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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Deadly University Terror Attack; Sarah Palin Endorses Cruz's Rival. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired January 20, 2016 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:15] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news this morning: a deadly terrorist attack in Pakistan. Gunmen stormed a university. At least 21 students killed. We are there live.

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

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm John Berman. It is Wednesday, January 20th. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East.

And we do begin with the breaking news: this morning, armed militants launched a deadly attack on a university in the city of Charsadda in northwest Pakistan. There were explosions and gunfire in the campus of Bacha Khan University. But officials say at least 21 people are dead. Four attackers have been killed.

And in just the last few minutes, there has been a claim of responsibility from the Pakistani Taliban.

Let's get the latest on this situation. CNN's Alexandra Field is watching developments for us.

Alexandra, what's the latest?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We are learning just minutes ago that the Pakistani Taliban group is taking claim responsibility for this attack. You will remember that this is the same group that took responsibility for a deadly attack on another school in northwestern Pakistan back in 2014. That was the attack on a school that left more than 140 people dead, many of them children.

Again, this grew now saying they are the one was terrorized a university in northwest Pakistan just this morning. It started when the explosion was heard at the front gate of Bacha Khan University. After that, reports of a torrent of gunfire on campus. Officials connected to the school now saying at least 21 killed. But it is far too soon to be able to determine how many people have been injured and whether or not there could be additional fatalities.

Military officials however are saying that four attackers who unleashed fire on the school this morning have been killed. That's after troops took positions around the campus an even on rooftops. They say that two of the attackers were killed by sniper fire. What is not clear at this point is if there were four attackers in total or if there could be additional attackers still on that campus.

We do know that security forces have been conducting sweeps of the campus, going block by block, corner by corner. There were more than 3,000 students with some 600 guests. They were there to celebrate and commemorate Bacha Khan, the poet who was the namesake this university which was founded just back in 2012 -- John.

BERMAN: So sad. And, of course, this comes a couple of years after a deadly on a school not too far from there that killed more than 140 people.

Alexandra, you said they were going room to room, sweeping the area right now. Has there been any sign of gunfire recently?

FIELD: We had heard earlier from journalists who were thereby that they were hearing continued gunfire. We haven't heard more recent reports of gunfire. It seems that the security forces were engaging the attackers with that gunfire. We were also earlier hearing reports of continued explosions.

We have not heard in the last hour or so any of those continued reports. But certainly, we will all have to wait for the Pakistani military to say when this operation has officially been completed, when these students and administrators are no longer in harm's way.

And we are beginning to hear from students who were inside. One young man saying he actually watched his professor struck by a bullet as that professor was telling people, stay inside, take cover. So, the kind of tenuous situation that's tough to even imagine, John.

BERMAN: All right. Simply terrifying. Bacha Khan University in Pakistan, not too far from Peshawar, where there was that deadly attack two years ago.

Alexandra Field watching developments for us. We will stay updated throughout the morning. Thanks, Alexandra.

ROMANS: To politics now, Ted Cruz almost certainly waking up this morning hoping that today will be a better day for him. Cruz locked in in an extremely tight race against Donald Trump in Iowa, with 12 days to go before the caucuses is hit with a double dose of bad news.

First, Iowa's governor, Terry Branstad, he urged the state's voters to pick anybody but Cruz, anybody but Cruz. But then just hours later, Sarah Palin threw her endorsement to Trump.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has the latest from Iowa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

Well, Sarah Palin's endorsement of Donald Trump could go a long way in firing up the conservative base of the Republican Party. And it comes just at the time that Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are essentially deadlocked in Iowa. So, this endorsement now has a big potential to suck a lot of the oxygen out of the room for Ted Cruz in Iowa, where he has slowly been billing momentum.

Now, Sarah Palin endorsed Ted Cruz for his 2012 campaign, and she briefly alluded to that fact. Here's more of what she said while endorsing Donald Trump.

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Only one candidate's record of success proves he is the master of the art of the deal.

[04:05:03] He is beholden to now one but we the people. How refreshing. He is perfectly positioned to let you make America great again.

Are you ready for that, Iowa?

(CHEERS)

No more pussyfooting around. Our troops deserve the best. You deserve the best.

He is from the private sector, not a politician. Can I get a hallelujah?

AUDIENCE: Hallelujah!

SERFATY: And Ted Cruz really trying to downplay the significance of this endorsement. But to note, it's not the only blow he is now dealing with. Iowa's long-term and well-respected governor, his coming out and essentially telling Iowa caucus-goers to not support Cruz.

GOV. TERRY BRANSTAD (R), IOWA: He hasn't supported renewable fuels and I believe that would be a big mistake for Iowa to support him.

SERFATY: And Ted Cruz, again, trying really hard to dismiss this, saying that this is another sign the Republican establishment is now in panic mode. But all of this together, certainly, threatens to take a lot of the wind out of the sails for Ted Cruz, especially in Iowa -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Sunlen, thanks so much.

A ton going on on the Republican side and a stunning new poll on the Democratic side. In New Hampshire, Bernie Sanders with a 27-point lead over Hillary Clinton in that state. That according to a brand- new CNN/WMUR poll, 60-33 in New Hampshire. That's up 17 points from last night -- last month.

