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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
GOP Candidates Face Off In Milwaukee; Winners And Losers In The Republican Debate; How Did The Debate Moderators Do?; Tornado Threat On The Plains. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired November 11, 2015 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Republicans running for president, debating late into the night, but this time it wasn't personal the heated exchange were focused on policy. Welcome back to EARLY START this morning. I'm Christine Romans.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I had 90 minutes of sleep. I'm John Berman. It's 30 minutes past the hour right now. It is the morning after in Milwaukee. Eight candidates walked on the main stage at the Republican debate. So who left with a limp? Immigration, military intervention even tax policy, the debate was filled with heated moments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If Putin wants to go and knock the (inaudible) out of ISIS, I am all for it 100 percent. I can't understand how anybody would be against it. Hold it. They blew up, wait a minute. They blew up a Russian airplane.
JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald is wrong on this. He is absolutely wrong on this. We're not going to be the world's policemen. We sure as heck better be the world's leader.
JOHN KASICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All I'm suggesting, we can't ship 11 million people out of this country. Children will be terrified. It will not work.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: We built an unbelievable company worth billions and billions of dollars. Yes have to hear from this man.
RAND PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ronald Reagan was strong.
CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ronald Reagan walked away. He quit talking when it was time to quit talking.
TRUMP: Why does she keep interrupting everybody?
BUSH: I'd like to finish my response, basically.
CRUZ: Why would you then bail out rich Wall Street banks, not mom and pop. You just said --
BUSH: I didn't say that.
CRUZ: No to step in and became out a bank.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: All right, let's get the very latest on this, chief political correspondent, Dana Bash is in Milwaukee.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, Christine, the moderators of this debate promise that it would be substantive and Christine, on the issues that you talk about all the time on jobs, the economy, and fiscal policy. They delivered on that.
But one of the issues that certainly has to do with, something of great interest to the Republican primary voters is immigration and the differences between the Republican candidates on that.
So one of the fascinating moments was when Donald Trump, talked about his plan to get rid of all of the undocumented immigrants in this country and John Kasich came back at him and said, that's just not realistic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KASICH: Come on, folks, we all notice you can't pick them up and ship them back across the border. It's a silly argument.
TRUMP: All I can say is you are lucky in Ohio that you struck oil. That's for one thing. Let me just tell you, Dwight Eisenhower, a good president, a great president. People liked him. I like Ike, right, the expression, I like Ike, moved a million and a half legal immigrants out of this country.
Moved them just beyond the border, they came back. Moved them again beyond the border, they came back, didn't like it. Moved them way south they never came back. Dwight Eisenhower.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: There were lots of other pointed exchanges between the candidates. For example, on foreign policy, Rand Paul, who calls himself sort of a form of an isolationist, he went at it with Marco Rubio giving Marco Rubio one of his best moments of the debate.
Giving him the opportunity to articulate why he thinks it's great for the United States to have a powerful role in the world him one thing missing from this debate was the drama between Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio.
We didn't see them go after one another. They each stuck to what they wanted to talk about, vis have a I have their proels and their plans and pretended like the other wasn't even on the stage -- John and Christine. ROMANS: A late night for everyone. Helping us break down the winners and the losers is our CNN politics reporter, Jeremy Diamond, live in our Washington Bureau.
I guess for those who are waking up this morning on the treadmill are headed to the airport, missed the debate. What's your headline?
[05:35:01] JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Well, you got to first take a look at Marco Rubio, right? You know, Marco Rubio had another standout performance last night as he did in the previous CNBC debate. You know, he really just hit all of the right notes.
You know, he was talking about his record. He was talking about, you know, when he would be answering questions on issues, he would pivot to his biography as the son of immigrants and kind of try to sympathize with Americans struggling through tough times.
Contrasting that, you know, you didn't have Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio going at each other's throats as they did in at least one instance in the previous debate, but you certainly did have a contrast there.
Jeb Bush improved from his previous performance in the debate, but he just didn't -- you know, when you cast him in the light of Marco Rubio, he just didn't really stack up.
But nonetheless, Jeb Bush improving there, that was significant because you kind of staunch the bleeding of his struggling campaign, but you know, we'll see how things are going to play out now. It was certainly an interesting night in Milwaukee.
