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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

North Korea Announces Hydrogen Bomb Test; Trump Raises Issue of Cruz's Canadian Birth; Gun Control: Obama's Emotional Appeal; MLB Stars File Defamation Suits Vs. Al Jazeera. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired January 06, 2016 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:02] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: EARLY START continues right now.

(MUSIC)

BERMAN: All right. Breaking overnight, North Korea claims it exploded a hydrogen bomb. This is a major jump in the nuclear tensions. New reaction from the world pouring in.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump making a new version of a birth clause. This time it's with Ted Cruz. He says Cruz's birthplace could be an issue in the race for the White House. We'll tell you how Cruz is responding.

BERMAN: An extraordinary show of emotion for President Obama as he lays out his new gun control action. This morning, we will hear directly from Republican leaders, including some who want his job.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. Nice to see you this morning, John.

It is Wednesday, January 6th. It is 5:00 a.m.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

ROMANS: Breaking overnight, North Korea says it exploded a hydrogen bomb. This is the very first time the reclusive regime can make a claim. Yes, it has done nuclear test before. But those were from more crude fusion devices. A hydrogen bomb, a fusion device, would be a huge escalation in their capabilities and present huge new challenges for the U.S. in terms of security.

Now, this apparent underground test set off political tremors around the world all night long, prompting an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. That's set for a few hours from now.

Joining us with the very latest, CNN's Will Ripley live for us from Beijing. This is a big provocation by the North Koreans.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Christine. If their claims are true that if is, in fact an H-bomb, it's a very dangerous situation when you have this regime, which invested very aggressively in growing the nuclear arsenal, now in possession of a weapon, hundreds of times more powerful than those that were tested in 2013, 2009 and 2006.

You mentioned the political tremors, but there were actual tremors, a 5.1 magnitude event felt in China, forcing the evacuation of schools. This is nuclear test site that the North Koreans have used before. It is in the northern part of the peninsula near the border with China.

Right now, the Chinese government is out testing for radiation. The Japanese government sent up planes to see what environmental impact there may be if any. The North Koreans claimed they did conduct this test without any adverse effects to the environment.

But it's sending a strong message they will continue in spite of very strong sanctions to grow their nuclear program to develop more warheads. They have the resources, financially and also they have raw uranium in the country.

And so, the United States, which for since 2009 really has tried to take this policy, strategic patience, to basically ignore the Pyongyang regime and hope that they denuclearize on their own under the pressure of sanctions. That clearly hasn't happened says the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Christine.

BERMAN: It's interesting. I'm looking at my email right now. The condemnations from around the world will pour in. Russia, China, the United States, France, England, the United Nations, everywhere you look, the rest of the world is condemning this. They would do that for any nuclear tests from North Korea.

But if, in fact, this is a hydrogen device, as North Korea claims, it is even more serious. Why?

RIPLEY: Well, it will be more serious because of the strength of the device.

You mentioned all of the countries condemning North Korea on that list as well, right here in China and Beijing, a difficult situation for government which has been a benefactor. They sent high level representatives to Pyongyang a few months ago. Now they will face a lot of pressure from the international community to punish for this action. And if it's not punishment, then what is it?

The Beijing government is calling for high level talks with North Korean leaders and other countries around the world. And that really is the sense that I get from visits to North Korea the last year-and- a-half, what Pyongyang and what the supreme leader Kim Jong-un wants to sit down with the president of the United States and have a face- to-face talk.

And they really don't have bargaining chips. But their nuclear program is one. There are some analysts that have been speculating for a while now that North Korea might conduct one more nuclear test and then perhaps be willing to talk about putting a moratorium on further tests. They're not willing to dismantle their nuclear program. They've given that message clearly, but perhaps they'd be willing to stop testing for now in exchange for aid and a lifting of some sanctions.

ROMANS: The most insight into what's going on inside that country probably comes from China. We talked to an expert that says now that relationship is back in the deep freeze, so really a lot of questions about what Kim Jong-un is up to and what this is all about.

Thank you so much for that, Will Ripley.

BERMAN: All right. Back here in the United States, campaign 2016, new developments this morning, Donald Trump questioning whether at the time Cruz is even eligible to be president. Let's bring in Zach Wolf right now, CNN managing editor of politics right now to discuss.

[05:05:02] Good morning, Zach.

