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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Can Trump & Sanders Stay on Top in New Hampshire?; Zika Virus Sexually Transmitted in the U.S.; Inside Syria: Secret U.S. Air Base. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired February 03, 2016 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:13] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The race for president intensifying now in New Hampshire, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders leading big in the polls. But will the Iowa caucuses and a CNN town hall tonight change everything?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: An alarming discovery in the battle against the Zika virus, transmitted in the United States not by mosquito but by sex.

ROMANS: A CNN exclusive inside Syria to a secret U.S. airbase being used to fight ISIS. We take you there live.

Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. Wednesday, February 3rd, it is 4:00 a.m. in the East.

And this morning is the first morning of the rest of Donald Trump's life, and he says New Hampshire will be different. He had better hope after falling to Ted Cruz in the Iowa caucuses, Trump is trying to protect a big lead in New Hampshire, 18 points, but this was all before the Iowa roadblock.

Now Trump admits his decision to skip the final debate may have hurt him there, but he says he is proud of his second place finish.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: One poll came out that said I was leading by four or five points. And I guess, you know, come in second, the headlines were "Trump comes in second! He's humiliated!"

There were 17 people when we started. Now, you have 11. I come in second. I'm not humiliated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Trump says New Hampshire is a better fit for his kind of campaign, and that is where CNN's Sara Murray joins us from a Trump rally.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Christine.

Donald Trump may have delivered a gracious concession speech in Iowa, but back on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, all bets were off. Last night, he tore into Ted Cruz, suggesting the Texas senator is running a dirty campaign. That's after Cruz campaign aides told Iowa caucusgoers that Ben Carson was dropping out of the race when, in fact, that was not true.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: These are truly dishonest people. Then he said, Ben Carson has quit the race! The day of the election. Ben Carson -- during a caucus -- Ben Carson has quit the race.

And Ben didn't quit the race. In other words, Ben Carson quit, and let me have your vote. What kind of crap is this?

MURRAY: The Cruz campaign has since apologized, but that didn't stop Donald Trump.

The other thing on Trump's mind: Marco Rubio. Trump kept joking that his third place finish was unbelievable that Trump's second place finish discussed as humiliation.

For his part, Trump said he's not humiliated by that second place finish in Iowa, but he does want to win here in New Hampshire.

Back to you guys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Sara, thank you for that.

Ben Carson says Ted Cruz's apology for his aides' action is not good enough. Carson campaign officials say they think he lost many votes because Cruz staffers falsely told caucusgoers he was quitting the race. Carson told us he was only taking a side trip home to Florida before returning to the campaign. He says Cruz's apology doesn't fix a cultural issue in the Cruz campaign and that the staffers responsible should be fired.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (via telephone): I think whoever is responsible for blatant lying should be dismissed, absolutely. Unless -- unless that kind of behavior is acceptable in your campaign culture.

Anybody who's been on the road for almost three weeks recognizes exactly what I'm talking about. You need some fresh clothes. And it's not like you're going to be there forever. It's very nice to actually sleep in your own bed every now and then. And if anybody can't understand that, I feel story for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BERMAN: This morning, a new chapter in the Democratic race. Hillary Clinton, now the declared actual winner of the Iowa caucuses, albeit by this much. She's trying to capitalize now in New Hampshire. She trails Bernie Sanders there -- the senator from the neighboring state of Vermont by a pretty wide margin. Clinton is hoping a newly scheduled debate on Thursday and most importantly the CNN town hall tonight can help close that gap.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I care a lot about this state. I view it as being the first in the nation primary for a reason. I know that they tend to favor their neighbors. That's the pattern, the history of the primary. And Senator Sanders is a neighbor.

But I think we will have a good contest, talking about, you know, what results we can produce, what our records have been both in domestic policy, foreign policy, national security. And I think the people of New Hampshire will get a chance to really evaluate both of us. And I feel good about my prospects.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, Senator Sanders will be at the CNN town hall tonight, but he is refusing so far to commit to the Thursday debate and actually refusing to concede defeat in the Iowa caucuses.

CNN's Joe Johns has the latest on that from Keene in New Hampshire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[04:05:04] JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, after coming within a fraction of beating Hillary Clinton in the Iowa caucuses, Bernie Sanders was upbeat, even energized as he spoke to a crowd here in Keene, New Hampshire. He's been leading in the polls in this state for months. He does have a geographic advantage.

