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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

GOP Debates Reviewed; Jakarta Attacks Investigation; Iran's Detention of U.S. Sailors Examined. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired January 15, 2016 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:03] SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Since September the constitution hasn't changed. But the poll numbers have.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's a big question mark on your head and you can't do that to the party. You really can't

CRUZ: And I spent my entire life defending the constitution before the U.S. Supreme Court and I'll tell you, I'm not taking legal advice from Donald trump

SEN. MARCO RUBIO: Ted Cruz, you used to say you supported doubling the number of green cards. Now you say that you're against it. You used to support a 500 percent increase in the guest workers. Now you are against it.

CRUZ: I appreciate you dumping your oppo research folder on the debate stage.

RUBIO: No, it's your record.

CRUZ: But I will say.

TRUMP: Do you think they like each other.

CRUZ: At least half of the things Marco said are flat out false.

RUBIO: Unfortunately, Governor Christie endorsed many ideas that Barack Obama supports, whether it's Common Core or gun control or the appoint of Sonia Sotomayor.

CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I stood on the stage and watched Marco and rather indignantly look at Governor Bush and say someone told you that because we are run for the same office that criticizing me will get you to that office. It appears that the same someone has been whispering in Marco's ear too.

TRUMP: So we don't need a weak person being president of the United States, OK? That's what we got if -- I'll tell you what, we don't need that.

RUBIO: I guess I can frame it another way. Not a lot of conservatives come out of Manhattan. I'm just saying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. In the end, all eyes are on the two candidates at the top of the polls. Trump and Cruz.

Chief political correspondent Dana Bash has more on that from South Carolina.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITCAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Alison, it is official. The bromance between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump is over. They two went at it. It became clear watching them in a debate that they're -- the two-man race at least for the top right now. Especially when it comes to Iowa.

And on the issue of whether or not Ted Cruz is eligible, to be president one has add to it. Donald Trump brings up over, and over, and over again. At the end of the debate, by the end it seemed that Trump kind of bested Cruz on the whole issue that Cruz tried to hit him with which is the New York issue. Saying that he has a New York attitude. Cruz was asked what this meant, he didn't really answer. But Trump came back at him big time talking about the 9/11 New York that he knows. The post-9/11 New York, the way New Yorkers came together. That is something that Mr. Trump talked to me about after the debate.

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TRUMP: He made a terrible statement when he insulted 20 million people. I was there during the death and destruction. The World Trade Center came down. Two 110-story buildings. And I was there and New Yorkers were the bravest people that I and many others have ever seen. I was down there the day after. I want to tell you, I have never seen a sight like it in my life. Thousands of people killed. Two massive buildings down.

And the way New York came back from that and rebuilt and did it with grace. I mean with just absolute grace. You can't make a comment like that about New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now Trump left here and went straight to Iowa. He's going to do some stops there in the morning. That place where Trump really wants to win to try to stop Ted Cruz's momentum. The two of them are neck- and-neck in polls there.

The question is going to be whether or not Trump can get the voters out who might not have ever caucused before. It is not something that is an easy thing to do. You don't just go and check the box. In a ballot box, you have to go, you have to stand there for hours.

And so, the Trump campaign insists they're going to get new caucus goers. They're going to get people out to the caucuses who have never been there before. The bottom line is Donald Trump has to make sure that happens and has an organization that hasn't been seen whether it comes to the Republicans in Iowa. Alison and Christine.

ROMANS: Dana, that is interesting how important -- the organization on the ground for Trump. You can see all of Dana's interview with Donald Trump coming up. He has more to say about Ted Cruz's birther issue and paying for the campaign out of his own pocket. That is on "New Day" at 6:00 a.m. eastern.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: And re-watching. All right, helping us source through the back and forth of the debate that we're watching.

Let's bring in CNN Politics reporter Tom LoBianco. Oh gosh, thanks so much for coming in early after you sat and watched the entire debate.

So let's talk a bit more about the birther issue. Because it was interesting to see Cruz really go after Trump on this or try to, then Trump eating his lunch on it. You know, how effective were they? Actually let's first go to one of the exchanges and then we'll come back to you.

TOM LOBIANCO, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Sure.

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CRUZ: We're running. We're running. He does great. I win. I choose him as my vice presidential candidate and the Democrats sue because we can't take him along for the ride. I don't like that. OK? The fact is and if for some reason he beats the rest of the field, he beats the rest of the field -- see they don't like that. They don't like that. They don't like that he beats the rest of the field because they want me.