Zach, let me play for you what Donald Trump is now saying. The questions he is now raising about the fact that Ted Cruz was born in Canada. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A lot of people are talking about it. I hope it's not so. I hope it doesn't come about. But people are worried that if he weren't born in this country, which he wasn't, he was born in Canada. If the Democrats bring a lawsuit, the lawsuit could take years to resolve. And how do you have a candidate where there is something, you know, over the head of the party and that individual?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, Zach, the Constitution says you need to be a natural born citizen in order to be president. Ted Cruz is, his mother was an American citizen, though she was in Canada when he was born. Most constitutional scholars says Ted Cruz has no problem here.

ROMANS: John McCain was born, right?

BERMAN: In the Panama Canal.

ROMANS: That's right. And that was not a problem for him getting his nomination.

BERMAN: So, why is Donald Trump bringing this up, Zach?

ZACHARY WOLF, CNN POLITICS, MANAGING EDITOR: Well, he said a lot of people are talking about it. I think, you know, from what we can tell yesterday, he's pretty much the only person talking about it. He said Democrats could bring a lawsuit. Back in 2008, it was Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton running for president who passed a resolution through the Senate saying it would be OK for John McCain to run.

This is the kind of the Trump method of sowing doubt, I guess, about people. He's also been attacking Cruz on his religion, suggesting that there aren't any evangelicals how come from Cuba. Cruz, of course, has roots in Cuba and is an evangelical. It's like this kind of sub-rosa campaign by Trump.

You know, it's all there I think probably to sow doubt among the people in Iowa. Cruz is doing very well in Iowa. He's coming up in Iowa that probably is clearly concerning to the Trump folks and Trump, himself.

ROMANS: Does it show a rare kind of ding in the confidence of Donald Trump that he is seeing what's happening in Iowa and he is -- he is saying these things?

WOLF: I mean, I think the fact that he's targeting Cruz in such a specific and sort of subliminal way. You know, it's not subliminal at that point I guess. But the fact that he's going after Cruz specifically right now shows Cruz is the guy he is focused on. He reads polls clearly. He used to talk about them. He still does a lot. And so, he obviously knows that Cruz is the guy that he needs to focus on.

BERMAN: You called it subrosa. I think it's just flat-out rosa. I mean, this is on the table right now. He's talking about it as much as he can.

I am interested, Zach, also in the response from Ted Cruz. He tweeted out a link to Fonzie, literally jumping the shark in the "Happy Days" episode, the famous "Happy Days" episode.

I hope we have sound of it. Ted Cruz basically said it's the press' fault for covering what Donald Trump says. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: With all respect, our good friends here in the media are playing into the Democrat's playbook. How about we talk about the real challenges facing this country? One of the things the media loves to do is gaze at their navels for hours on end, by a tweet from Donald Trump or from me or from anybody else, who cares? Let's focus on the issues, let's focus on the issues that matter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: You know, Donald Trump flat out suggesting he may not be an American citizen, Ted Cruz doesn't respond. Why is he being so careful here?

WOLF: Well, I think for Cruz, he doesn't want to engage on this, he doesn't want it to become a thing. For a lot of people they might hear he was born in Canada, how come he can be president? I think we're going to go through the process of answering that question, talking to constitutional scholars, et cetera, et cetera, as Donald Trump raises these questions.

For Cruz, by engaging it, he would give it legitimacy I guess. He has renounced at one point he was listed as a dual Canadian citizen. He renounced that a couple years ago. This is something he's clearly been thinking about and he's preparing for.

So, they knew this was coming and trump had actually raised it earlier in the campaign. Not when Cruz is said doing so well. So, they knew it was coming.

ROMANS: If the clock is ticking, he said he didn't know he was listed as a dual Canadian citizen, right? Ted Cruz said he wasn't aware there was a dual citizen issue for him.

WOLF: That's right. But he did go ahead in the "Dallas Morning News" I believe it was wrote about this. It's something percolating out there. I think we will get it out of the way here.

BERMAN: Just to be careful. Get rid of the Canadian citizenship, go all guns blazing as an American citizen.

Zach Wolf, thank you so much.

Guns also an issue on the campaign trail. President Obama made the announcement yesterday. Executive action is being taken. We expect to hear from Paul Ryan and Republican leaders today. Of course, there is this, a special program note. Anderson Cooper will host a town mall l hall event with President Obama tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. "Guns in America".

A new executive action will be discussed at length. The president will take questions from a live studio audience as town hall, "Guns in America", moderated by Anderson with the president, tomorrow 8:00 p.m., only on CNN.

