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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Cruz Challenging Trump For Frontrunner; Big Shakeup in the Republican Race; Obama Visiting Pentagon For ISIS Update; The Radicalization Of Tashfeen Malik. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired December 14, 2015 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Happy Monday. Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Alison Kosik.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Christine Romans. It's 30 minutes past the hour. Nice to see you.
Tomorrow's Tuesday, the big event. Nine candidates converge on the Venetian Theater in Las Vegas tomorrow for the fifth Republican debate here on CNN. It is the final debate of the year with 48 days left before voting in the Iowa caucus.
The focus sure is to be on national security in the wake of the Paris and San Bernardino terror attacks and with Donald Trump still taking fire over his Muslim exclusion plan. CNN's Athena Jones is in Las Vegas for us with the latest.
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm coming to you from the Venetian Theater on the Las Vegas strip. This is where it will go down on Tuesday night. We are in the middle of rehearsals. You see the main stage has been set.
We know the nine candidates who made the cut for the primetime debate. They are in order, John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and Rand Paul.
Trump is center stage once again. He is still the frontrunner nationally, but his frontrunner status is being challenged by Cruz in the state of Iowa, three new polls now showing the Texas senator leading there.
Now CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Dana Bash along with Salem Radio's Hugh Hewitt are spending a lot of time over the next several days in the finalizing debate questions for the huge production. There will be 17 cameras and an invite-only audience of 1,400 people filling the theater on Tuesday night.
This will be the last debate of the year, the last chance for the candidates to make a strong impression with voters heading into the holiday season. Millions will be watching.
So the big questions, will Donald Trump attack Ted Cruz? Will Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz get into it? Will Ben Carson and Jeb Bush and others have breakout performances that can boost their poll numbers? We will see what happens.
ROMANS: We sure will. Thank you for that, Athena. Four Republicans fill out the undercard debate, George Pataki, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Lindsey Graham. The undercard begins at 6:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
KOSIK: And as Athena mentioned, there's been a big shake up in the Republican race with Ted Cruz suddenly soaring to first in Iowa and second in national polls.
Joining us now to breakdown all of this new information, to reconfigure political field to be more exact, CNN political reporter, Eric Bradner.
Let's look at these polls. We have been talking about how Teflon Don has been. We are seeing cracks when you see the latest poll from Iowa, which is considered the gold standard.
Then the national poll, although it shows he is leading. It does show Cruz nipping at his heels. For those who don't follow politics as closely as we do, which poll is more important? Which really captures the sentiment of the American people?
ERIC BRADNER, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: The Iowa poll is really important in terms of determining momentum for the national race. Votes are cast state by state. This is not a race that was decided all at once by a general election.
So Ted Cruz's rise in Iowa is key because the path to the nomination typically involves winning one of the early states, Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
If Ted Cruz is able to win Iowa, that's probably going to result in a shakeup in the national polls. You will see him rise even more building momentum from the Iowa win.
So these Iowa numbers that show Cruz surpassing Trump are really important. That is why these two are starting to go at each other. There's still a line neither will cross, but they are aware they are competing for the same pool of voters. They are the two frontrunners based on Trump's dominance and Cruz's rise in Iowa.
ROMANS: Let's talk about the line that they are not crossing, but getting closer to it. Listen to what Donald Trump said about Ted Cruz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think he is qualified to be president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not?
TRUMP: Because I don't think he has the right temperament. I don't think he has the right judgment. You look at the way he's dealt with the Senate. He goes in there frankly like a bit of a maniac. You never get things done that way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Two points, first, I think it was Ted Cruz who originally questioned the judgment of Donald Trump in that audio tape of Ted Cruz talking to donors a few days ago.
[05:35:04]Then Ted Cruz responds with this tweet, which is clever and funny and I'll have this song in my head, "In honor of my friend Donald Trump and good hearted maniacs everywhere, the song from "Flash Dance."
BRADNER: Yes, absolutely. This is ironic because Ted Cruz was the original bombastic Republican. He is the one who showed up on Capitol Hill ready to fight with his own party. He used every tool available to stop Obamacare, defund the government, all that sort of thing.
Now on the campaign trail, Ted Cruz is seemingly content with being like the nicer, gentler alternative to Donald Trump who is definitely the bombastic one in the 2016 race. He is using a style that is interesting.
This is the pot calling the kettle black, but it's funny, right. These are two guys who are used to clashing with people who are comfortable with it and yet they are playing nice with each other.
With the exception of Trump questioning the way Cruz does things on Capitol Hill which happens to be the same way that Trump used to do things on the campaign trail.
KOSIK: But you look at what Americans are interested in the race. They are interested in the economy and they are interested in which president is going to keep America safe. What are the polls saying about those two issues and who can do best on those issues?
BRADNER: Yes. So Donald Trump polls best on the economy and Ted Cruz polls best on national security. What voters seem to look for in the Republican primary is strength and leadership. That's why you see Donald Trump able to survive all of these you could call miscues or whatever.
