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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Ben Carson Builds Momentum as Trump Falls; Royals Beat Mets in Marathon World Series Opener; Will South Carolina Officer Get Fired for Slamming Female Student? Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired October 28, 2015 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:02] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Ben Carson, Donald Trump, ahead of the pack but could tonight's faceoff on the economy shake up this race?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: New information on the arrest on this takedown that was caught on camera. Will that officer be fired as soon as today?

ROMANS: World Series drama. A marathon 14 innings, a four-minute blackout, and a stunning secret. Help from a star player.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. 30 minutes pas the hour right now. Just hours from now the Republican candidates take the stage for a crucial debate. This is the very first one in which Ben Carson is on top in a national poll. The neurosurgeon jumped ahead of Donald Trump in the new CBS-"New York Times" poll. He now leads by four points.

Yes, that is within the margin but yes, it was enough to put Donald Trump in unusual territory while he was campaigning in Iowa. Trump on defense.

CNN's Sarah Murray was there. She has the very latest.

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Christine.

Donald Trump showed up here in Sioux City, Iowa, yesterday with some more bad news from the latest polls. A new CBS-"New York Times" poll shows Donald Trump is trailing Dr. Ben Carson by 4 percent nationwide. That comes after a string of polls show Trump is also behind here in Iowa. Now Trump took the stage here on the Hawkeye States, pressing his supporters to work even harder and said he's not giving up on victory here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: From the time I announced, I've been at the top of the polls, almost at the -- you know, we're doing well. Iowa, will you get your numbers up, please?

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Would you get these numbers up? I promise you, I will do such a good job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MURRAY: Trump also took a couple of swipes at Carson last night, basically saying he couldn't believe that was his competition. All of this, of course, is going to come to a head on the debate stage in Boulder tonight.

This is the debate where Trump's campaign really feels like the candidate is in his wheel house. It's focused on economic and policy issues and Trump can put a spotlight on his business record, something he believes will shine when he's up head to head against Ben Carson.

Back to you, John and Christine.

ROMANS: All right. So what does this mean for all the Republican presidential candidates in the field in tonight's debate? Here to break it all down for us, Eric Bradner, CNN Politics digital reporter.

Let's start with this Ben Carson on top in this most recent poll, show a 4 percent margin for error. But, you know, Trump on the defensive. He doesn't like to be second. He really doesn't. So Carson on top, how much pressure is on him to show his metal on the economy tonight?

ERIC BRADNER, CNN POLITICS DIGITAL REPORTER: There will be a lot of pressure on Ben Carson. He has been sort of near the top of the polls for a long time. This is the first time he's actually been the leader nationally among Republicans, so he's going to be hit by a lot of people not just Donald Trump, although Trump, who has pegged a lot of his campaign, a lot of his stump speech on this idea that he's the leader in the polls, is going to be particularly agitated and has shown in the last few weeks is very willing to go after Ben Carson.

But other candidates could press Carson as well on some of his contradictory statements on issues like abortion and this economic policy is not exactly Carson's wheelhouse. So he'll be tested on that. There's going to be a lot more attention on him in this debate both from the audience, which is going to be tuning into someone who is the new frontrunner and other candidates who now understand they're going to have to take him down in order to gain traction.

BERMAN: You would actually think that a great deal of focus will come from the moderators.

ROMANS: Yes.

BERMAN: From CNBC running this debate. Look, this is a more economically focused debate.

ROMANS: Will they going to try to steer it back to the economy?

BERMAN: Yes. And Donald Trump used to be a regular guest on CNBC. Carly Fiorina I think worked for them at one point. But not so much Ben Carson.

The interesting dynamic, though, Eric, is that, you know, even if he doesn't answer the questions the way that some on the stage or the audience might want to hear, you know, Ben Carson, no matter what he says, it seems to improve his position in the polls. All the supposed controversies he's been in over the last six weeks, pollsters say have actually helped him, not hurt him.

BRADNER: Yes, you know, he comes across as a really gentle, sort of genuine figure and so sometimes when he makes these controversial statements or is attacked by other candidates, I think the public, especially evangelical voters in states like Iowa, where he is doing really well, have a tendency to be sort of dismissive of it. To sort of give him some leeway because of his personality, that perhaps other candidates might not get.