[05:05:13] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are you raising this issue now?

TRUMP: Because now he's doing a little bit better. No, I didn't care before. It's true. No, it's true. Hey, look, he never had a chance. Now he's doing better. He has probably a 4 or 5 percent chance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIC: And by the way, later Cruz said, hey, Donald, you just a moment ago offered me a V.P. slot. Meaning a Vice Presidential slot. How effective really was other back and forth. Did it put this issue to rest? Does it resonate with the voters?

LOBIANCO: Well, for both of them, it's kind of a win in a sense, right. For Trump, it is a clear win because it keeps up the effective attack that he's unleashed in the last week and a half. It keeps the focus on the birth question. You know, we have Laurence Tribe on air, the Harvard law professor. Who Trump cited and he was -- Cruz's professor.

And he said that if this issue was put to bed, it was only Cruz sleeping alone, basically. Saying that, this is not done. So it is effective because it has been raised again trace we need a bigger stage. It is not done. It's effective for Cruz because remember there's (inaudible) out there. We are now talking about Trump and Cruz. We are not talking about Chris Christie. We are not talking about Jeb Bush or John Kasich. Really do, you know, many of the other people who were on the stage last night. It's the Trump versus Cruz show. So, in sense that mano-a-mano battle really helps Cruz.

ROMANS: When you look at the speaking times last night. Trump and Cruz dominated with each with 17 minutes of speaking time. You run down the list and you've got, you know, only eight minutes for Ben Carson. Jeb bush with 12 minutes. Just he's inching out John Kasich.

Another really interesting moment politically for Donald Trump that something that his managed to pivot on this week. When Ted Cruz accused him of having New York values. He said, you know, his rather was playing born in the USA for one of the song and he said, no they should play "New York, New York" because this is a guy with New York values. And people are wondering exactly what that meant. So Ted Cruz last night he explained what he meant by New York values.

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CRUZ: Everyone understands that the values in New York City are socially liberal or pro abortion or pro gay marriage focused around money and the media.

TRUMP: New York is a great place. It's got great people, it's got loving people, wonderful people. When the World Trade Center came down, I saw something that no place on the earth could have handled more beautifully and humanely than New York. And I have to tell you that was a very insulting statement that Ted made.

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ROMANS: Insulting is also what the cover of the New York Daily News says today. "Drop Dead, Ted." Hey, Cruz you don't like New York values, go back to Canada.

Donald Trump has really capitalized on something that looks like Ted Cruz meant for a midwestern audience, for an Iowa audience. But Donald Trump has really turned it around.

LOBIANCO: You know. It's so funny because Cruz wins on the traditional points, right. He wins in reaching his target audience. He wins with the smooth delivery, the polished message. But this is something the people seem to forget about Trump in the cycle. Trump is a street brawler. He is not a polished politician. He's a politician, but he's a street fighter and that bringing immediately in the September 11th reference. I mean, he just -- he dropped the political nuclear on him. I mean, that's -- you can't question it after that. And that's exactly what he did in this, an effective counter.

KOSIK: So it wasn't just Trump and Cruz on stage. All yes, there was Marco Rubio, too. We are seeing a different side of him now. We are seeing him get even more fierce. I want you to look at this exchange.

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RUBIO: In fact, the only budget you have voted for Ted, in your entire time in the senate, is a budget for Rand Paul that brags about our cuts to defense. Here is the bottom line. And I'll close with this. If I'm president of the United States and Congress tries to cut the military, I will veto that in a miliseconds.

CRUZ: I'm going to get a response to that now. There is no way he launches that attack -- he had no fewer than 11 attacks there. I appreciate your dumping your oppo research folder on the debate stage.

RUBIO: No, it's your record.

CRUZ: But I will say...

TRUMP: Do you think they like each other?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: All right. So Ted Cruz making a funny moment of it. Marco Rubio though really standing up for himself finally. Is this effective?

[05:10:01] LOBIANCO: Absolutely. You know, this is a good reminder to the rest of the candidates. Everyone trying to win that so-called establishment slot. That if you got something, now the only time. And Marco he use if effectively, you know, you could see him in the way that Cruz reacted, but again it smiled that Rubio had. And he scored a hit. And now that was a very effective hit.

ROMANS: Yeah. Slammed him on guest workers, slammed him on visa, slammed him on H 1-b Visa, slammed him on a whole bunch of different things.

