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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Inside North Korea; David Bowie Has Died; El Chapo Wants an Interview with Sean Penn; Latest U.S. Poll Numbers. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired January 11, 2016 - 05:00   ET

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

JOHN BERMAN, "EARLY START", CNN: A CNN exclusive, inside North Korea. Our reporter speaking with a man who says he is being held prisoner by the government there, accused of espionage, we're live. Good morning everyone. Welcome to "Early Start." I'm John Berman.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, "EARLY START", CNN: And I'm Christine Romans. It is Monday, January 11th. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East. Nice to see you all this morning, let's get started. Breaking news this morning, one of the world's great musical innovators and performers has died. David Bowie, a true legend has died of cancer. His publicist released a statement just hours ago saying, Bowie had been battling an unspecified form of the disease. Joining us now to discuss Bowie's storied career is Brian Stelter, senior media correspondent and host of, "Reliable Sources." Just Friday Brian, he dropped his like -- I don't even know. What...

BRIAN STELTER, SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT, CNN: His so many albums...

ROMANS: 20 something albums.

BERMAN: That's right.

STELTER: His latest album, that's for sure.

ROMANS: His latest album.

BERMAN: Rock star.

ROMANS: It was his 69th birthday. No one, his fans at least did not know he had been suffering from cancer.

STELTER: That's right, not only the album that came out last Friday, there was a Carnegie hall event celebrating him announced last night, it was going to be taking place in March. Here's what his son, Duncan Jones wrote on twitter this morning, "Very sorry and sad to say it's true. I'll be off-line for a while, love to all." We also heard from the British Prime Minister David Cameron this morning, writing, "I grew up listening to and watching the pop genius David Bowie. He was a master of re-invention, who kept getting it right. A huge loss." And Ricky Gervais who'd just had hosted the Golden Globes a couple of hours before, "I just lost a hero. Rest in peace." He was in just one word cool, in every definition of the world cool. Everyone wanted to have some of that cool factor that David Bowie had over the many, many decades, always reinventing himself. I saw one critic this morning describing him as the Picasso of pop. BERMAN: Cool and cool for so incredibly long too. I mean, for me

though 1969 and guess what, there was "Space Oddity" came out right then and maybe it was his first hit. And just, you know, it's been nearly 50 years of his stunning success and reinvention, you know. And everything he did not only set new standards in music and art and entertainment but inspired so many behind him. You can see him, you know, right there from the Ziggy Stardust era, you know, and after that the duke in, you know, in the '80s with "Let's Dance" when he was just, you known, out and out pop star. I mean, so creative.

STELTER: Partly through collaborations, reinventing himself and partly through his solo work, reinventing himself all along the way. It is a testament to his creativity and also a lesson for many other artists.

ROMANS: He was cool, he sort of invented the cool, you know. I mean, it wasn't -- you know what I mean, he was cool in a way that no one else was a unique cool and one thing that people keep saying, he was a chameleon. We would say that on our banner there but a chameleon fades into the backgrounds. He didn't fade into the backgrounds at all. The guy popped in every sense of the word.

BERMAN: You know I'm watching his clips right here. It was just amazing to see. You know, you say he was cool and progressive. Look, you know, he emerged after the Beatles, after the Rolling Stones, you know, after rock and roll. You know, and he delved into androgyny, he delved into these, you know, sexual questions and, you know, the persona as so strange, so different than anything that'd been seen. But the music was just phenomenal. Brian, any word today of tributes that will happen today, any of the public statements, anything that will happen over the next few days...

STELTER: We'll see that in this morning for sure. I think sometimes the tributes are the most personal these days. People log on immediately to their Spotify accounts, their Apple music accounts. They want to listen. Both to the most successful songs, the ones we're naming, also to the deep tracks because there are so many dozens of them that thankfully are just a click away. I have seen a lot of that this morning already from people just going ahead and naming their favorite songs and re-listening to them again and again.