The points where perhaps his policy proposal is not proper, but the way he conveys it appeals to the segment of the Republican electorate. Ted Cruz is a rocker conservative. He is as far to the right as anyone in the race.
That is a great thing for appealing to conservatives especially in Iowa and South Carolina, where they look for someone who really hits all of the social and fiscal and national security points.
So, Cruz is doing well on foreign policy right now. Trump is doing well on the economy. Both of them do pretty well in both areas.
ROMANS: Let's talk about Dr. Ben Carson. He made a comment about Ted Cruz. He is trying to really, I think, show again what makes him the outsider, Dr. Carson. What makes him the outsider and unique in the field while tweaking Ted Cruz. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, we all had different types of experiences. No question I have not spent a lot of time schmoozing asking for money and going to cocktail parties. I spent many a night in the operating room, cold sterile place with a child's life on the line, working very hard to preserve that. That's a different experience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: When you arrive in Des Moines and you go down the drive and on the right is a huge place where the area is Carson country. Will Iowa be a Carson country?
BRADNER: He's definitely fading in the polls right now. Iowa is a great place for him. There are a lot of social conservatives there, people who were perhaps exposed to his book or movie early on during school.
But he's losing a lot of momentum nationwide. That's why you heard him take that shot at Cruz, which is a bit out of Ben Carson's comfort zone. It was a good line. Not typical Carson. He is not comfortable flashing with other candidates.
As Cruz has risen in the polls, Carson has dropped. It is almost one- to-one. He is claiming all of Carson's lost support. He needs a moment. This debate is going to be big for him. He doesn't have the personality that fills the debate stage.
If he has a memorable moment, that could be important to help stop the losses and regain momentum. He will have to do something to get things going again.
KOSIK: And it's those moments we will be watching for exactly 36 hours and 20 minutes and 25 seconds Tuesday night, 8:30. Undercard debate at 6:00. I see some knockout, drag out, debating going on.
ROMANS: We want to know who is the candidate that will lead the U.S. in a world that does not feel safe to many Americans. Thank you so much, Eric Bradner.
[05:40:09]Speaking of which, President Obama meeting with top military advisors as he tries to reassure the public that his strategy in the war against ISIS is working.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOSIK: Welcome back. Happening today, President Obama is dropping by the Pentagon for a progress report on the war against ISIS. The White House says he is going to be meeting with his national security team for an update. No policy announcements are expected. It's the next phase in his campaign to reassure a nervous public that his counterterrorism strategy is working. In the weekly media address, the president highlighted the killing of two ISIS leaders by U.S. strikes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Our airstrikes are hitting ISIL harder than ever in Iraq and Syria. We are taking out more of their fighters and leaders, their weapons, their oil tankers. Our special operations forces are on the ground because we are going to hunt down these terrorists wherever they try to hide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:45:10]KOSIK: The next stop in the president's reassurance campaign, a visit to the National Counterterrorism Center on Thursday.
ROMANS: Fed decision week is here. European shares are up. U.S. stock futures are higher too ahead of the fed's interest rate decision on Wednesday. A rate hike, the first in nearly a decade, is what the market expects. It will likely be a small increase. Rates are expected to rise gradually. It means higher borrowing costs for mortgages, car loans and credit cards, all become more expensive.
Oil prices moving lower today. Prices have been simply hammered in recent weeks. They are around $35 a barrel this morning. That's near a seven-year low. The Dow dropped more than 3 percent last week. Both the Dow and the S&P 500 are now lower for the year.
KOSIK: Come on Santa Claus rally.
Let's take a look what is coming up on "NEW DAY." Michaela Pereira joins us now. Good morning to you.
MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: You and I look like a couple of elves here. Ladies, good to see you. Happy Monday. We are in full countdown mode to tomorrow's Republican debate right here on CNN.
This morning the focus is on Iowa. Ted Cruz is taking the lead in two polls over Donald Trump. Is this backlash to the trump Muslim ban? Is Cruz peaking too soon? We will have analysis for you and we will have former Republican candidate, Steve Forbes, on our program today.
There are breaking details this morning about the Paris terror attacks, questions swirled around the ringleader. Where was he during the attack? A new report this morning provides some answers. We will speak with the author of that report live on NEW DAY this morning.
ROMANS: Thank you so much.
A mortgage meltdown, a financial system collapse, an economy in shambles coming to a box office near you.
KOSIK: I thought that was reality. ROMANS: Brad Pitt tells me why he is so angry next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:51:33]
KOSIK: FBI dive teams wrapping up a three-day search at the bottom of a lake just north of San Bernardino, California. They were looking for evidence that may have been dumped there by Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik. The radicalized couple who murdered 14 people earlier this month. We get more from CNN's Ana Cabrera in San Bernardino.
ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Alison, we are here at the makeshift memorial near where the shooting happened. This is the tribute to the 14 people who lost their lives. Many of them have been laid to rest now.