Let's show that banner or that graphic again that shows the time of the candidates. 17 minutes each for Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. I need to see just about 8 minutes for Ben Carson. Let's listen to something Carson did not get much in there. And he kind of made a joke about it on the debate stage. Let listen to something Carson said.

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DR. BEN CARSON, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I'm very happy to get a question this early on. I was going to ask you to wake me up when the time came.

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ROMANS: He lost his finance chief I think yesterday, too. He had major upheaval in his campaign. Do you think this that field will start to winnow? He did not punch through last night.

LOBIANCO: No, he didn't. It's going to happen. And this is, you know, going back again to Rubio using his opposition research on Cruz. Now is the time to use this. The things start getting real (inaudible) and then whatever happens after that, everything starts closing in even exponentially with each subsequent race that we have, each subsequent primary and caucus. So, it is real now.

ROMANS: Tom LoBianco, so nice to see you. Thanks for getting up so early or staying up so late for us. I'm not sure which one. Thank you.

LOBIANCO: Thanks. ROMANS: All right. Time for an Early Start on your money this morning, stock futures are lower. Markets in Europe are down. And I'm sad to report over an Asia a big loss for Shanghai again. Part of glum this morning oil trading back below $30 a barrel. Big gains for stocks yesterday as investors have a relief rally or short.

Look at the wild week it has been. Big loss Wednesday. Then a big recovery on Thursday. Small gains on Monday and Tuesday. You know, and this follows the biggest, you know, horrible week last week. Here is where the market stands now going to trading today.

The Dow had dropped 6 percent this year. That's more than 1,000 points it lost this year. Even with this rally yesterday. Nasdaq the biggest loser so far 7.8 percent. Look at that 5.9 percent about 6 percent off is the S&P 500. That broader index of about half -- more than half of the companies in the S&P 500, Alison, are in a bear market. A technical bear market. They are down 20 percent form their peeks.

KOSIK: So much for a calm Friday. I don't see it happening today unfortunately.

ROMANS: No.

KOSIK: All right. New arrests in the ISIS attack in Jakarta. That targeted westerners. Heightened security through the city this morning. We're going to take you live there next.

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[05:15:54] KOSIK: security forces in Indonesia have arrested three suspected terrorist in connection with Thursdays deadly bomb blast in Jakarta Indonesia. The attack killed two people and wounded 24 others. ISIS is taking credit for the operation signaling its troubling expansion by the terror organization into the most heavily populated Muslim country in the world.

Let's go live to Jakarta and bring in CNN's Saima Mohsin. The thing what goes (ph) Saima, is authority they had an indication that a terror attack was imminent.

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They did, Alison. And they have been conducting raids because of that information from intelligence officials throughout December, 2015. There were fears that these attacks might be carried out during the busy Christmas and New Year period. They didn't -- that it happened an attack was carried out just yesterday here in the heart of the capital in Jakarta. But were quick to respond probably Police were quick to respond probably because they were on high alert. And thankfully the death toll not too high.

But concern as you say, the big question is ISIS gaining a foothold in the world's most populous Muslim country. 250 million people live in Indonesia. 200 million of them are Muslim.

Now, just to give some perspective to our viewers. 500 fighters are believed to have left Indonesia to go and fight in Iraq and Syria. It is many of those that are returning that cause concern. Now 500 compared with 200 million, of course, gives you a sense the perspective there. And quite how much a concern is. Nevertheless they are taking this very seriously.

The main terror suspect, Bahrun Naim he is an Indonesian man who traveled to Raqqa in Syria from where it's believe he recruited and paid for yesterdays attack. This is a man that it wanted not just an Indonesia but around the world because of the part he plays with ISIS in Syria.

So huge concern there. But I've got to tell you, Alison, the reaction today here in Jakarta. I have been at the Grande Mosque all day. Its Friday prayers, a big day of course the (inaudible) for all Muslim. A big reaction against these terror attacks. By local people saying not in our name. This does not represent us. This does not represent Indonesian Muslims. Calling them -- going so far as calling the terrorist attackers infidels themselves.

And the Imam here today as well using very strong words in her sermon saying that terrorism is a crime against humanity and Islam is not meant to scare people. It is not meant for the use of force or violence to spread fear among the population. Alison.

KOSIK: Important to note that you do have people there speaking out saying this does not represent us. Samia, Mohsin thanks so much.

