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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Climate Change Talks Begin in Paris; Colorado Civilian Victims Identified; Ben Carson Visits Refugee Camp in Jordan; Donald Trump Sticks to 9/11 Muslim Claim; Kobe Bryant Announces His Retirement; Broncos Beat Patriots in Overtime Thriller; Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired November 30, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:06] JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And we're expecting these world leaders gathered for this climate summit, Alison, to observe a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Paris attacks. And it was a somber start for President Obama's trip to Paris for this climate summit. As soon as the president landed in France, he was whisked over to the Bataclan Theater where he laid a single white rose in memory of the people killed in the Paris attacks.

The French capital, we can report, is very much on edge this morning in the aftermath of the attacks on November 13th. Protesters clashed with French authorities Sunday over new rules that were set to clamp down on large-scale demonstrations in this city.

There is intense security in place throughout Paris. We saw that last night. I was there when the president visited the memorial outside of the Bataclan Theater. This security is in place to protect more than 100 world leaders gathered here for these climate talks that aren't away right now despite what happened on November 13th. President Obama and President Xi of China as you mentioned, they've already met this morning to discuss these climate talks, as well as the war on ISIS.

President Obama offered his condolences for the Chinese hostage who was killed by those ISIS. And the leaders gathered here, Alison, are in pursuit of something rather bold, a climate agreement that would commit nearly every country on earth to big reductions in carbon emissions over the coming decades.

Climate scientists are not so sure this will be enough to avert the most severe effects of global warning. But in the view of the White House and this president you have to start somewhere. But the battle against ISIS is also a very big topic on the agenda for President Obama. He'll meet with French President Francois Hollande later on this evening where he'll get an update on Hollande's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week. There's a possibility President Obama and Vladimir Putin will meet on the sidelines of the summit.

No guarantee. They're not supposed to have a bilateral meeting, a former bilateral meeting, but they could catch up with each other on the sidelines of this very important climate summit -- Alison. KOSIK: Jim, about climate change, you know, past meetings have failed

to net a comprehensive policy that all world leaders can agree to. What's really going to be different this time? What can really come out of this meeting?

ACOSTA: Well, I think that meeting with President Obama and President Xi was really designed to set the tone for the summit. You know, if you could have the two biggest economies in the world, the two biggest carbon emitters in the world coming together as they did last year to hammer out a climate deal that will curb carbon emissions over the next couple of decades, U.S. and China feel like so can the rest of the world. And so what they're trying to do is not only get the big industrial polluters and the big countries' big economies around the world on the -- on the table with an agreement, they are trying to get some of these smaller countries to abide by some carbon reduction limits.

And what they're hoping to do is incentivize these smaller countries with some financial aid, with some investments through public-private partnerships. And what they're hoping to accomplish by the end of the next couple of weeks is to have a climate agreement that really commits every country on earth where you have a process in place where countries can sort of look over each other's shoulder to make sure that they're holding up their end of the bargain.

It will be short of a treaty. The president won't go back to Congress and try to get this approved by Republicans up on Capitol Hill. But for the first time, you know -- you know, in world history, you'll have just about every country on earth committing to this and the results of that agreement have to be significant enough in the view of this White House in order to avert rising sea levels and other big effects of climate change.

So the president feels like this is perhaps the most important thing he'll accomplish in his remaining months in office. And we'll have to see if he gets the deal that he's hoping to reach here in Paris -- Alison.

KOSIK: And it's interesting that the two of the biggest polluters, the United States and China, are setting the tone for the meeting. Hopefully something will come out o that.

Jim Acosta, thanks so much.

ROMANS: All right. We're getting new information about what motivated a shooting spree at a Colorado Springs' Planned Parenthood clinic. An attack that killed three and wounded nine others. Suspect Robert Lewis Dear is set to have his first court appearance this afternoon via video link.

We're also learning more about two victims in the deadly attack. Ke'arre Stewart was an Iraq war veteran with two daughters. Jennifer Markovsky was a mother of two. She had a boy and a girl. She was a K-Mart employee originally from Hawaii. Police Officer Garrett Swasey also died in the attack.