I mean, you mentioned CNBC, which is going to comfortable territory for Trump and Fiorina, the other two outsider type candidates.

ROMANS: Right.

BRADNER: Well, Carson's never really even appealed to that audience. His appeal has always been based on religion. It's been two evangelicals. It's sort of not based on the topics that we're going to hear a lot about tonight.

[05:35:08] And so, you know, it's possible his audience could watch him sort of pass at opportunities to engage with other candidates and still come out liking him.

ROMANS: There is also the John Kasich factor. He's somebody who knows budgets. He's somebody who knows how to run a state, who knows -- he really knows how to talk the talk with -- and walk the walk with the -- on the economy. And he is fed up. I want you to listen to something he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So I want you to know, I'm fed up. I am sick and tired of listening to this nonsense and I'm going to have to call it like it is as long as I'm in this race.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: You think you're going to hear that kind of tone from John Kasich tonight going after the frontrunners on the economy, on budgets and how to run a country?

BRADNER: I think so. If you're John Kasich, you're someone who has chaired the House Budget Committee, had a successful run as Ohio's governor in the eyes of many Republicans and, yet, you can get no traction in this field. With Trump, Carson, and to a lesser extent Carly Fiorina, the three political newcomers dominating with more than 50 percent of the overall support.

So if you're John Kasich, you're looking for an opening, you're sort of throwing your hands up, and saying, look, this is ridiculous, trying to find a way to perhaps appeal to establishment types, more moderate Republicans, but Jeb Bush is also going to be looking for that kind of opening. Marco Rubio has done perhaps the best out of the more experienced politicians lately. And he has been willing to take on Trump, perhaps he's willing to take on Carson, too. Lindsay Graham, who is not even going to be on the main stage tonight made some comments recently similar to Kasich's, sort of throwing his hands up and saying, what's going on here?

So, yes, with the Iowa caucuses, a little more than three months out at this point, you'll see other candidates who have been slowly building, finally starting to get a bit more exasperated, a bit more willing to sort of go negative.

BERMAN: Quickly on the Democratic side of the race, Hillary Clinton was on Stephen Colbert last night, while many of you may have been sleeping or watching baseball. And she was essentially asked, which candidate she would rather face or which one she could see winning the White House, Ben Carson or Donald Trump? This was her answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If I say one or the other, it might influence some people. And I don't want to have any influence on it. I want them to go through whatever their process is because if I am fortunate enough to be the nominee, I want to run hard against whichever Republican is up there.

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "LATE NIGHT": But you can picture either one of them in the office, right? You can picture either one of those guys in the office?

(LAUGHTER)

CLINTON: Well, I can picture them in some office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The irony here is that Hillary Clinton would do anything in her power to have Donald Trump or Ben Carson be the nominee.

BRADNER: Absolutely. If you're Hillary Clinton, you want to see as much Trump versus Carson as you possibly can, you're just storing that video in a vault to roll out in a general election, assuming that she makes it there and one of them makes it there.

If you're a Democrat, you're more afraid of establishment types or more experienced politicians like Marco Rubio, John Kasich, Jeb Bush. So these two, Trump and Carson, are appealing to a part of the Republican electorate that doesn't really make up a majority of the general electorate. So she's just loving this. She's not going to get in the middle of it because she wants to see it go on as long as it can.

BERMAN: Eric Bradner, great to have you with us. Enjoy the debate tonight. We know you will.

ROMANS: All right. 38 minutes after the hour. After that debate, "AC 360" wraps it up, all up, fat-checking the candidates, asking who really stood up from the pack. A special two-hour "AC 360" tonight 10:00 Eastern on CNN.

BERMAN: All right. It was a crazy game one of the World Series last night.

ROMANS: Wow.

BERMAN: Fourteen minutes, a four-minute blackout.

ROMANS: Fourteen innings.

BERMAN: What did I say? Fourteen minutes?

ROMANS: Yes.

BERMAN: I was wrong about that. That's a fact-check right there. Fourteen innings. The game was more than five hours long. And there was a tragedy as well. So much going on.

Andy Scholes with all of it, the "Bleacher Report" next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:42:56] ROMANS: It was a little short baseball game last night.

