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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Trump's Lead Over Cruz Shaved to 4 Points; Accused Vegas Driver Charged with Murder; Survivor Rescued Days After Landslide; Odell Beckham Jr. Suspension Appeal Today. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired December 23, 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] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump defending his attacks against Hillary Clinton as the new poll, a brand new poll shows his lead as Republican front runner is shrinking.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: The woman accused of mowing down dozens of pedestrians on the Vegas Strip charged with murder and just hours away from facing a judge.

ROMANS: And breaking overnight, days after a massive landslide in China. There is a survivor, a survivor pulled from the rubble him we got that story next.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Boris Sanchez. It's Wednesday, December 23rd, 5:00 a.m. in the East Coast.

And we start this morning with a tightening lead in the Republican presidential race. Donald Trump now just four points ahead of Ted Cruz in the latest poll. A good reason to agree with Trump's recent statement that the Republican race is turning into a two-man race. That is a picture that pointedly leaves out Marco Rubio who's now polling third at 12 percent. It's also a matchup that Cruz says give, quote, "a good choice to the American people".

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has the latest from the Cruz campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Boris and Christine.

Well, Ted Cruz feeling some momentum coming from this new national poll showing that he is chipping away at Donald Trump's dominance. Trump is still in the lead. But his lead over Ted Cruz is getting smaller. This Quinnipiac poll showing that Cruz has gained eight points in the past four weeks and is now within striking distance of Donald Trump, meaning basically that the two are the front runners.

Now, Ted Cruz here in Tennessee says that this brings him encouragement and made this interesting prediction on where he says the race going. SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I did think it was

interesting. Donald said a couple days ago that he thought the Republican race could come down just to him and me. I think he may be right. If you look at the polling numbers, we are surging in the polls. And Donald may be right this is turning more and more into a two-man race between Donald Trump and me. I think if that's the case, the decision will be made by the voters.

SERFATY: And today in Oklahoma City, Ted Cruz will wrap up his week- long tour of Super Tuesday states that vote if early March. This has been a core part of the Cruz campaign strategy to focus on the long haul. It's right now all about looking ahead -- Christine and Boris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Sunlen, thanks so much for that.

You know, Hillary Clinton is responding indirectly to Donald Trump's comments about her, saying no one should be able to actually give way in office. Her remarks came at a town hall in Iowa where a ten-year- old girl suffered from asthma. She asked Clinton what she would do about bullying. Clinton responded that bullying is more widespread now with social media and that she herself has faced more than her share of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We need more love and kindness in our country. I think we are not treating each other with the respect and the --

(APPLAUSE)

And the care that we should show toward each other. And that's why it's important to stand up to bullies, wherever they are and why we shouldn't let anybody bully his way into the presidency, because that is not who we are as Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Trump, meanwhile, defended his controversial description of Clinton's 2008 primary loss to President Obama. He defended himself, this is what he wrote. "Once again, mainstream media is dishonest. The word I used is not vulgar. When I said Hillary got the word I used that meant beaten badly."

SANCHEZ: Well, even on the eve of Christmas Eve, it was a busy day in politics, helping us break it all down this morning, CNN politics reporter, Eric Bradner.

Eric, good morning to you.

ROMANS: Good morning.

ERIC BRADNER, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Good morning. SANCHEZ: We want to get back to Trump and Cruz and the fact that it's turning into a two-man race. We want to show you this Quinnipiac poll right now. It shows Donald Trump sitting at 28 percent. Ted Cruz right behind him at 24 and then there's everybody else, Marco Rubio at 12, Ben Carson at 10, others in the single digits.

We've seen them play nice up to now, Trump and Cruz. Is this finally when the gloves come off as Donald Trump watches Cruz get closer and closer to him?

BRADNER: Well, probably not quite yet in part because there is still a big question mark. And that's New Hampshire. All of these establishment types from Marco Rubio to Chris Christie to Jeb Bush, John Kasich, have been eyeing the Granite State, which is voting in early February right after Iowa as the place they can really make their mark and sort of wipe out some of the other contenders. If that were to happen, you can see some of those numbers consolidate a single sort of third alternative that might be more palatable to the Republican establishment to more moderate Republican voters.

And I hate to say it's too early to tell whether that will happen, but it is. We are waiting to see if the field is winnowed at any point. That would help a third person emerge and sort of make this more of a contrast between two quite conservative candidates and one person more favored by the establishment.

