lot of eggs in a basket where you are sitting right now in New Hampshire. Jeb Bush needs New Hampshire now more than ever before. What are you seeing up there?

DIAMOND: Yes, for sure. The Bush campaign has been ramping up efforts this year. I think a lot of people in the Bush campaign see New Hampshire as the crucial test for the Bush's campaign. You know, Iowa, he hasn't really seen the support there and he was never expected to since that is where the more conservative candidates can shine.

It has been very difficult for Bush to come up there. New Hampshire is really a state that his campaign feels is ideologically aligned with Bush and has tended to support candidates like Bush in the past.

[05:40:10] So I think the campaign is definitely not putting all of the eggs in the New Hampshire basket. New Hampshire is an important one. It is one where Donald Trump is doing particularly well leading in the polls. It will be interesting to see how those two candidates fight it out.

ROMANS: I wonder if this debate Wednesday gets more clarity from this debate and if that is an important milestone here.

BERMAN: The debate will certainly be a milestone. Jeremy Diamond with your EARLY START debut, thank you so much.

ROMANS: It's 40 minutes past the hour. Four killed, dozens hurt when a car plowed through a homecoming day parade. The driver in court in just hours, we have details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: We have breaking news. We are just getting word of a strong earthquake hitting South Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Northern India. Hundreds of people were reportedly racing into the streets in the center of India's capital, buildings shaking as far as Delhi.

The U.S. Geological Survey reporting the quake is a magnitude 7.7 centered in north central Afghanistan, south of the city of Jarm. This is a very large region. In addition to New Delhi, there is shaking reports in the capitals of Afghanistan and Pakistan that would be Kabul and Islamabad.

[05:45:06] ROMANS: We will continue to follow that this morning as we get new details. This morning, the woman suspected of crashing her car into a crowded people at the Oklahoma State University homecoming parade, she is facing four counts of second-degree murder.

Dozens more people were injured. Adacia Chambers is accused of driving under the influence. Her attorney believes mental illness, not intoxication, is behind the crash. A relative of one victim says the Oklahoma State community is still in shock.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARK MCNITT, STEPSON OF CRASH VICTIM: I apologize. We're still in our clothes from yesterday. It's been a crazy 24 hours. You know, the OU Medical Center really has helped out. And to say the least, best doctors around. And everybody kept a cool head and I think Leo and the rest of the families at children are in the best hands that can be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: We are now getting a look at cell phone video of this tragic incident. CNN's Nick Valencia has that for us.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, 25-year-old Adacia Chambers is expected to make her first court appearance on Monday. She is accused of using her car to crash into a very crowded homecoming parade in Stillwater, Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon.

Over the weekend, CNN obtained cell phone video from one of the spectators in the parade. It is very graphic. It shows the moment that Chambers plowed through an unmanned police motorcycle and proceeded into a packed crowd.

At least four people were killed as a result of that crash, more than 40 were injured. Among the dead is 2-year-old Nash Lucas. Over the weekend, his father posted on Facebook saying, "miss you so much, buddy."

Chambers has been charged with driving under the influence. It is likely that she will face even more charges -- John and Christine.

ROMANS: Nick Valencia, thank you for that.

All right, let's take a look at what is coming up on "NEW DAY." Alisyn Camerota joins us. Good morning, Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": How are you guys?

ROMANS: Great. We can hear you.

BERMAN: I knew you would be there for us, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: This doesn't look very good. I'll tell you what is coming up on the show. Donald Trump had been going after Ben Carson this whole weekend. So how will Carson respond to all of that? We will have his manager on to talk about that. Also we'll show the new polls.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden explaining for the first time why he is not getting into the presidential race. We will analyze his emotional rationale with our brilliant pundits. Stick around for that when Michaela, Chris and I see you in 13 minutes.

BERMAN: You are always there for us, Alisyn Camerota.

ROMANS: Thanks so much. All right, 47 minutes pas the hour.

The U.S. mission to free ISIS hostages in Iraq, we are live with incredible pictures of the mission after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:51:50]

BERMAN: We have breaking news. Just getting word of a strong magnitude 7.7 earthquake hitting South Asia, the tremors felt in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Northern India. The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quake was centered near in northern Afghanistan, near the city of Jarm.

Joining us on the phone right now is CNN producer, Sophia Saifi from Islamabad in Pakistan with the very latest. Sophia, tell us what you see and what you felt and what is happening right now.

SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER (via telephone): John, I live in Islamabad. I live on the eighth floor. We felt the building shake for 3 minutes. It was scary. We had to run down the stairs. Earthquakes are not uncommon. We had a massive one ten years ago. The emergency procedures are dire.

At the moment, we can feel tremors. Outside, we see sign boards fallen down. It is eerie and silent. I am looking at the building where I live. It has shifted to the left. It is an odd leaning tower of Pisa right now.

BERMAN: Your whole building shifted to the left in Islamabad, which, by the way, not all that close to the epicenter of the quake in Afghanistan, Just south of the city of Jarm. Do you have power? Is there order right now on the streets where you are?

SAIFI: There is power. Like I said, people have just streamed out into the street. Cars are unsure of what to do. Mobile connections within the city are down. I can call outside the city we're in, but I have been trying to contact family within the city of Islamabad.

I think everyone is trying to do the same thing at the same time. People are unable to reach other people, which is problematic. I have not been able to check. I have been outside in the open for the past 25 minutes.

BERMAN: Sophia, stay safe. Find out what you can. Get back in touch with us when you can. A magnitude 7.7 earthquake in South Asia, the epicenter is the Afghanistan city of Jarm. You can see it there. We will get more information and be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:53:19]

ROMANS: A powerful earthquake rocking Asia. Our teams are in Kabul, Islamabad, and New Delhi. NEW DAY is live with that story.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: We are following breaking news this morning. A 7.7 magnitude earthquake hitting northeastern Afghanistan, felt in Pakistan and India. We will show you what is going on right now and give you some historical context. That is the portion of the country.

That is triangulating Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. When it's felt in multiple countries, it's usually a reflection of what they call the echo effect meaning it is strong. It's intense. It can be deadly. More context, Alisyn, October 2005, what happened?

CAMEROTA: Almost 10 years ago, there was a 7.6 earthquake. That is when 75,000 people were killed in Pakistan. Today's is 7.7 so bigger than ten years ago.

CUOMO: Right, in terms of magnitude. The big factor will be where this happened. That happened in Kashmir, it was about earthquake plus all of the landslides and all of that wound up being very deadly, again, three quarters of 100,000 people taken out there. We will get people on the phone.

We have people in Kabul. We have people in the region. They are mobilizing now. Communications are precarious given what is going on. The headline is what you see, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake striking Afghanistan, but felt as far as India and also in Pakistan.

We have a producer right now, Sophia Saifi on the phone. She had to run for cover. The building she was in was beginning to shake. Tell us what do you know right now and is it safe?

SAIFI: It's still safe at the moment. We can feel tremors at sporadic intervals.