These dramatic numbers are already beginning to influence the race in Iowa. That's where CNN's Jeff Zeleny picks up the story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, Bernie sander's bombshell poll findings in New Hampshire showing him up 27 points. He's having a ricocheting effect here in Iowa as well. It is raising the stakes for Hillary Clinton to perform well in this critical caucus state.

Bernie Sanders is campaigning all across Iowa. He's making one pitch to voters more than anything else. He is trying to tell him that he, in fact, can win. He is reading his poll numbers, sort of in a Donald Trump-like fashion.

We caught up with him in Carroll, Iowa, and asked him why it's so important, but he gives this message.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: One of the major obstacles that we face is people say, well, Bernie, I like your ideas, I like you personally. But, you know, you can't win. You can't win the general election.

So what we have to explain is that poll after poll has me further ahead of Donald Trump and other Republicans and Secretary Clinton that, in fact, for us to win and retain the White House and regain the Senate, we need a large voter turnout. And to get a large voter turnout, there has to be excitement and enthusiasm at the grassroots level. I think that is our campaign.

We can bring out a large voter turnout. When we do that, it's fought on not only winning the White House. It's winning governor's races, Senate races and House races as well.

ZELENY: The Clinton campaign realizes how important these Iowa caucuses are now, even more so because they are so far behind in New Hampshire. It explains why both candidates will be blanketing the states in the coming days, and over the weekend, often in the same time in the same town as they fight in the final days of this Iowa caucus campaign -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. Jeff, thanks, so much.

New video this morning of the two, of two of the Americans freed by Iran in last weekend's prisoner swap. "The Washington Post" put up this light-hearted video of its Tehran bureau chief Jason Rezaian and his wife.

So nice to see them smiling, my word.

And former Marine Amir Hekmati spoke to reporters at the medical center where he is receiving medical treatment.

Joining us with more, CNN's Phil Black, outside the Ramstein Air Base.

Phil, it was really interesting to hear that former marine tell us what it had been like behind bars for so long.

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, indeed. He looked and sounded very well. I think you got to say for someone who spent around four years in an Iranian prison. He did want to talk too much about the challenges, the difficulties of that experience.

But he did want to talk about his gratitude. He was so thankful for all the efforts to get him out and he talked about the surprise of suddenly finding himself in this situation. He wasn't expecting it. He said up until very recently, he really accepted the fact that he'd been spending around 10 years in an Iranian prison, and when they first came to him and told him to pack his things, he said he didn't believe them.

He also described the long tense wait from that moment up until the point they finally got on the plane which took them out of Iran. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMIR HEKMATI, PRISONER FREED BY IRAN: Up until the last second, we were already concerned. We were put in a small room. And we had no telephone or access or information. We kept being told we will be taking off in two hours. And two became six, became ten. So, in total, almost two and a half days.

[04:10:01] It's really nerve-wracking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACK: He also talked about how he got through the experience. He said it was down to the support that he knew existed outside the prison, the word that he was hearing about efforts back in the U.S. to secure his freedom. He wasn't the only run with that heard about it. He said other Iranian captors did as well, that his fellow prisoners, and they were really touched by it. And he said his captors, the people holding him there, were quite baffled that there were such efforts to get him out and ask him why people were working so hard on his behalf.

The other key point he touched on was his marine training. He said he stayed strong and battled through the difficulties, because he didn't want to let down his fellow marine corps, John.

BERMAN: So striking his graciousness and gratitude. And just as you said, he said, the Iranian guards, they were surprised that the American people cared so much about this prisoner, which in it's own way is wonderful to hear.

Phil Black for us in Germany, thank so much, Phil.

ROMANS: All right. Eleven minutes past the hour. Time for an early start on your money.

Get ready for another crazy drop for stocks. Futures are pointing sharply lower. The Dow pre-market down 326 points. I want you to look at those big declines in Europe, deep losses in Asia. That Tokyo stock's down 3.7 percent. That's a big move.

The main reason: crude oil dipping below $28 a barrel overnight. With all the volatility, the search term "sell stocks" is trending on Google. It's being searched at the highest rates since the financial crisis in 2009.

Here are three ways to get smart about your money in a wild market.

Number one, don't panic. Selling out of fear is almost always a mistake. By the time you are so afraid to sell, you probably missed your chance.

Number two, diversify. As one analyst says, it's as simple as not putting all of your eggs in one basket.

Number three, rebalance. Make sure you have a mix of stocks and bonds or safer investments for your age. If you are close to retirement, you should not be all on the stock market. The younger you are, big moves down like this are good for you in the stock market because it provides you a place to buy at cheaper.

So, look, it all depends on where you are in your life and your investing horizons. Overtime, stocks outperform almost every other -- every other --

BERMAN: The long haul.

ROMANS: The long haul.

BERMAN: All right. Breaking news out of Pakistan: A deadly terror attack out of a university. At least 21 students killed. We have breaking news on that front.