For more let's get to Dan Simon in Colorado Springs.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Alison, a law enforcement source tells CNN that just after he surrendered the suspect in this case, 57-year-old Robert Dear, made a reference to, quote, "baby parts." So that's further fueling this notion that is anti-abortion views was the motivating factor behind the attack at the Planned Parenthood. But authorities say at this point it is too early to reach a conclusion.

As for the suspect's background, a portrait is emerging that he was a loner. He certainly lived in isolation in the middle of Colorado. Before that he lived in North Carolina in a very small cabin.

[05:05:08] In terms of a criminal background, we know that he had some brushes with law enforcement, but had never been convicted. In 1997, for instance, his wife at the time accused him of domestic assault. But he was never charged. And because there is no sort of criminal violent past associated with the suspect, that's why people like the mayor in this town say it's very hard for law enforcement to keep tabs on someone like him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN SUTHERS, COLORADO SPRINGS MAYOR: We've had examples of this in the past. This guy is kind of shaping up to be a -- like a Ted Kaczynski type character. Perhaps not quite the loner, but it's very difficult for law enforcement to deal with individuals like this who don't commit serious crimes and get themselves on the radar that way. Unless a threat is posed beforehand that they can respond to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: Well, as authorities work to come up with a firm motive, we know that the suspect actually gave up inside the Planned Parenthood. This was after nearly six hours and also after an armored police vehicle known as a Bearcat rammed into the building. The suspect apparently thought he was cornered. He dropped his weapon and gave up -- Christine and Alison.

KOSIK: OK, Dan. Thanks for that.

One question hanging over the attack. Whether it will complicate the fight in Congress over Planned Parenthood. That battle started when an anti-abortion group began releasing videos that claimed Planned Parenthood profits from the sale of fetal tissue. Hard line conservatives are pushing for a government shutdown if federal funding for the group is not cut off.

On Saturday, Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer called for five congressional investigations of the group to be shutdown. She said it's time to stop the demonizing and the witch hunt. The head of the Colorado clinic suggested that fiery anti-abortion political rhetoric played a part in the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VICKI COWART, PRESIDENT, ROCKY MOUNTAIN PLANNED PARENTHOOD: We've experienced so much hateful language, hateful speech, such a negative environment has been created around the work that Planned Parenthood does, around the idea of safe and legal abortion. And we've seen that across the country from all sorts of speakers in the last few months.

I can't believe that this isn't contributing to some folks mentally unwell or not. Thinking that it's OK to target Planned Parenthood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Many of the 2016 Republican candidates now speaking out against the attack. And they are also maintaining their strong opposition to Planned Parenthood. They are rejecting that notion you just heard that anti-abortion rhetoric played any part in this violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARLY FIORINA (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What I would say to anyone who tries to link this terrible tragedy to anyone who opposes abortion or opposes the sale of body parts is this is typical left-wing tactics.

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What he did is domestic terrorism. And what he did is absolutely abominable. Especially to those of us in the pro-life movement. Because there's nothing about any of us that would condone or in any way look the other way at something like this.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is an extremist and this was a man who obviously -- and they said prior to this that he was mentally disturbed. So he's a mentally disturbed person. There's no question about that.

DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let's get away from the rhetoric and talk about the real problem. The real problem is that we have become coarse and hateful toward each another.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were the first presidential candidates to respond to the attacks, offering condolences, supporting Planned Parenthood, and defending abortion rights.

KOSIK: Breaking overnight, the University of Chicago cancelling Monday classes after an online threat of gun violence. The university president says he learned of the threat from FBI counterterrorism officials who say the individual mentioned a specific area and time. The campus quad at 10:00 a.m. Monday morning. So the students in campus housing, they are being asked to stay indoors today as much as possible.

ROMANS: All right. Time for an EARLY START on your money this morning. European stocks mostly higher making up for earlier losses. U.S. stock futures ticking higher here. And you know, it's Monday. The Monday after Thanksgiving. That means it's Cyber Monday. Online sales expected to top $3 billion for the first time. Up 12 percent from a year ago. That's according to estimates from Adobe. The holiday, this Cyber Monday has gained more importance for retailers. Big names like Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Target are battling to offer the best deals this year.