His home state of Vermont shares a border with the state of New Hampshire. He's been pushing his issues of economic inequality as well as campaign finance reform and showing no signs of giving up. In fact, when asked if he was considering conceding in Iowa to Hillary Clinton, he was very noncommittal. Listen.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I, you know, do think it's kind of unfortunate that -- and again, I don't want to misspeak here, but it may be the case that some delegates were selected based on a flip of a coin. Not the best way to do democracy.

JOHNS: Sanders also weighed in with a snarky comment when asked about the assertion by Hillary Clinton that she's a progressive. He says she is except when she says she's a moderate.

He's pushing for more debates with Mrs. Clinton, and he said he wants them in New York, Michigan and California -- John and Christine. (END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Those are the debates. But what about the CNN town hall that is tonight? Fifteen hours from now when the town of Derry, New Hampshire, moderated by Anderson Cooper, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders taking questions from actual New Hampshire voters, and they know to ask pretty tough questions. It's 9:00 tonight, only on CNN.

ROMANS: All right. Don't miss it.

President Obama and House Speaker Paul Ryan sitting down to talk about compromises that could be on the table for the president's final year in office. The pair searching for common ground on issues including the criminal justice system, a trade deal with the Pacific Rim nations. These are the first extended policy talks between the president and the speaker since he ascended to the speakership last year.

BERMAN: President Obama is meeting with members of the Muslim community at a mosque in Baltimore tonight. The president scolded politicians including Donald Trump, at least implicitly during last month's State of the Union Address when he said, quote, "Insulting Muslims doesn't make us safer, it's just wrong."

The president is set to participate in a roundtable discussion in his first visit to a U.S. mosque as president. The White House says it also promotes tolerance while celebrating the contributions of Muslim Americans.

ROMANS: All right. Seven minutes past the hour. Let's get a little check on your money. Stock futures are slightly higher coming off some big losses yesterday. But markets in Asia and Europe are down right now.

Chipotle executives said in January that earnings would be messy. They were right. The burrito chain pulled in a profit of just $68 million during the last three months of 2015, plunging 44 percent compared to the same time last year. The company's E. coli scare hospitalized 22 people. It crushed its healthy foot image, scaring away many customers across the country.

The Centers for Disease Control says the outbreak appears to be over, but there is an ongoing criminal investigation. Investors are worried the stock is down, look at that, 36 percent since its all-time high in August, losing another 5 percent in premarket trading this morning.

A lot going on in the business world. All of our eyes have been on politics for the past few days. But a lot going on in the business world. Chipotle shares it's getting crushed this morning.

BERMAN: All right. New concerns this morning about the Zika virus. Signs that can be passed on not by just mosquitoes but by sex.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:11:27] ROMANS: New concerns about the spread of the Zika virus. Texas health officials reporting the first known case of Zika virus transmission in the U.S., they say it was contracted through sex, not a mosquito bite.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dallas County health and human services has received confirmation of a Zika case associated with acquiring locally, and as a result of that, we informed our medical community, the public at large that Zika has made its appearance in Dallas County. Zika can be spread primarily by mosquitoes associated with travel to tropical region where the virus is endemic in those mosquitoes such as Latin America, the Caribbean. However, in Dallas County, we have received confirmation that it is spread otherwise through sexual activity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: In response, the CDC is advising people who have traveled to areas with the Zika outbreaks to use condoms, and the Red Cross wants donors to hold off giving blood for at least 28 days. Meantime, a French company is attempting to develop a vaccine to fight the Zika virus. CNN is speaking right now with the scientists working on that project. We'll bring you what he had to say coming up at 4:30.

BERMAN: The water crisis in Flint will be front and center on Capitol Hill this morning. The House Oversight Committee is holding a hearing on the lead contamination affecting tens of thousands of people. Local lawmakers and environmental officials scheduled to testify. The Flint Mayor Karen Weaver is calling for the immediate replacement of all lead service lines running into the city's homes. She's not offering cost estimates or a way to fund that project.