[05:05:09] ROMANS: It's so interesting, because 24 hours ago, we are talking about how you had Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton who were starting to act as if those were the two people atop their parties, that those would be the two candidates. You have Jeb Bush moving in, and putting the two against each other, using this controversy over Donald Trump's language to insert himself basically in that controversy.

You have Donald Trump tweeting his words, you know, you can't make this up. Tweeting about this word. Apparently there are prior political references to that in the media. You know, that word got so much attention yesterday, I will say. But there was also what Donald Trump said in that same speech in Michigan about Hillary Clinton going to the bathroom. And there was sort of hilarious Bernie Sander's remark about that yesterday I want to play.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump is very upset, it's hard for him to deal with. I don't know what his relationship with women has been in his life, but he has discovered that women go to the bathroom. And it's been very upsetting for him.

I got to be honest with you, I got to lay it out on the table. I also went to the bathroom. I know. I know I have to admit it. I guess I'm a man. Men are allowed to go to the bathroom, but women, what can we say?

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMANS: I'm told the ladies room was farther away than the men's room, by the way, at that debate location. Here's why I say that's hilarious. I'm not saying that because I agree with Bernie Sanders, I'm saying because you never know day-to-day on the stump what kind of, you know, throw out the playbook hilarity is going to happen.

BRADNER: Yes, absolutely, that's what's amazing about covering both Donald Trump and, frankly, Bernie Sanders. These are two candidates who are doing so well in part because they appeal to a sense of policy as usual, the scripted nature of these things is like annoying and what they want to get away from, right?

So, Bernie Sanders is having funny moments in defending Hillary Clinton against these rather bizarre Donald Trump attacks. It's part of his appeal to the liberal base, that he's willing to sort of call these things out. But, yes, that was a hilarious Sander's comment. And you are right, the Trump remark was quite bizarre, but it was only his second most bizarre comments. So it didn't get as much attention.

SANCHEZ: I wasn't sure if that was Larry David or Bernie Sanders on that stage for a moment.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: I want the get through an attempt to be funny that kind of landed, the walk post cartoon it's sparking controversy.

Ted Cruz tweeting out, "Classy, 'The Washington Post' makes fun of my girls. Stick with attacking me."

There is the cartoon. It shows his children being represented as monkeys. How much does this fully help Cruz, the perception that the media is out to get him? He's seen as anti-establishment candidate. So, this is kind of more ammunition for him, right?

BRADNER: Oh, absolutely. This is great for Cruz. Ted Cruz loves to be attacked by "The Washington Post."

Ted Cruz has spent the early portion of this week attacking "The Wall Street Journal" for how much it has supported Marco Rubio. He had a great moment in an early Republican debate when he called out the moderators for how sharp their questions or provocative their questions towards a lot of Republican candidates have been.

Media criticism plays directly into his narrative. In this case, he's got a good point. "The Washington Post" has taken that cartoon down and backed off it, the publisher since have apologized. So, in this case, Cruz is both the right and is definitely playing into this narrative.

ROMANS: Yes, there is very -- I mean, most media organizations have strict rules about playing it anyway, the children of candidates, the children of presidents. Even as the public demand to see those kids publicly as a whole package that you're voting on, a lot of media companies have to be careful about that. All right. You know, Eric Bradner, nice to see you. We'll talk to

you in a few minutes. I want to talk about the line up, the potential lineup for the next Republican debate. We'll talk about that in about a half an hour.

Donald Trump's big tax cuts come at a big cost. This is according to a new analysis, brand-new analysis. This is what they found. The plan would tax cut taxes for everyone, as Donald Trump promised. He said, I'm cutting taxes for everyone.

But here's the devil in the details. The super rich would see the biggest benefit, according to the tax policy center. Middle income households would have a tax cut about $2,700. That's 4.9 percent. Those in the top 0.1 percent, their taxes are cut by an average of 19 percent of their after-tax income.

[05:10:01] When Trump put out that four-page tax plan, it was back in September. He said it would not increase deficit. The Tax Policy Center has been crunching those numbers every scenario and says that Trump's plan would increase deficits by at least $9.5 trillion over a decade, and another $15 trillion in the decade after that.

So, how will Trump cut spending to cover the increased deficit, right? If we're not gong to have a big blowup of the deficit, it means you're cutting spending. He said he won't touch Medicare or Social Security. That means cutting defense and domestic spending combined.

And, of course, Donald Trump has said that he would grow the economy very briskly. He would add a lot of jobs and would be the economic growth that would under a Trump presidency that would allow him to grow those big deficits. Tax Policy Center, though, finding otherwise.