ROMANS: All right. Let's switch to money here for a moment.

[05:10:00] Stocks pushing a lower open. The Dow and the S&P 500 snapped a three-day slide on Tuesday. Investors, you know, have renewed worries about Asia now after North Korea reported hydrogen bomb test.

Wall Street is feeling the burn, in a major speech Tuesday, Bernie Sanders capped ATM fees at $2. He said no one in Goldman Sachs would work in his administration, a shot for Hillary Clinton. One of her top advisers a 18 years Goldman veteran Gary Gensler, he also ran the CFTC. Bill Clinton had gold medal alums in his middle circle.

Sanders says bankers are, quote, "destroying the very fabric of our nation," helping stay competitive in key states like Iowa and New Hampshire, where there is mistrust of the banking system and still a lot of pain and anger about those bailouts after the crisis.

BERMAN: All right. Back to the breaking news overnight. North Korea says it tests a hydrogen bomb. This a major escalation in nuclear tension. How will the world respond? How will the U.S. respond? What are the options? We're going to speak with a key expert next. .

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROMANS: Breaking news this morning, dramatic developments out of North Korea. Pyongyang says it exploded a hydrogen bomb, an underground test, an underground explosion. The first time the country made that claim, possibly setting up a dynamic shift on how North Korea is treated on the world stage.

I want to bring in Mike Chinoy, author of "Meltdown: The Inside Story of the North Korean Nuclear Crisis".

And, you know, Mike, there's so much we don't know about what's going on inside the hermit kingdom. But we do know that this is a first, if indeed it happened, it is a first. It really catapults Kim Jong-un into a new position in his neighborhood and on the world.

MIKE CHINOY, AUTHOR, "MELTDOWN: THE INSIDE STORY OF THE NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR CRISIS": Well, if it's true, it is really a game changer because a hydrogen bomb is vastly more powerful than the atomic bombs of North Korea, as tested before him.

[05:15:04] If it turns out it wasn't a hydrogen bomb, though, this is a major step forward in terms of the development of North Korea's nuclear program. Not the least because with each tests, nuclear scientists are further along the road of miniaturizing a warhead. That would enable to put a warhead on a long range missile intermediate or long range missile. It could conceivably hit the United States.

So from the security point of view, it's very important. It poses a really big challenge to the U.S., to South Korea, to China, Japan, international community, trying to figure out how to respond.

BERMAN: You bring up an interesting point. There are doubts of being brave, inside South Korea and among some experts this morning about whether it was, in fact, a hydrogen device, why do you doubt this morning?

CHINOY: Well, there are some initial South Korean reports which say that the force of the explosion was not big enough to be a hydrogen bomb. It's going to take some time before the American, South Koreans, are able to sort of take samples from the air to test what radiation that leaked out to make that determination. But I think the key thing here, whatever it was, it was a big explosion of some nuclear type, which is a step forward for the North Korean program.

Now, the attention is going to shift to the United Nations. There is going to be an emergency meeting. There will certainly be widespread condemnation, probably new sanctions. The problem is based on what's happened the last three times the North Koreans have tested, sanctions don't work. They hurt North Korea. But they haven't produced a change in the behavior of the North Korean regime.

There is little to think a new set of sanctions will do the same thing now. It's tough. You won't go to war with Korea. They have shied away from diplomatic negotiations. So in that vacuum the North Koreans continue to develop fear nuclear capability. ROMANS: So, why now, I wonder? I mean, some have suggested it's, what the 33rd birthday of Kim Jong-un, maybe making some sort of statement to the Chinese, you know, there have been a top level diplomat who comes from China earlier this year, but now, gosh, maybe this relationship is back in the freezer again. Why now?

CHINOY: Well, it's very hard to read what's in the mind of the North Koreans. But I think the key thing is having a nuclear capability has been a cornerstone of Kim Jong-un's regime. It's really central to his identity. This boosts his prestige. It boosts his hold on power inside North Korea.

And it gives North Korea a lot of additional leverage, whether it was a hydrogen bomb or something else. The North Korean, yet again, are in the driver's seat. They have the entire international community reacting to what they've done and if there is any diplomatic follow- up, it gives the north the leverage of everybody knowing they've got this powerful new device.

They will continue to go more unless they get what they want, which from the United States is recognition of some kind. Respect from China, it probably involved money. More aid and without that, the north is signaling very clearly, it's going to keep moving ahead and developing this nuclear capably.