ROMANS: Plus, Michigan's governor apologizing for the crisis in Flint. Its water tainted with lead for years. For many people, an apology is not enough.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:16:09] ROMANS: The latest this morning on our breaking news; the Pakistani Taliban claiming responsibility for a terror attack on a university in northwest Pakistan. Officials say at least 21 people are dead in this assault on Bacha Khan University in Charsadda. Four of the attackers are also reported, although officials say the military operation is still ongoing.

BERMAN: Overnight, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder apologized to the people of Flint in a state of the state address. The governor promised to do everything in his power to solve the crisis involving the city's contaminated water supply.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK SNYDER (R), MICHIGAN: The government failed you. Federal, state and local leaders are breaking the trust you placed in us. I'm sorry, most of all, that I let you down. You deserve better. You deserve accountability. You deserve to know that the buck stops here with me. Most of all, you deserve to know the truth. I have a responsibility to tell the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The governor is receiving a lightning rod for criticism over his handling of the crisis in Flint. In this speech, Governor Snyder urged state lawmakers to step up, other state lawmakers to step up as well.

Let's get more from CNN's Sara Ganim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, Governor Rick Snyder announcing last night that he's asking the Michigan state lawmakers to set aside $28 million to help the people of Flint and get through their water crisis. Almost immediately, critics said, that was not nearly enough. It does not meet the estimates that it will take to fix the pipes that are leaching lead into the water. It's just another criticism of Rick Snyder for not doing enough during his crisis.

And as he was speaking, hundreds of protesters outside the capital building here holding another day of angry protests, calling for his resignation. Snyder insisting he will not resign but will, quote, "fix this".

At some point, residents were actually inside for that speech, but missing was Flint Mayor Karen Weaver, who instead met on Tuesday with President Obama in Washington. The president announcing that a team from the Department of Health and Human Services will be arriving in Flint today to help coordinate the federal response. The EPA also defending its response to the situation on Tuesday, finger-pointing, instead, at the state and local officials.

In the meantime, two new class action lawsuits filed by residents in Flint alleging they were let down by every single branch of government -- John, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: The Michigan governor also addressing the ongoing crisis in public schools in Detroit. Teachers plan another mass sickout today to protest what they say are deplorable working conditions, over overcrowding, lack of building maintenance. At least five schools will be closed.

Governor Snyder in his State of the State said Detroit's schools are in need of transformational change and the time to act now.

BERMAN: A Baltimore judge today will consider a motion by prosecutors seeking to force police Officer William Porter to testify against other officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray. They claim Porter is a material witness for the state. Porter's first trial ended in December with a hung jury. His retrial is scheduled for June.

Six Baltimore officers are being tried separately in connection with Gray's death.

ROMANS: The Coast Guard suspended its search for 12 Marines missing since two helicopters crashed off the coast of Hawaii last week. Officials called off the rest of the operation after five days of round the clock searching for survivors. All four life rafts that were on board the choppers were found. A widespread debris field was also spotted on the ocean floor. But no bodies have been recovered. The cause of that crash is still undetermined.

We are following that breaking news out of Pakistan, terrorists attacking a university. At least 21 students killed.

BERMAN: Plus, a high stakes meeting in just hours.

[04:20:02] Can the United States and Russia work together to battle ISIS? We are live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Happening now, Secretary of State John Kerry getting ready to sit down with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in less than two hours, a crucial meeting in Switzerland, to discuss ways to end the bloodshed in Syria and the fate of Eastern Ukraine.

CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson joins us live with more.

Good morning, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, good morning, Christine. It is going to be a very important meeting, a range of topics, Syria, Ukraine, Iran, North Korea, according to Russians, but the most pressing issue is going to be Syria without a doubt. The U.N. sponsored talks on Syria are due to begin in just five days, Monday in Geneva, Switzerland.

Right now, that's in question. Why is it if question? Well, the U.N., much thanks to the efforts of Sergey Lavrov and Secretary Kerry immediately before Christmas passed a resolution whereby they agreed there would be talks in early January based on the opposition in Syria, getting face-to-face talks with the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

[04:25:05] They would agree a new Constitution in six months, hold elections in 18 months. But that was based on getting a cease-fire and it's based on the groups that would represent the opposition, and that's where the sticking pointed is at the moment. The Saudis who back a number of rebel groups inside Syria formed -- helped form a coalition of Syrian rebel groups.

However, immediately before Christmas, a main rebel group backed by the Saudi, the leader of that group was killed, possibly through a Russian airstrike. So, you got a polarization of views on who should be in the talks with the government and Secretary Kerry and Sergey Lavrov may be able to sort of put a close the gap on this.

But unless they can do this, then the talks due to begin in five days can't get under way, unless the U.N. resolution says, absolutely, in January, these talks need to begin and if they don't, then this whole peace process that we've been talking about over the past few months about Syria, that's going to start to unravel, Christine.

ROMANS: And we know that meeting is supposed to begin in I think less than two hours -- a crucial meeting between those two men.

Thank you for that, Nic Robertson. Keep us posted.

BERMAN: All right. The breaking news this morning, a deadly attack inside a university in Pakistan. There are new details. We have new information right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BERMAN: Breaking news this morning, a deadly terror attack at a university in Pakistan.