ROMANS: Brian Stelter for us this morning in our breaking news that David Bowie has passed away at the age of 69 after a battle of with cancer. His family asking for privacy as they grieve but acknowledging that the world really loved this man and there will be a lot of discussion about his life and legacy today. Thank you, Brian.

STELTER: Thanks.

BERMAN: All right breaking overnight. Extradition papers have been served at the Mexican prison where a captured fugitive Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is being held. The U.S. is seeking El Chapo who's going to be tried in at least seven drug related indictments. The extradition could take months. In this morning, there are so many new questions surrounding El Chapo's interview with Sean Penn for "Rolling Stone." The interview, if you want to call it that, was set up through Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo, a long time El Chapo supporter. Authorities say she kept in touch with Guzman during his months on the run using disposable cell phones and encrypted messaging. So many questions, CNN's Nick Valencia has new details.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN NEWS REPORTER: John Agustin, we're getting contradictory information from the Mexican government as to whether or not they knew about this meeting between Sean Penn and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

JOAQUIN GUZMAN [through translation]: I want to make clear that this interview is for the exclusive use of Miss Kate del Castillo and Mister Sean Penn.

VALENCIA: For the first time, we hear from the drug kingpin himself. Despite being on the run, the drug lord, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman agrees to an interview with actor and activist Sean Penn. A cinematic plot twist to an already surreal story.

GUZMAN [through translation]: Look, all I do is defend myself, nothing more. But do I start looking for trouble? Never.

VALENCIA: In a report for "Rolling Stone" Penn writes, the pair met face-to-face in October of 2015. Three months after El Chapo's brazen prison escape. According to Penn, the meeting happened somewhere in the middle of a Mexican jungle and included tequila and tacos, his irrational fear of being watched by armed drones and surprised by El Chapo's quote, "chivalry." These clips are part of replies to follow- up questions from Penn sent to a Guzman representative who asked the questions off camera.

GUZMAN [through translation]: Well from the of 15 and on, where I'm from which is the Municipality of Badiraguato, I was raised on a ranch called La Tuna in that area, and up until today, there are no job opportunities.

VALENCIA: The meeting, Penn says, was brokered by Mexican actress, Kate del Castillo. It was 2012 when del Castillo reportedly developed a friendship with El Chapo after posting a series of tweets critical of the Mexican government while celebrating the notorious drug trafficker. Del Castillo has not commented since publication of the Rolling Stone article, Saturday night. CNN has reached out to her. With the world's drug trafficker now behind bars, the next step in this entire process is extradition. A source tells us that that extradition could happen as soon as this summer, John, Christine?

ROMANS: All right Nick, what a story. Thanks to that, Nick this morning. Now, breaking news this morning claims that North Korea is holding an American prisoner. Just a few hours ago, Pyongyang allowed CNN to interview a man who says he used to live in Fairfax, Virginia and is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Our exclusive interview comes as tensions escalate sharply on the Korean peninsula following North Korea's claim that it tested a hydrogen bomb. Joining us now with the latest, our very own, Will Ripley who is in Pyongyang and Will, what did this man, brought to you by North Korean authorities, what did this man tell you? WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he confessed and

granted we should say we don't know whether this confession was made under duress or not. We do know that our conversation was likely being recorded and monitored from outside the room where we conducted the interview. But Kim Dong Chul, who showed us his American passport, we photographed it. It shows that he was born in South Korea. He says he moved to the United States and became a naturalized citizen in 1987.

And he claims that he has been acting as a spy on behalf of conservative elements within the South Korean not only government but also, the university system as well, trying to get sensitive information about the nuclear program and military secrets as well. The timing of this, of course, very important as you mentioned, Christine because it comes less than a week after North Korea claims that it completed a successful hydrogen bomb test. It was a nuclear event of some kind that has created an international firestorm. Now, the North Korean regime presenting this American citizen to CNN, and listen to him describe how it all worked.

How did it work? How did you pass on the information that you collected?