ROMANS: The state of California joining a growing list of parties now suing a local utility company over a 15-week-long gas leak. The leak has released more than 2 million tons of methane, forcing thousands of Los Angeles residents to abandon their homes. A spokesman for Southern California Gas says the company is hoping to have the leak plugged by the end of this month.

BERMAN: New details emerging about the death of a Virginia teenager Nicole Lovell. Prosecutors say the 13-year-old was fatally stabbed the day she disappeared last week. Two Virginia Tech students, David Eisenhower and Natalie Keepers had been arrested in the case. Eisenhower is charged with abduction and murder. Police say he and Nicole were acquainted according to neighbors, she had talked about an online boyfriend.

ROMANS: Growing concerns in Ferguson, Missouri, over the cost of implementing reforms ordered by the Justice Department following the police shooting of Michael Brown. The city already faces a $2.8 million deficit, and officials estimate overhauling the police department will cost at least half a million dollars. If Ferguson does not comply with the Justice Department mandate, it risks facing a civil rights suit.

BERMAN: Bill Cosby will be back in a Pennsylvania courtroom today as his lawyers try to get criminal sexual assault charges against him dismissed. A judge must decide whether there was an unwritten agreement back in 2005 not to prosecute Cosby that precludes the current charges in a case brought by former Temple University employee Andrea Constand. Former model Chloe Goins who alleged he sexually assaulted her at Playboy Mansion in 2008 has dropped her lawsuit.

ROMANS: All right. Fourteen minutes past the hour. Tornadoes tearing across parts of Mississippi and Alabama. A huge storm in Pickens County, Alabama. Look at that, blackening the entire sky.

[04:15:00] The National Weather Service says nine twisters struck the two states Tuesday. More twisters are possible today, folks. The damage was extensive. Some homes were ripped apart by these violent storms. Thankfully, only minor injuries have been reported.

BERMAN: More strong storms across the south this morning. Let's get to meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: John and Christine, good morning, guys.

The severe weather threat we're watching really going to be confined towards the extreme southeast including places like Mobile, Atlanta, Columbia, Raleigh and Charlotte. And on a scale of one to five, it is down to a one compared to a three this time yesterday. But, of course, we saw what occurred there on Tuesday and Wednesday morning with nine reports of tornadoes, much of which occurred across parts of Mississippi on into Alabama.

And you know this time of year has got to be the quietest time of year, and it absolutely is among that with 29 on average for the country as a whole. Climatologically, you see how it shapes up with Texas, Mississippi and Alabama and also Florida taking the largest numbers of tornadoes. The squall line begins to push in towards Atlanta sometime in the early morning hours, say, 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. Some heavy winds associated with this as well as it pushes east. Charlotte gets in on some of the action.

By the afternoon hours, so delayed could be expected over that region. Again, the temperatures still remain pretty mild. Atlanta, mid-60s, Orlando up into the mid-80s, while New York touches 60 degrees by the afternoon hours. That's almost 20 degrees above average for this time of year.

But want to show you what happens into next week. Middle of next week, incredible blast could be lining up for the eastern half of the country by Friday into Saturday. Open the doors for some potential record-breaking cold.

We'll break this down, of course, as the week progresses.

ROMANS: All right. Pedram Javaheri, thank you for that, Pedram.

The U.S. expanding its presence in Syria with a new strategy to fight ISIS. We're going to take you there live in a CNN exclusive. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:20:40] ROMANS: This morning, the United States looking for new ways to step up the military campaign against ISIS. Recently published satellite images show a small farming air strip being lengthened in Kurdish-controlled territory in northern Syria. The Pentagon is only saying U.S. forces in Syria are consistently looking for ways to increase efficiency.

Clarissa Ward is the first journalist to visit airfield amid a deepening relationship between the U.S. and its Kurdish allies. She joins us live from Erbil, Iraq, with this CNN exclusive.

Good morning, Clarissa Ward.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine.

Well, as the U.S. ratchets up its military presence inside Syria with at least 50 U.S. Special Forces troops on the ground, it is also exploring military ways to pursue the fight against ISIS beyond just airstrikes.

Now, we managed to find this small agricultural airstrip in a remote corner of northeastern Syria. When we arrived on the scene, it was clear that works were ongoing. There was a large berm of freshly dug- up earth that was clearly intended to obscure what was going on behind it.