SANCHEZ: It should be interesting to see how he balances his promise to grow the military, while potentially being forced to cut spending.

ROMANS: Interesting.

SANCHEZ: Happening now: U.S. commandos are in Syria working against ISIS. CNN has learned a small contingent of Special Operation troops are there advising local fighters. U.S. officials declining to say exactly how many or where they are, for every reasons. But this contingent is among up to 50 Special Operation Forces President Obama has approved to advise Syrian fighters.

Well, are raging this morning in the key Iraqi city of Ramadi, as Iraqi forces fight to retake the devastated capital of Anbar province from ISIS. ISIS fighters captured that city in May, gaining a key propaganda victory, as well as a strategic foothold, just 70 miles from Baghdad.

CNN'S Robyn Kriel is following developments for us from London.

Robyn, we know this operation has been weeks in the making. How involved are the U.S. forces there? ROBYN KRIEL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Boris, ever since

November, this is really when the operation first begun. U.S. forces involved, they have been involved in a number of airstrikes and part of the U.S.-led coalition. They've hit weapons caches. They've hit ISIS command posts. They are involved in a key aspect of how this raid began early Tuesday morning.

The Americans built, helped build a bridge, a temporary bridge that was used by the Iraqi forces to cross from one side of Iraq back into Ramadi City, itself, into the Humira district. The city of Ramadi is surrounded by canal, parts of the Euphrates River, very difficult to breach, ISIS destroyed most of the bridges to entrench themselves and Iraqi forces were able to use to cross over, overnight in a daring raid.

And that is when the full scale onslaught began early Tuesday morning, Iraqi troops trying to get to the center of Ramadi to claim the posts held by ISIS the last seven months since May.

SANCHEZ: Now, Robyn, since April, about a quarter million people fled the city of Ramadi. But tens of thousands are still there.

How are U.S. forces and the Iraqi forces aiming to keep those people out of harm's way?

KRIEL: Well, the question is, will they become collateral damage and how important is the seizure of Ramadi, the Sunni heartland, one of the most key cities, so close to Baghdad, a really strategic location they took with ease in May. It's important for the mindset, it's important for the Americans, because Ramadi, a number of Americans fought and died in Ramadi and they did work hard to try to keep it from falling into ISIS' hands.

So, it is an incredibly strategic town, but just how much collateral damage are they willing to face, that is a very good question. Like you said, tens of thousands of civilians have been holed up in that city. ISIS refusing to let them leave, even though they were warned by the military that this onslaught was coming. Many tried to escape. However, ISIS not allowing many to escape, using them, we are told, as human shields.

So, that is why this operation is not going to be over in a matter of hours. They are trying to avoid their soldiers being hurt. We understand there have been sniper attacks as well, as some suicide bomber attacks on the Iraqi troops trying to move toward the center of Ramadi. But yes, we are waiting to hear just how many civilians, if at all, any, have been hurt in this fight thus far.

SANCHEZ: It shows how difficult it is to fight a terrorist organization like ISIS, when they use civilians as cannon fodder, essentially.

Robyn Kriel, thank you.

ROMANS: All right. Another black eye for the U.S. Secret Service back home. An agent's gun, badge, radio, handcuff and a flash drive stolen out of his personal vehicle near Secret Service headquarters in downtown Washington if broad daylight. The agent is not been identified. The Secret Service declined to comment.

Over the last few years, the agency has been hit by a string of scandals related to agent behavior and security lapses.

[05:15:05] SANCHEZ: A woman accused of plowing into a crowd of people on the Las Vegas Strip facing a judge in just a few hours. We are learning new information about the suspects. We'll break it down, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:18:20] ROMANS: Welcome back. Eighteen minutes past the hour.

The 24-year-old woman accused of intentionally ramming her car into a crowded pedestrians on the Las Vegas Strip. She will face a judge today Lakeisha Holloway charged with killing a young mom in Arizona and injuring more than 30 other people.

Our CNN correspondent Stephanie Elam has the very latest for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and Boris.

The woman who police say intentionally plowed her car into a packed sidewalk on the Las Vegas Strip Sunday evening, killing one and injuring more than 30 others is now facing three felony charges. Those charges include one count of murder with a deadly weapon, one count of child abuse, neglect or endangerment, that one because her three-year-old daughter was in the backseat of the car during the incident, and one count of leaving the scene of an accident.