KIM DONG CHUL [through translation]: I bribed a local resident and had him gather important materials considered national secrets in this country such as military secrets, nuclear related materials. I got these materials, hid them in my car and secretly brought them to China where i handed them over or I would go to South Korea and deliver them directly.

RIPLEY: South Korean government calling these claims groundless. The state department not confirming that he's a U.S. citizen and not commenting at all telling CNN, "Speaking publicly about specific purported cases of detained Americans can complicate our tireless efforts to secure their freedom but we know Christine. This has certainly gotten the attention of U.S. officials. In fact, the Swedish embassy here in Pyongyang tells us they received a cable from the state department alerting them of this after CNN broke the story overnight.

So, this was on nobody's radar. We found out after arriving in the country. No other information was available, this is the first that the world is seeing and hearing from this man.

ROMANS: Such interesting reporting. We should point out and I just want your, I guess, your take on this. Everything the North Koreans do is incredibly stage managed. What do you think they're doing here? Are they trying to talk to the U.S.? Are they trying to open some sort of diplomatic, you know, channel with the United States because we do not have, South Korea and North Korea of course, we do not have diplomatic ties. United States and South Korea do not have diplomatic ties with North Korea.

RIPLEY: Yeah, you hit the nail on the head, Christine. I had a meeting a short time ago with North Korean officials who reiterated that exact point that their goal is to sit down and have a discussion with high level U.S. officials because the U.S. with its policy of strategic patience during the Obama administration and essentially for the most part, ignored North Korea, hoping that they would choose to de-nuclearize on their own. That hasn't happened.

There were nuclear tests in 2013, 2009, also in 2006 in addition to this now fourth nuclear test less than a week ago. So, the U.S. actually has tried responding militarily, they sent a B-52 bomber close to the demilitarized zone, the boarder between North and South Korea. And yet now, you know, shortly after that happened, we have an American citizen, reported American citizen, presented to us.

And so, they want to sit down, talk to the United States and their end game is lifting of sanctions and normalization of relations. Clearly, we're, you know, the two countries are very far apart from that.

ROMANS: Very far, all right Will Ripley for us in Pyongyang with that really incredible story. Thank you for that, Will this morning. 11 minutes past the hour, time for an early start in your money. China in trouble again, stocks in Shanghai dropping more than 5 percent overnight but thankfully, European markets are shrugging it off, they're trading higher. U.S. stock features are up a little bit as well. Look, the Dow is coming off it's worst start to the year ever.

Looking at the broader market, investors always can sort of hope of a turn around this year. Since the 1950 when stocks falls during the first five trading days, there's a 45 percent chance the market will end the year with a loss. That's according to the stock trader's almanac. The entire month of January is a more accurate predictor. It predicts the full year outcome, 87 percent of a time. Hence, that old Wall Street saying, have you heard this? I'm sure you've heard this, this last week. As goes January, so goes the year. That's why people are so nervous about those loses last week.

BERMAN: Right but, you know, the first five days, the motto was or the message is, don't panic now.

ROMANS: Yes.

BERMAN: Wait until January 31st then panic.

ROMANS: I'd say they were panicked but.

BERMAN: A new poll shows some potential trouble for democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. We'll discuss live. Plus, surprises and upsets at the Golden Globes, the night's biggest winners, maybe not him, next.

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BERMAN: All right, this morning, a new endorsement for Hillary Clinton that she hopes might help her in some of the early voting states. Planned Parenthood says they are backing Hillary Clinton. This comes as new polls show that gosh, things are super close in Iowa, super close in New Hampshire. Let's bring in Tom Lobianco to help break it down for us. He is in our Washington bureau. Tom, thank you so much for being with us. Let's show how close it is, shall we? In Iowa, Hillary Clinton up by

just three, she had a much bigger lead there over the last month or so. In New Hampshire, it's the other side, Bernie Sanders with a few point lead there. He's been consistently ahead there with both polls within the margin of error. This is so very close with just three weeks until Iowa voting's on.