ROMANS: All right 18 minutes past the hour. Sacramento, California man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for lying about his link to terrorism. Iraqi born Aws Mohammed Younis al-Jayab is accused of making false statements when he told authorities he went to Turkey in 2013 to visit his grandmother. Prosecutor say he went to Syria after Turkey to join a militant group. al-Jayab was one of two Iraqi born immigrants arrested last week in California and Texas.

KOSIK: Planned Parenthood filing suit against the center for medical progress. The anti-abortion activists who produced heavily edited uncovered videos showing officials discussing the sale of fetal tissue. The video led Republican lawmakers to try unsuccessfully to strip Planned Parenthood of its federal funding. Planned Parenthood had insist, it does not profit from the sale of tissue donation from medical research. It suit claims to anti-abortion activist that up a bogus tissue procurement company and live their why into private meeting that illegally take.

ROMANS: Health officials are investigating whether contaminated water in flint, Michigan is linked to Legionnaires' disease. It comes after the governor announces that legionnaires' cases had spiked in the county since Flint switch from the Detroit water supply. It began drawing it's water from the Flint River two years ago.

[05:20:02] 87 people were sickened in two separate outbreak of Legionnaires' disease. 10 of them have died and of course Flint is a mix of a crisis regarding its water. They have apologize to their citizens for actually delivering them water tainted with lead.

Children for two years drinking lead tainted water in Flint Michigan just a tragedy. KOSIK: They don't even know the everlasting effect of that.

ROMANS: Tragedy.

KOSIK: Apology is not enough.

ROMANS: New details this morning on how 10 American sailors ended up in Iranian waters as the country moves closer to international sanctions being lifted. That's next.

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ROMANS: Happening now. A navy probe into just how ten U.S. sailors wound up in the hands of Iran's revolutionary guard. The sailors where on two small boat when they were captured in Iranian territorial water, the navy says preliminary statements the sailors gave after their release indicate some combination of navigational error and engine trouble. Iran State T.V. broadcast video of one sailor apologized for their "Mistake" which Republican are blasting is an outrage and a humiliation for the U.S. that puts state department spokesman John Kirby out of defensive.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we are happy about here in the state depart is we are to get them home. In less than 24 hours, 10 fingers, 10 toes, nobody hurt. They are all safe and we got our boats back.

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ROMANS: The criticism just days before the administration hoped to celebrate implementation of the Iran nuclear deal. Iran announced Thursday the removal of the core of it's Arak Nuclear reactor. It's a critical step toward implementation.

The latest I want to bring in CNN's Frederik Pleitgen. Fred, for both government these ten sailors are Farsi Island. I mean, it took 24 hours to resolve this. But, you know, the secretary of state quoted and saying to the Iranian official "Look, we have a lot on our plate here diplomatically. Let's make this a good story for both of us."

[05:25:15] FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONALCORRESPONDENT: Yeah, absolutely. And it is certainly "Remarkable" for the U.S. and Iran to be able to resolve a dispute like that in 24 hours. Of course there are some things that sort of did sour the whole thing. If you look at the video that came out of the U.S. sailors as they were being taken also as they were in custody which when then shown all over Iranian media then subsequently all over the worlds media, if you will.

That certainly is something that didn't go down well with a lot of people. Many of those of course also either Republicans that are now criticizing the administration. At the same time with these absolutely correct. It is a very important phase right now between the U.S. and Iran. You have this nuclear agreement which most probably will go into effect in the next couple days. It'll probably announce today that Iran is in compliance with all of the things it needs to do to as far as ramping down its nuclear program is concern. A Pouring concrete into that last reactor was one of the one thing. And with that Iran is going to get massive sanctions relief in the next couple of days.

They believe they're going to have access to about $50 billion in frozen assets. They'll be able to sell a lot more oil than they have in the past and they're going to be able to do business internationally again. That is certainly is something and is going to make them strong.

Hard liners in Iran say they are still going to remain very confrontational toward the U.S. however, the administration here in Washington and also the one in Tehran, the Rouhani administration, which is a lot more moderate than a lot of the clerics there. They say they want better relations. However, it is still a quite a dicey subject between these two nations.

ROMANS: Yeah, (inaudible). All right Fredrik Pleitgen in Berlin for us this morning with that analysis. Thanks Fred.

KOSIK: OK, was a heated night on the Republican presidential debate stage. Candidates they went after each other. The big moments and who came out on top. That's next.

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[05:30:07] ROMANS: Republicans running for president going after each other on that debate stage. We're breaking down the big moments and the reaction this morning.

Welcome back to "Early Start". I'm Christine Romans.

KOSIK: Good morning. I'm --