We are learning more about the woman who we have known as Lakeisha Holloway. She legally changed her name in October to Paris Paradise Morton. Not clear why the police are charging her under her former name instead of her current name. But we do know she is expected to make her first court appearance later this morning and we understands that some of her family members are expected to attend -- Christine and Boris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Strange detail and bizarre case. Stephanie, thank you.

We are getting our first look at the visa application used by the female San Bernardino shooter that gave her access to the United States. The 21-page document filled out by Syed Rizwan Farook gave no hint of violent jihad.

On the application, the U.S. citizen born in Chicago claimed that he and his fiance met in person in Saudi Arabia after chatting online. House Republicans now questioning whether red flags were missed on the application, pointing to passport stamp dates that cast doubt on whether Farook and Malik actually did meet in Saudi Arabia. [05:20:05] ROMANS: Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl entered no plea during

his arraignment Tuesday. The 29-year-old officer, also, he did not indicate a preference for a jury or a bench trial. He is facing two serious charges for deserting his base back in 2009.

Bergdahl was held by the Taliban for five years. He deserted his base, he was captured by the Taliban, they kept him for five years, and then this, last year, this controversial prisoner swap for five Guantanamo Bay detainees. His next hearing is set for January 12th.

Of course, you know, he's been on the "Serial", the podcast "Serial".

SANCHEZ: It's fascinating.

ROMANS: And you can hear in his words, talking about why he left his post. It's really going to be the basis of his defense.

SANCHEZ: He wanted to be Jason Bourne.

ROMANS: The leadership vacuum was so raw there, that he fell he had to go prove himself to be this super hero soldier to show what was not happening at his base. It's really interesting.

SANCHEZ: A strange story.

Well, if you have a dream, you do almost anything to make it come true. He stood outside an NFL stadium with a sign looking for work. And now, one man has a job with the with the NFL team. Which uniform is he going to be wearing?

Andy Scholes has this incredible story in this morning's bleacher report, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: All right. O'Dell Beckham, Jr.'s appeal on his one-game suspension, that will be heard later today. In the meantime, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera says his team will no longer bring a baseball bat to the field.

Andy Scholes has more in this morning's bleacher report.

SANCHEZ: Good morning, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, guys.

You know, the Panthers brought that bat out on the field before the game as a motivational symbol to remember to play hard, but they're not going to be doing that anymore.

[05:25:05] According to multiple reports, O'Dell Beckham Jr. felt threatened by the Panthers players pointing the bat at him. There are also reports that Panthers players dealt homophobic slurs at Beckham before the game, which what got him upset.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera however says those reports are false and is someone's attempt at spin control. River also said his team won't be bringing that bad on the field again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON RIVERA, PANTHERS HEAD COACH: To avoid the situation in special circumstances, let's just eliminate it. So, that's what we're going to do. I mean, again, it's no fun for a reason.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: The former NFL player that held up a cardboard sign outside the Texans and Cowboys Stadium is back in the NFL. This is Joe Anderson and a month ago, he held up this, not homeless, but starving for success, will run routes for food.

All Anderson wanted was another chance in the NFL. He now has it with the New York Jets. They signed him to their practice squad. Yesterday, he was on the field practicing with the team. Pretty cool.

All right. President Obama is currently enjoying the holidays in Hawaii, and yesterday he was out on the course playing a round. Check this out. On 18th, from 40 feet out, the president knocked it down, check out his reaction. He immediately looked to the media to make sure they were shooting it.

All right. Finally, a great moment last night in college, who the University of Florida walk on Zach Hodgkin's, born with one hand, he scored his first career basket, with a nifty spin move while drawing the foul. Check out his teammate on the bench. They were going absolutely crazy.

Zach was a star in high school. He joined the team last year. Just such an inspiration. I remember when he joined the Gators, I went and picked out his high school videos. He has one hand, but he is a baller.

ROMANS: Wow!

SANCHEZ: I love that fearless attitude, going right into the lane, right at the hope, great to see.

ROMANS: Very cool. I wonder if it will be hotter in New York and Washington than in Hawaii. I mean, I think it will be 80s in Hawaii, but it's going to be like 75 here.

SANCHEZ: Close, barbeque.

ROMANS: Hawaiian shirts, I'm telling you. Hawaiian shirts for Christmas Eve.

All right. Thanks, Andy. Nice to see you.

SCHOLES: Have a good one.

ROMANS: Twenty-seven minutes past the hour.

Donald Trump defending harsh remarks about Hillary Clinton and his lead shrinks in the new poll. We're going to tell you the drama unfolding on the Republican side. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)