BERMAN: Interesting. Sort of grading Jeb Bush on a curve, which is to say, that he did well for Jeb Bush. That he did better than in the previous debates, but may not have broken through that Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, those supreme debaters, that level right there or did anything to upset the Donald Trump, Ben Carson tier?
DIAMOND: Yes. I think that's exactly right because you know, coming from where Jeb Bush was in the previous debate and his performance there that was widely him. You know, he did all right last night. He had a few moments.
His best moments were when he did confront other candidates namely the man standing center stage, which was Donald Trump. Jeb Bush confronted him on immigration, you know, questioning whether or not it's a good idea to really deport the undocumented immigrants living in this country.
He also questioned him on foreign policy, when Donald Trump suggested that the U.S. should stop playing a big role, stop being the policemen of the world. Jeb Bush says the U.S. needs to lead in ISIS in confronting the Islamic group.
Jeb Bush had his moments, but Donald Trump as well, really positioning himself as a more serious candidate last night. He was talking about the issues, delivering a policy centric message, even though he did still.
We saw him scraping with mostly Ohio Governor John Kasich. So still that fighting spirit in Donald Trump that we've come to know from him.
ROMANS: Jeb Bush hanging in there. I want to show you sort of the number, how it broke down, how much time people had to speak. Ben Carson, 9 minutes, 22 seconds. You know, he was --
BERMAN: That's the bottom right there.
ROMANS: He was mild mannered and didn't probably have to speak more than that to continue where he is going. You know, he is right there on top of the polls. Jeb Bush with 9 minutes and 50 -- Jeremy.
DIAMOND: Yes, absolutely. You know, Ben Carson didn't need to do -- you know, he didn't need to have fireworks last night. He has been rising in the polls. He is now challenging Donald Trump for the frontrunner status in the Republican primary.
You know, he is right up there with Donald Trump with 20-plus percentage points in the polls. Ben Carson, this strategy has worked for him. So if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? He has been sticking with that in the past debates as well and his poll numbers have risen off of it.
So there is something working with his mild mannered style, you know, his -- that's what's worked in Iowa particularly where he is doing very well with Evangelicals and other votes.
So I think Ben Carson wants to stick with this strategy while it's working. None of the other candidates want to attack him, of course, because Ben Carson's favorability ratings are so high.
BERMAN: You are talking about Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz has been a very consistent factor in all these debates. He gets his moment. He gets his message out, sometimes rehearsed. You know what he is going to say and he delivers.
DIAMOND: Absolutely. Let's remember Ted Cruz, college debate champion at Princeton, right? He kind of pulled out some of those moves I think last fight as he has in the previous debates. He is really well polished at these debates.
Last night, he differed that and a little bit more. You know, there was a little populism it seemed in what he was talking about especially immigration. That was interesting.
You know, Ted Cruz is trying to stake out a lot of different lanes in the primary. He is trying to go after the libertarians. He is trying to go after the Evangelicals and the Tea Party base.
Last night, when there was a little debate between Marco Rubio and Rand Paul over foreign policy, you know Ted Cruz stepped in and kind of throws the middle of the road approach, which was just between the non-interventionist Rand Paul and the neo-conservative foreign policy hawk that Marco Rubio kind of embodied.
BERMAN: You know, it's fascinating watching him on the stage, you can see the wheels turning, and you can see him deciding. That's where I want to position myself when I get the chance, really interesting to see.
[05:40:10]Jeremy Diamond, great to have with us this morning. Thanks so much for being a part of this.
DIAMOND: Thanks, John.
BERMAN: One of the big questions this morning --
ROMANS: The questions.
BERMAN: Yes, those asking, the debate moderators. We will break down their performance next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: One of the big questions about the Republican debate was about the questions or more specifically the people asking those questions. The Fox Business Network was the host after CNBC was bashed by Republican officials last time around. Last night, the candidates at least seemed pretty happy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I thought it was great. I thought the moderators were elegant. I thought the questions were really, really on point.
FIORINA: I think the moderators stuck to the issues. I think we each had time to make that point.