But we could see the runway quite clearly. We saw a tractor. We saw workers on the scene, clearly attempting to extend the runway. That, of course, would allow larger planes to land.

Now, there's a number of reasons why an airfield like this would be strategically very valuable for the U.S. with its increased presence on the ground. It could be used to bring in logistical support. It could be used to bring in weapons and ammunition for U.S. allies on the ground. It could even be used to bring in Special Forces personnel for covert operations.

And it's important to remember, Christine, that this airfield is just 100 miles away from ISIS positions, but it is very safely secured inside Kurdish territory. So, a number of strategic reasons why the U.S. would want to develop this into an airfield. On the ground in that Kurdish area, it's an open secret that this airfield is being turned into a U.S. military strip.

But when we went there, we were very quickly escorted from the premises by security officials. They said you're not allowed to film here. This is a military zone. And officially, as you said, Christine, the Pentagon denies that it has taken control of any airstrip inside northern Syria -- Christine.

ROMANS: Does it show a deepening alliance between the U.S. and its Kurdish allies here? WARD: Absolutely. There's no question as the U.S. ratchets up the

fight, it's really looking to enhance its strategic relationship with Kurdish YPG fighters.

We also managed to visit a joint operations room where essentially a few young Kurdish fighters are communicating through -- newly provided tablets and through radios with their colleagues on the ground, on the frontlines and with a command center, in a neighboring country, from which airstrikes could be called in.

So, we're definitely seeing a deepening, an enhancement of this relationship between the U.S. and between Kurdish fighters with the YPG on the ground.

ROMANS: All right. Clarissa, thank you so much. Great reporting from Irbil, Iraq, for us this morning -- thank you.

BERMAN: Secretary of State John Kerry is warning members of the U.S. coalition about the potential growth of ISIS in Libya. Kerry says the group at a meeting in Rome agreed to intensify efforts to defeat ISIS. These efforts include support for a national unity government in Libya. The secretary, though, ruled out sending U.S. troops into Libya.

ROMANS: All right. North Korea announcing plans to launch a rocket into space later this month. That's according to a U.N. official. Washington described the launch as an egregious violation of a U.N. ban on missile launches in the country. It called for more sanctions.

North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear bomb test last month, drawing international condemnation. Critics call Pyongyang's last satellite launch a cover for a test of ballistic missile technology.

BERMAN: Breaking news out of east Africa. Somali authorities confirm that an explosion that blew a hole in the side of a commercial plane shortly after takeoff killed at least one passenger. The victim's body was found on the ground near Mogadishu. The pilot was able to safely land the aircraft.

[04:25:02] So far this morning, no confirmation of the cause of the blast or whether terrorism could be involved.

Want to get the latest from our CNN's Robyn Kriel in Nairobi this morning -- Robyn.

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, what we were told yesterday by a source close to the investigation is that that hole, it tested positive for explosive residue. Obviously, investigations will continue today. It is just in the morning here in East Africa. Also, that body will be forensically investigated to try to figure out exactly what caused that explosion at about 12,000 rather to 14,000 feet in the air.

We can take a look at some of these visuals. A horrendous few minutes for what were mostly Somali passengers traveling from Mogadishu to Djibouti, to the country of Djibouti. They report hearing a terrifically deafening loud explosion in the center of the plane. Very close to the wing.

They then -- the plane started filling up with air, we're told, and really bits of plane started blowing around the oxygen masks came down. The flight crew and the pilots keeping very calm in this situation, moving people to the back of the plane away from the hole and to the front of the plane away from the hole.

As I said, the oxygen masks came down, a number of extremely unhappy passengers wearing those oxygen masks, not knowing what their fate would be. And one man was rolling on his cell phone at the time. We can also see passengers taking their luggage out of the overhead bins to move with it to the front.

And we're also told that as you said, one man lost his life. He was blown out of the plane and found nearby. Somali authorities picked up his body late last night, and they will be examining it today to figure out exactly what caused this explosion.

BERMAN: That photo is alarming.

All right. Robyn Kriel for us in Nairobi, thanks so much.

ROMANS: All right. Twenty-six minutes past the hour.

Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders battling it out in New Hampshire now, in just hours, fielding questions from voters in our town hall. Tonight's CNN town hall. What to expect, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)