Black Friday, the concept of Black Friday is fading. It's still an important shopping day, but the crowds were smaller this year. More people moving to online shopping. And guess what, more people shopping throughout the entire month instead of waiting for Black Friday deals.

You know what I would say this time of year, if you can't pay it off by the end of January, put it down. Don't buy it in the first place. Don't overspend your budget. Make a list. Check it twice. That's just my -- you know, I do this every year.

[05:10:06] KOSIK: And if you shop online, get free shipping. That's what I do.

ROMANS: That's right. And check the restocking fees.

KOSIK: Yes. There you go.

Ben Carson opens up about what he learned about visiting a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan and Donald Trump doubles down about what he saw on TV on 9/11. The race for president is intensifying next.

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KOSIK: OK. It's back to the campaign grind for the men and the women who would be president following the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. One Republican hopeful Ben Carson, he's been brushing up on his foreign policy learning firsthand about the plight of Syrian refugees while visiting a camp in Jordan.

Joining us to go over all of the latest political buzz, CNN Politics reporter Eric Bradner.

Good morning to you.

ERIC BRADNER, CNN POLITICS DIGITAL REPORTER: Good morning.

KOSIK: So we are watching Ben Carson's sort of on-the-job training, it feels like. Some people making fun of him saying, he's taking field trips now. Let's listen to what he said and then we'll get your reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[05:15:02] CARSON: The thing that I really learned here in listening to the refugees themselves is their intense desire to return to their own country and be repatriated. There are so many people who think that the ideal for everybody is to come to America and to be settled here. But that is not the ideal for everybody. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: So, Eric, what do you think? His trip to Jordan, did it help? Did it hurt? It gives you kind of the feeling and the sense that he's sort of on-the-job training at this point to be president of the United States.

BRADNER: Yes, Ben Carson has struggled with foreign policy questions lately. And so he's trying to demonstrate a little bit of expertise, sort of put some meat on the bones here. And what he just said about Syrian refugees is interesting because he's trying to thread a needle with conservatives. He's trying to appeal to those who are focused on national security, whose primary concern is making sure the refugees aren't allowed into the United States.

And he's also trying to reach religious conservatives. Those who have been -- sort of the primary backers of this campaign who are really worried about the fate of these refugees. Whether they'll be taken care of at all. And so he's appealing to them by sort of saying no, this is what they want. This is the best way to sort of care for them.

So it's an interesting strategy given that most of the rest of the Republican field has focused on no, we don't want the refugees in the United States, and that's it. But yes, this is Ben Carson sort of trying to develop some expertise and learn about these issues that he struggled with.

ROMANS: And certainly the visual of him in Jordan and him greeting all of those people.

Let's talk a little bit about Trump, Donald Trump this weekend, the second weekend, defending those 9/11 comments that so many people have said just absolutely are not true. It's been fact-checked to death that it's not true. Donald Trump not surprisingly disagreeing saying look, people are coming into my office, and tweeting me, saying that I'm right. So I'm right.

But another interesting story on the Donald Trump front. You know, he has spent some time meeting with black pastors. And we have been expecting there would be this big groundswell of endorsement. That they -- he would have some sort of a big endorsement from black pastors. It doesn't look like that's happening. What's going on there?

BRADNER: Yes, so it sounds like the Trump campaign really oversold this. Last week, they were talking about this big endorsement event today where there would be a press conference and hundreds of black pastors would be there to show their support for Trump. Now they're saying there's no press event at all. It's just a meet-and-greet. It's a private meeting at Trump Tower. Nothing public.

And it sounds like, frankly, a lot of these pastors were taken by surprise by the idea that they were going to be endorsing Trump at all. They're saying, look, it's his meeting. He called us here. So we're going to talk to him and listen, but this is not necessarily an endorsement. So the Trump campaign really had to backtrack from what they had billed this as which is a big event.

And that's problematic for Trump right now because he's trying to call a couple of racial controversies as you'd alluded to, I mean, he's sort of, you know, confronting the Black Lives Matter protester, and re-tweeting the fake and racially charged set of crime figures who -- the comments about Muslim-Americans on 9/11 celebrating. There are several controversies that he's sort of trying to tamp down. This was an event that had it been what he had billed as could have helped to do that, but it turns out it's quite the opposite.