PAUL: I thought we had more time. I got to express my opinion. I had a few opinions that I wanted to express.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:45:11] ROMANS: For some analysis by the network and the moderators, I want to bring you media correspondent, Brian Stelter.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Hi, John. Hi, Christine. The reviews are in and they're pretty positive for the Fox Business Network, definitely a lot more positive for the CNBC debate two weeks ago.
The moderators of the CNBC debate were almost universally criticized for the tone of their questions and for laying the debate get out of control.
What we saw from the moderators on Fox Business, it was a more controlled debate. There were only a few times the candidates took over. Now, one of those times was when Donald Trump himself acted like a moderator. Here's what he said about Jeb Bush.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They moved a million-and-a-half people out. We have no choice. We have no choice.
(CROSSTALK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STELTER: That was the most tweeted moment of the night, but the second most commented moment was actually involving the debate about the tax code. There was a lot of substance at this debate. We'll see how that translates to viewership.
These debates have been incredibly high rated. Thanks largely to Donald Trump. We've seen 10 million to 20 million people watching these debates earlier this summer and into the fall.
This debate is likely to get at least over 10 million viewers, which will mean the debate remains one of the biggest shows on all of television, entertainment, sports or news, these debates continue to draw in big audiences. John, Christine, back to you.
ROMANS: All right, Brian Stelter, thanks for that. Of course, CNN has been doing reality checking all night long at CNN.com. They said they don't want to raise it to $15 an hour. Ben Carson said a higher minimum wage would backfire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Every time we raise the minimum wage, the number of jobless people increases. It's particularly a problem in the plaque community. Only 19.8 percent of black teenagers have a job. They're looking for one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Let's look at the first part of that claim. In 1997 the minimum wage went up and unemployment fell steadily each month for several years. It has happened other times as well, in 1950, '61, '78, 1996 when the unemployment rate rose, when the minimum wage rose, unemployment fell.
Now to the part about black teen unemployment, Carson said, only 20 percent of black teens who want a job have one. That implies 80 percent unemployment. The Bureau of Labor statistic shows many teens who don't have a job are not looking.
The unemployment rate still too high, obviously, is 25 percent, not 80 percent, not exactly what low wage protesters, by the way, were hoping to hear from Republicans. They would like these low wage workers, many in the streets yesterday. They're fighting for a $15.
The organized strikes around the country on Tuesday, these are fast food workers him home care, child care workers. Interestingly, New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a $15 minimum wage for all state workers.
So you have two very different perspectives here. You have on the Republican stage, an aversion by some to raise the minimum wage, Democrats really pushing that as part of their platform. I want to take a look at what's coming up on "NEW DAY." Alisyn Camerota joins me this morning.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": We will have more analysis on last night's GOP debate, Christine. Candidates were getting into a couple testy exchanges over policy instead of personality this time. So who are the winners and losers? How did Jeb Bush do?
We'll break down all the candidates' claims as you have been, we will see who may have fudged the truth. We'll be joined by Governor Chris Christie. What was his take on all that?
ROMANS: He's a good debater. He did well on the undercard debate. I will be interested to see what he has to say about the other candidates. Donald Trump is talking the hard truth, the context that Trump failed to mention with your reality check next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:53:56]
ROMANS: The Obama administration will take the fight over the president's immigration reform plan to the Supreme Court. This comes after an appeals panel upheld an injunction, blocking President Obama's initiative, that would protect nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation.
Twenty six states have challenged the legality of the Obama plan. Investigators are trying to figure out what caused a small business jet to crash in Akron, Ohio, killing everyone on board.
Authorities say the twin engine plane went down as it approached the airport before crashing into an apartment complex. No one on the ground was injured.
Authorities did not confirm the number killed on that plane. But its owner says there were nine people on board. More than 25 million people are facing the threat of severe weather today. Let's go straight to meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys. Yes, the severe weather you are talking about locked in across the mid-west this afternoon. It's a very active jet aloft to really support some of the storm's tremendous lift.
It will work across the great lakes, by later on, Thursday afternoon, but for your Wednesday forecast, the largest threat going to be extending from Peoria towards Springfield as far as south of Memphis and Little Rock.