This as the Department of Environmental Health where many of them worked is set to reopen today. As the community moves forward and tries to heal, the investigation continues.
Over the weekend, investigators wrapped up the search of the lake near the crime scene. We learned it yielded no evidence that was connected to the case. They are not giving up finding that missing hard drive or the data that was on it.
In fact, they will work with internet providers to try to pull the records connected to the killers' IP addresses. We are also learning more about the online communication.
"The New York Times" reporting American law enforcement sources found social media posts made by Tashfeen Malik, one of the killers, prior to her coming into the U.S.
Now according to "The New York Times," these postings talk about violent jihad that she wants to be part of it. Law enforcement said she made no effort to conceal her views. It wasn't caught in the background checks prior to getting her visa in 2014.
U.S. officials say that was not part of the screening process at the time. She had three background checks that did not look at social media.
Since that time, we have learned that U.S. officials are looking at social media as part of the screening process for visas for applicants of specific countries.
It wasn't happening at that time. The Obama administration has ordered a thorough review of the visa application process -- Christine, Alison.
ROMANS: Ana, thank you for that. A deadly shooting in California triggers a heated debate over the use of police force. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office says 28-year-old, Nicholas Robertson was shot and killed by officers in Lynnwood after he fired six or seven shots in the air and waved a handgun erratically as officers approached. The two deputies fired 33 shots. The LA County DA and the Sheriff's Office is opening an investigation.
KOSIK: Closing arguments in the trial of William Porter, the first of six Baltimore police officers facing charges in the death of Freddie Gray. Prosecutors claim Porter cared so little for Gray's wellbeing, he ignored his pleas for help and left him to die in the back of a police van.
The defense is arguing Porter went above and beyond what most cops would do. They blame two other officers claiming they failed to act when Porter told them Gray needed medical help.
ROMANS: It's 54 minutes past the hour. Beginning to feel a lot like beach weather -- the warm weather will be hanging on in the east. Let's bring in meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri.
(WEATHER REPORT)
[05:55:52]
ROMANS: Thank you. Let's get an EARLY START on your money. It's show time for the fed. European shares are up. U.S. stock futures are higher right now too ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision on Wednesday. Likely the first interest hike in nearly a decade.
Oil is moving lower right now. Prices have plunged in recent weeks now around $35 a barrel. Booming supply and weakening demanded. The bear market in oil is rattling markets around the world. U.S. stocks are lower for the year.
To the box office now where the girl on fire is light up "The Hunger Games, Mockingjay Part Two" topping the box office for the fourth weekend in a row. The finale raked in $244 million so far.
Coming in at number two, "In The Heart Of The Sea." I loved this book. It brought in $11 million, disappointing. Perhaps waiting for the weekend where a little film is coming out. No media talk at all and no advertising about this little film. "Star Wars: Force Awakens" opens on Friday.
Brad Pitt is angry. He directed and co-stars in "The Big Short." It is another financial movie. It tries to tell you the insider language of Wall Street using names like Pitt and Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling. Brad Pitt said the mortgage crisis made him so mad, he auctioned Ryan Lewis' book "The Big Short."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRAD PITT, ACTOR, "THE BIG SHORT": Yes, I'm angry. You see families losing their homes and out on the street and not knowing why. This film attempts to explain it.
ROMANS: Do you think memories are too short? We are talking about elections now.
PITT: That is the problem. You nailed it. No one is held accountable. The rating agencies are behaving like they were then without any real responsibility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: These actors learned a lot about the financial crisis. Pitt says that greed is good mentality is still alive and well.
KOSIK: The countdown to the CNN Republican debate. "NEW DAY" starts now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The last Republican debate of 2015.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trump is center stage once again.
KOSIK: Ted Cruz is soaring in Iowa.
TRUMP: I don't think he's qualified to be president.
BERMAN: National security will be the focus here on Tuesday night.
ROMANS: Happening today, President Obama dropping by the Pentagon. The focus will be the continuing war on ISIS.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: We're going to hunt down these terrorists wherever they try to hide.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After three days of searching a lake in San Bernardino, the FBI has recovered no items.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Social media postings talking about her support for violent jihad. Background checks missed it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to "NEW DAY." It is Monday, December 14th, 6:00 in the east. That is as close as you can get to Venice in Vegas. The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, that's where the Republican debate is going to be. The stakes have never been higher for the last GOP debate of the year. It comes as the polls show a new order.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: There is the new national poll. It shows Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz five points apart. Two other polls from Iowa have Cruz surging passed Donald Trump.
The gloves are off between the two with Trump referring to the Texas senator as, quote, "a little bit of a maniac." We have the story and we start with Athena Jones, live in Las Vegas. Give us the latest.
JONES: Good morning, Alisyn. The countdown has begun here in the Venetian Theater. The stage is all set up right here behind me. Frontrunner Donald Trump is smack dab in the middle once again. He won't be the only target as these candidates battle to stand out here tomorrow night --