KOSIK: All right. Let's quickly go to another candidate. Chris Christie at the bottom of the New Hampshire Republicans choice for nominee, coming in at 4 percent, yet he picked up a big endorsement, a real shot in the arm for his campaign. Do voters pay attention to this?

BRADNER: Yes. I mean, in New Hampshire, the "Union Leader" is an important newspaper. Voters do pay a little bit of attention. It's -- now this is not necessarily like something that's going to move Christie in a big way in the polls. But the assumption a lot of Republicans I talked to have is that things are going to sort of be shaken up again before anyone actually casts a ballot. And this could be one of several things, you know, this endorsement, Christie's experience on -- as a prosecutor, as foreign policy sort of comes to the forefront.

Could be one of several things that gets him another look if one or several candidates starts to fade. This could help him if voters are looking for, like, a second choice, an alternative. So yes, it's helpful. It's not a huge deal. But it's definitely helpful for his campaign. And he's needed a shot in the arm.

ROMANS: It's another headline.

BRADNER: For quite a line.

ROMANS: He needs a headline. He needs the headline. He got a headline. Still pretty crowded field there. We're going to talk to you in about half an hour. I'm going to ask you about some of those comments from Jeb Bush. He called Donald Trump scary. Scary idea of commander-in-chief. So we'll talk about that.

Thanks for getting up for us. We'll talk to you again in a few minutes.

BRADNER: Great.

ROMANS: Bye, Eric.

All right. Kobe Bryant calling it a career in reverse. Coy Wire has this morning's "Bleacher Report" next.

[05:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: So both of our sons freaked out over this news last night.

KOSIK: It was a big --

ROMANS: Kobe Bryant announces he will retire at the end of this season. His 20th with the Lakers.

KOSIK: Coy Wire has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report."

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: Good morning, Alison and Christine. Kobe Bryant, he confirmed what's been widely assumed, that this will be the final season of his legendary NBA career. He announced the news in the form of a poem titled "Dear Basketball" posted on the "Players' Tribune" Web site which crashed after the news announced, by the way.

Kobe wrote, quote, "This season is all I have left to give. My mind can handle the grind, but my body knows it's time to say good-bye. And that's OK. I'm ready to let you go," end quote.

[05:25:05] Emotions ran high when he stepped on the court at Staple Center last night. After the loss to the Pacers, Kobe talked about his decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOBE BRYANT, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: I've had so many great times, right? So I think it's -- see the beauty and not being able to blow past the finish anymore. You know what I mean?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: After 17 all star selections, five NBA titles, the league MVP awards, and two Olympic golds, Kobe Bryant will soon say good-bye to the game for good.

Missing 40 offensive starters, Tom Brady's pass put their perfect record on the line at Mile High against the Peyton Manning-less Broncos last night. Brock Osweiler leads Denver to the go-ahead score, putting them up by three with just over a minute in regulation. But that's plenty of time for Tom Brady. He marches the Patriots into game time field goal position. Stephen Gronkowski got them. To overtime we go. And in OT CJ Anderson on lock's legend status in Denver for the night at least. Quicker than a hiccup with his 48-yard walk-off TD. Broncos beat the Pats, 30-24, moved to 9-2 on the season and hand New England their first loss of the season.

While the Pats get their first loss, the Philadelphia 76ers are still looking for their first win. They lost to the Memphis Grizzlies last night, dropping to 0-18. Tying the NBA record for the most losses to start a season ever and to make it even worse, it's their 28th consecutive loss dating back to last season. That's the longest losing streak by any team in any major North American pro-sport. Houston College sports the record for most conservative losses is 41 set by (INAUDIBLE) in the 2011-2012 season. My Philadelphia 76ers keep making me sicker -- Christine and Alison.

(LAUGHTER) ROMANS: Sorry. All right, thanks so much, Coy Wire. Nice to see you this morning.

WIRE: You too. Thanks.

KOSIK: President Obama in Paris meeting with world leaders over how to fight climate change. We're live next.

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