BERMAN: Yes. Short as in 14 innings of mayhem at the World Series.

ROMANS: Andy Scholes joins us with the "Bleacher Report." Hey, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS: Yes, good morning, guys. Yes, this is the second longest World Series game ever. It took five hours and nine minutes to complete. You know, I woke up this morning like you guys, this game was still going on. It finally ended sometime around 1:28 a.m. Eastern. And this game, it had it all, including a power outage that knocked the broadcast off the air momentarily.

In the bottom of the 4th inning, the game was delayed for about six minutes when FOX's broadcast truck lost power. After the burn with Joe Torre, the Mets and Royals, they will agree to continue the game without instant replay. Viewers only missed one batter before FOX took the international feed.

Now Royals pitcher Edison Volquez pitching this game with a very heavy heart. His father passed away yesterday. It was reported that Volquez didn't know about his father's death until after he came out of the game. But according to ESPN he found out while on his way to the ballpark. He allowed three runs in six innings before leaving the game and the stadium to be with his family.

Now bottom of the 9th, Mets two outs away from the win when Alex Gordon takes Jeurys Familia deep to tie this game. It was the first run Familia has given up all post-season. Then we go the extra innings, and this is point Mets fans are shaking their heads. About bottom of the 14th inning, David Wright, the throwing error allows Alcides Escobar to get on base and three batters later, Eric Hosmer is going to come to the plate in a sacrifice fly. It would end the game, Royals take a wild one by a final 5-4 to take a

one game to none lead in this series. Game 2 will be tonight at 8:00 Eastern. The Mets are going to try to even this series by throwing Jacob deGrom, the Royals countering with Johnny Cueto.

And guys, not to be a downer for Mets fans out there, but 17 of the last 21 Game 1 winners including the last five have gone on to win the World Series.

ROMANS: Not to be a downer but what a downer.

(LAUGHTER)

SCHOLES: Sorry, Christine.

ROMANS: All right.

BERMAN: And these men just have their work cut out for them after that extra inning game last night. It will be interesting to see.

ROMANS: Thanks, Andy.

A federal investigation that launched into that violent student arrest caught on camera. Will this police officer here be fired?

[05:45:04] His boss speaks to CNN next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: In just a few hours in South Carolina, the Richland County sheriff will decide whether Officer Ben Fields will keep his job. Fields is the school resource officer caught on video throwing a female high school student to the ground.

The Justice Department Civil Rights Division, the FBI, the U.S. attorney for South Carolina, they have agreed to look into the events surrounding the arrest right now, a federal investigation. We're also now hearing from other students who were inside that classroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIYA KENNY, STUDENT: We've heard about his reputation. And we've heard that he's a really -- I don't want to -- yes, I don't want to say dangerous man to get involved with, you know, on that level. So when he came into the classroom, I immediately told my classmates, get your phones out, get your phones out, I think this is going to go downhill and they did.

BERMAN: CNN's Miguel Marquez has more for us -- Miguel.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, Christine, a very emotional day here in Columbia, South Carolina, with people and parents of students coming to grips with this video. It's really shocking a lot of people in this area.

A board meeting was held last night and most of the parents who attended that board meeting didn't express a lot of anger but some did. And they were as particularly angry about that relationship across the country between police officers and the African-American community.

[05:50:08] They also talked about the church shooting here in South Carolina earlier in the year. That's so very fresh in people's minds. They see this video in that context now and it is really created a lot of anger, a lot of fear, that if the board and the sheriff doesn't deal with this in a very direct way, there are going to be consequences.

So far we have seen none of that sort of angry protest in this episode. The sheriff here has been very quick to respond, calling for an independent investigation, which the FBI is now going to do, and even say that within 24 hours, he will have a decision on Deputy Fields' fate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON LOTT, RICHLAND COUNTY SHERIFF: This is something not only people at Richland County but the world wants to know what's going to happen to him. Is he going to be able to still be employed here or is he going to be terminated? I think I owe it to everybody to make a very quick decision but I also want to be fair and do a thorough investigation. And that's what we've done.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Can you tell us, Sheriff, which way you're leaning?