TOM LOBIANCO, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: That's right. You know, Iowa specially is interesting. I mean, depending upon which poll you're looking, that's closing a gap of anywhere between 20 and 40 points. You know, the Clinton folks a couple months ago were saying, you know, "We don't have that great a lead but we do certainly got a strong lead."

And you see it reflected in the tone of the race right now. You know, take a look at everything that's been happening with the guns. You know, hitting Sanders on guns again. This is sort of where we were in October and November, the first and second democratic debates. By the time we were on to the third democratic debate, it looked like she was passed that but now she's back into it and those polls explain exactly why.

ROMANS: Tom, let's listen to Hilary Clinton hitting him on guns, hitting Bernie Sanders on guns. We have some sound, let's play it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILARY CLINTON, U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think he has been consistently refusing to say that he would vote to repeal this absolute immunity from any kind of responsibility or liability. President Obama and I and senator Sanders were all in the senate at the same time. Two of us voted against what the NRA says was the most important piece of legislation in 20 years for the gun lobby. Senator Sanders voted with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: So, not Wall Street reform, not banking reform, not minimum wage, not income and inequalities. She's using this as the issue to really define those differences between these candidates.

LOBIANCO: Absolutely, you know, coming with the, you know, the Obama gun town hall that we just had, of course. And, you know, that note that Obama sent out himself saying that, he would not campaign for a candidate that is not voting his way on guns. And that was, you know, they didn't say Bernie Sanders but it basically said Bernie Sanders. Read between the lines, that was pointed at Sanders.

BERMAN: Yes, chief of staff, Denis McDonough, white house chief of staff, this weekend, essentially came out and said it seems that Sanders is coming along and is moving. But that only shows that there was room for him to move in the eyes of the white house, so that was interesting.

Tom, let me talk about the republican side right now and the polls there because close in Iowa as well. Ted Cruz holding a consistent lead right there if you were showing in New Hampshire. This is -- Trump's way ahead in New Hampshire, 30 percent to 14 percent for Rubio. That pack of the establishment, candidates adding Ted Cruz there between of 14 and 9 percent, wow its close. I think we may have Iowa as well which shows Ted Cruz up just four on Donald Trump.

So Iowa, very close which perhaps explains why Donald Trump keeps on talking about where Ted Cruz was born and where Donald Trump wonders whether he's eligible to run for president. Let's just play the one clip a sound from Donald Trump in Nevada yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Here's the problem. It's called uncertainty. It's called, you just don't know. And what's going to happen is, the other side will bring a suit. Now, is he a natural born citizen? I don't know. Honestly? We don't know. Who the hell knows? But you can't be running.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Honestly, we don't know. Who the hell knows? Despite the fact that most constitutional scholars you talked to will say, "There's no problem here at all." But Donald Trump keeps on talking about it, why?

LABIANCO: Well, yes right. As you pointed out, we do know. But we also know the politics of it too which is, again, it's the same thing -- it's the same reason as, you know, Clinton is going back on Sanders with the guns. It's vulnerability right there and it's a vulnerability in Iowa.

You know, especially because Iowa sling shots you into New Hampshire, right. Coming out of there for the guy who's -- for Trump, a guy who's been talking about winning and being great and being the best, it wouldn't look good coming into New Hampshire after losing. It just goes against the entire narrative that they have set. So, you've got to do that, you got to hit them at the greatest vulnerability.

And obviously for Cruz, that's what they see. So, he's not hitting him directly. And that's kind of interesting. He raises the uncertainty, as he says. You know, he makes these jokes where he says he's not a litigation expert but, you know, maybe you should try to, you know, get any sort of suit tossed out. I'm worried about you and stuff like that. It's obvious, the politics we do know about, it's clear he's hitting on him because he's worried in Iowa.

BERMAN: And you could see his emotion on the stump there yesterday.

ROMANS: Yeah.