BERMAN: You talk about North Korea's relationship with China. It's primarily financial. How much pressure do you expect China to exert in the coming days and weeks?

CHINOY: Well, the test is really a slap in the face to China and its leader Xi Jinping. The Chinese in recent months took a different approach to North Korea. They have been pretty critical of Pyongyang the last couple of years, but they adopted a new friendlier tone. The Chinese calculation I think was being more accommodating would encourage the North Koreans to exercise restraint.

Now, the North Koreans have essentially slapped China in the face. Beijing is furious about this. It will probably support some kind of new measures against North Korea.

But at the end of the day, China's big interest in the Korean peninsula is stability. They don't want to see a collapse of the regime, an implosion that would remove North Korea as a buffer against the pro American system in South Korea.

So the Chinese in my view are not going to take the kind of steps that would bring the North Koreans to their knees, He kind of steps that would probably be required to force a change in North Korean behavior. So, as I say, at the end of the day, the North Koreans will probably get away with it. We will probably see the last pattern with the last three tests.

ROMANS: All right. Mike Chinoy, certainly an unfortunnate developments, something we keep watching this morning, our breaking news overnight.

Mike Chinoy, thank you for that.

BERMAN: All right. Nineteen minutes after the hour. Some other news this morning, an emotional farewell. New York giants coach Tom Coughlin says good-bye in a final news conference following his resignation, Andy Scholes with the details in this morning's bleacher report, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Two baseball stars have filed lawsuits against al Jazeera after the TV network reported that they allegedly received performance-enhancing drugs.

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

Hey, Andy.

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

Philly's Ryan Howard and Zimmerman is suing al Jazeera America for defamation of what was in the report titled "The Dark Ride." In their report, al Jazeera secretly taped a former Indianapolis anti-aging institute worker named Charlie Sly, he named Howard and Zimmerman as two athletes that allegedly received performance enhancing drugs.

Now, Sly He has recanted its statements. Al Jazeera stands by its reporting. It was inaccurate, unsubstantiated and reckless in nature. The lawyer asks for damages and a retraction. Al Jazeera America says they would have no immediate comment.

Tom Coughlin resigned as the Giants head coach on Monday. Yesterday during his press conference. He was at the podium. Getting his take on all things coaching, including love and respect for his all time quarterback Eli Manning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM COUGHLIN, COACHED GIANTS FOR 12 SEASONS: You make it what you want. Because what, I mean, he thinks he's the reason. He's not the reason Eli, it's not you. It's not you. It's us. We win, we win together. When we lose, we lose together him when we win, we win. When we lose, I lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: He walked behind the Giants, others today were focused on getting out of the room.

[05:25:01] All right. This story had a lot of people talking this morning. A high school basketball coach was upset at an offensive foul call. He appeared to head butt one of the officials. The head coach was ejected from the game.

Take a closer look. It looks like he makes more contact with his chest than head. We reached out to the school for comment, but have not heard back. Mavs and Kings playing double overtime thriller last night. Two seconds left in double OT, Darren Williams, the pump fake. He's going to knock down the 3 at the buzzer to win the game. His teammates jump on him.

Owner Mark Cuban runs in, jumps on the dog pile. Cuban later tweeted, "The best part about owning a team is being able to run on the court and dog pile after a buzzer beater."

I don't know. Guys the best part of owning a team would be the fact that you have hundreds of millions of dollars.

BERMAN: They're both okay, it turns out. That head fake is ridiculous. He's still flying past him. Amazing.

SCHOLES: It was a good one.

BERMAN: All right. Andy Scholes, thanks so much.

ROMANS: The best thing of seeing Mark Cuban is seeing Mark Cuban, all things about Mark Cuban.

All right. Twenty-six minutes past the hour.

A major pushback this morning at the word, North Korea tested a nuclear bomb. Our breaking news this morning, North Korea claimed it was successful. Now the U.N. Security Council ready to tackle the issue in an emergency meeting. A live report next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Breaking overnight, North Korea enflaming global tension over nuclear weapons. Pyongyang claiming a successful test of a hydrogen bomb. The global reaction. What it all means moments away.

BERMAN: Donald Trump raising questions about whether Ted Cruz is eligible to be president. The Texas senator born in Canada.

So, is this a new birth or issue for Donald Trump? How far will he take it? How will Ted Cruz respond?

ROMANS: And the president, President Obama with a teary appeal for the nation to come together on gun violence.