LOTT: No. Really, I don't think that's proper for me to describe which way I'm leaning at this point. I think the video is very explicit and that's probably pretty much speaks for itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: One other thing the sheriff said during that press conference. It came as a bit of a surprised, there have been allegations that this was somehow racially motivated. And the sheriff said, look, we've never seen that sort of behavior out of this officer. I've never seen this out of this deputy, and I just want to tell you all, he has had a long-term relationship with an African- American woman.

So if it would to cut any way, said this sheriff, I don't think it would cut toward the favor of a young woman that this deputy is accused of assaulting -- John, Christine.

ROMANS: Miguel Marquez, thank you for that, Miguel.

President Obama offering his support for law enforcement officers who are now under scrutiny as never before. Speaking to an annual gathering of International Chiefs of Police, the president says police officers have made America safer and are too often scapegoated for larger societal problems.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to be as clear as I can be. I reject any narrative that seeks to divide police and communities that they serve.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: I reject a story line that says, when it comes to public safety, there is an us and a them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The president also renewed his call for tougher gun laws with a special emphasis on the safety of police.

All right. 53 minutes past the hour. Apple profits booming. But it's not all unicorns and rainbows in tech land. I'll tell you which stock is tanking this morning next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:56:54] ROMANS: All right. I'm Christine Romans. Let's get an EARLY START on your money this morning. U.S. stock futures up ahead of news from the Federal Reserve. The Fed is not expected to raise interest rates today, but we'll be looking for clues about the Fed's read of the U.S. economy and also about whether Janet Yellen will keep her all but promise and raise rates by the end of the year.

Some big merger news also driving stocks this morning. Walgreens plans to buy Rite Aid for $17.2 billion and three Chinese firms are reportedly vying for a chance to buy Starwood hotels, that's the W in Sheraton brands, in that hotel umbrella.

All right. Apple still booming with start-up like growth. Profits jumped 31 percent last quarter. Look at these numbers, 48 million iPhones sold, a record 5.7 million max. Big growth in services like Apple Music and its other category. That includes Apple TVs and watches. A soft spot there is the iPad. This is crucial. Apple sales in China doubled even as the economy faces hurdles.

Now it's not all rosy in the tech world, though. I want to go to Twitter. Twitter shares tanking this morning, down 12 percent before the bell. The company has got its founder back, Jack Dorsey, he's the CEO. But still has major problems when it comes to user growth. Twitter added only three million new users in the past quarter. Issued a sluggish outlook going forward. The stock down this morning in pre-market. So watch the tech land.

BERMAN: And no one likes sluggish.

ROMANS: Sluggish is bad.

BERMAN: All right, big debate tonight with a new frontrunner center stage. "NEW DAY" picks that up right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump has fallen to second place behind Ben Carson.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He set himself up to look like a failing candidate.

DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's a marathon, it's not a sprint.

TRUMP: Iowa, what the heck are you people doing to me?

STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "LATE NIGHT": If you're president.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yes.

COLBERT: And the banks are failing, do we let them fail?

CLINTON: Yes.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Caught on camera, body slamming a student. Will he be fired?

LEON LOTT, RICHLAND COUNTY SHERIFF: You know that's not my daughter, I'd still feel strong reactions to it.

NIYA KENNY, STUDENT: Seeing her being thrown across the classroom like that was really traumatizing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How disruptive was the student?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have lost our picture?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A four-minute blackout? Unbelievable. First matchup.

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY, with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota, and Michaela Pereira. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Wednesday, October 28th, 6:00 a.m. in the East. Did you see game? The World Series, the longest Game One in history? 14 innings, more than five hours, didn't end until 1:30 a.m. I held off as long as I could.

The Royals won, 5-4. It was an amazing game. We have more on it for you this morning and the power outage. Four minutes. There was a power outage during this historic game. Can you imagine that? We haven't seen that since like Heidi interrupted the Jets game.

We'll have more on it coming up now and how the angered fans were and what happened in this game.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Crazy stuff. But first, Donald Trump heading into tonight's GOP debate no longer as the undisputed Republican frontrunner. So how will Carson's momentum change this race? We have a lot to cover. So let's begin with CNN's Sunlen Serfaty. She's live in Boulder, Colorado. (END)