BERMAN: He was enjoying everything minute of it. Tom Labianco, great to have you with us, thanks so much.

LABIANCO: Thanks.

BERMAN: All right, the trial of Baltimore police officer Cesar Goodson gets under way this morning. Goodson drove the van that carried Freddie Gray from the site where was arrested, the Baltimore's western district police station. Gray emerged from that 45 minute ride critically injured and unresponsive. Goodson is charged with second degree depraved heart murder. That's one of the serious charge levied in this case. Jury selection is expected to take two days. The trial could be two to three weeks.

ROMANS: Four days after declaring a state of emergency, Michigan governor Rick Snyder is providing bottled water, filters and testing kits to the people of Flint. The city's tap water has been polluted with lead since Flint officials decided to go with a cheaper water source two years ago. Two years ago! The bottled water and the filters will be distributed by five fire houses around the city.

BERMAN: Star-studded night at the Golden Globes. Leonardo Dicaprio's "The Revenant" taking home top honors. We have a surprise there. The film was named best drama by the Hollywood foreign press association. Dicaprio won best actor. A lot of people think "The Big Short" got stiffed there, got shorted a bit.

It was also a big night for "The Martian" named best musical or comedy. Matt Damon, that man right there. Thanking all of us. He won best actor in that category Ridley Scott directed. Ridley Scott said he was confused why it was nominated a best musical or comedy category because they didn't think it was a musical or a comedy. Jennifer Lawrence, she picked up best actress at a musical or comedy for her role in "Joy."

JENNIFER LAWRENCE, HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS: Every time I'm up here is because of you.

BERMAN: Yeah and she's up there quite a bit, I think what, the third win and she's all of 12 years old. Sylvester Stallone captured best supporting actor for "Creed."

SYLVESTER STALLONE, HOLLYWOD ACTOR: Thank you to the Hollywood foreign presses, the incredible. The last time I was here, it was 1977.

BERMAN: 1977 of course, when "Rocky" came out. He, you know, probably won for Rocky back then, he thanked Rocky. He did not thank the director though of "Creed" in his television speech which caused a lot of people to raise their eyebrows. He came back during the commercial apparently, and thanked people then. Kate Winslet was named best supporting actress for "Steve Jobs." That film won four awards, including one for best screening.

ROMANS: A critically acclaimed film but it didn't get a lot of buzz.

BERMAN: Not by the humans who saw it in the theaters apparently.

ROMANS: All right, music legend David Bowie, dead at the age of 69. Memories and tributes coming in at this hour, we're going to you live to London, next

BERMAN: All right, the breaking news this morning, David Bowie dead at the age of 69. One of the great musical innovators of our time has passed away after battling cancer for months apparently. Our Phil Black standing by in London with the tributes, Phil, they're pouring in.

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John, yes. So this is Brickston, south London. This was David Bowie's birth place. That's what this mural behind me commemorates and it's where only a couple hours after this news has broken, the people are already coming, laying flowers, tributes, someone's even left their own portrait of him there just behind me as a way of sharing their grief.

Because the key point about all of this is that, no one really knew, his fans, his legions, his generations of fans didn't know that he was unwell. So here in London, they've woken up to the shocking news that not only did he have cancer for the last 18 months but he has lost his battle with it, his family says peacefully. His family have asked for privacy but they acknowledged that they will not be the only ones feeling grief on this day.

The mural behind me shows David Bowie in his glam rock hey-day, the early to mid '70s. But the reason we're talking about him today is because his career went on to be so much more, to continue over some five decades or so, evolving, changing, not just through music but through other art forms as well. All of it making him one of the most influential figures in modern music. And that is why the loss is being felt not just by famous people within the music industry that were inspired by him but certainly, his fans around the world. And this is just one of the places that they'll be showing that grief today, John.

BERMAN: All right, Phil Black for on the streets of London, south London where David Bowie was born. David Bowie, dead at the age of 69 and we're getting some new reaction to this news as so many of us are waking up to. More when we come back.

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