[05:55:10]But generally as you work to the top of the tornado threat, it becomes isolated and a hail event while we don't have severe storms. We will have gusty winds, anywhere 30 miles to 35 miles per hour in some of the major metro areas of St. Louis into Chicago.
If you have travel plans in that region, you could see delays associated with the storms rolling in, in the afternoon hours. We have some rain fall to tell you about generally less than an inch.
Some pockets of two inches in Massachusetts on into Connecticut and watching snow showers this morning across the Denver, Metro area. The commute could be impacted by this. If you are working across I- 70, I-76, travel through blizzard continent, believe it or not, into early November.
ROMANS: All right, Pedram Javaheri, thanks for that. Let's get an EARLY START on your money right now. A good day for stocks around the world, so far, European shares starting their day higher, U.S. stock futures taking up here.
In megamerger news, Anheuser-Busch finalized its agreement to buy SAB Miller. Bud Miller will be the world largest beer maker by far with annual sales of $55 billion.
CNN reality check from last night on the debate stage, Donald Trump noted that one great president, Dwight Eisenhower, deported illegal immigrants just as Trump would if he is elected.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Moved a million-and-a-half illegal immigrants out of this country, moved them just beyond the border, they came back. Moved them again beyond the border, they came back. Didn't like it, moved them way south. They never came back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Eisenhower's policy at the time was named "Operation Wetback." It was implemented in 1954. It deported undocumented immigrants deep into Mexico. Many of them were immigrants who came through war time programs and their temporary contracts were not renewed.
Now the exact number of people deported is unclear. One detail Trump did not mention, the transfer process was widely criticized as inhumane. Some were dropped off without resources in the desert and died from heat stroke.
Others drowned during transport in overloaded ships. Trump's claim, reality check finds is true, but CNN reality check is misleading as well.
All right, the Republican presidential debate with plenty of heated moments. "NEW DAY" picks up the story right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: We either have a country or we don't have a country.
KASICH: Come on, folks, we know you can't pick them all up, and ship them back across the border. It's a silly argument.
PAUL: You cannot be a conservative if you keep promoting new programs that you will not pay for.
MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know that Rand is a committed isolationist. I'm not.
CRUZ: Do you think defending this nation is expensive. Try not defending it.
FIORINA: We must take our government back.
CARSON: I have no problem with being vetted. What I do have a problem with is being lied about.
TRUMP: We have to get smart. We can't continue to be the policemen of the world.
JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He is absolutely wrong on this. We will not be the world's policemen, but we sure as heck better be the world's leader.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Veteran's Day, as we should every day, thank you, fighting men, women, your families, thank you for the sacrifices that you make abroad and at home.
It is Wednesday, November 11th, 6:00 in the east. The big winner from the latest GOP debate, you know who it was? You, Republican candidates putting out ideas, the show overlapsed especially on tax policy, but a lot of differences and clashing on immigration, national security, the minimum wage.
CAMEROTA: There were lots of different moments that were captured in this debate. Did Jeb Bush do enough to help his embattled campaign? And how did Ben Carson handled questions about his past?
CNN's John Berman is here to tell us how the candidates faired. Hi, John.
BERMAN: You know, we saw it last night on real issues. We saw energy, eight candidates on that main stage. For the most part, all eight of them, they brought their game.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN (voice-over): If you were a candidate on stage, yes, more policy, maybe, less tension? Not a chance.
KASICH: Come on, folks, we all know you can't pick them up and ship them across, back across the border. It's a silly argument. It makes no sense.
BERMAN: John Kasich blasting Donald Trump's build a wall immigration plan. Donald Trump blasting back.
TRUMP: Let me just tell you, they built an unbelievable company worth billions and billions of dollars, I don't have to hear from this man, believe me.
BERMAN: Immigration was a central topic. Jeb Bush worried about a mass deportation message.
BUSH: They're doing high 5s in the Clinton campaign when they hear this.
BERMAN: Ted Cruz disagreed.
CRUZ: If Republicans join Democrats as the party of amnesty, we will lose.
BERMAN: Foreign policy also a flash point between candidates including a Rand Paul sighting.
RUBIO: I know that Rand is a committed isolationist --
