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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
First Clinton-Sanders One-On-One Debate; Trump Is Over Cruz "Voter Fraud"; Obama Proposes Oil Tax; Zika Virus Outbreak: New U.S. Cases Confirmed. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired February 05, 2016 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00] ERIC BRADNER, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: -- Bernie Sanders hit Hillary Clinton, accusing her of being influenced by Wall Street for taking speaking fees and for taking campaign contributions. Hillary Clinton got angry.
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HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I really don't think these kinds of attacks by insinuation are worthy of you. And enough is enough. If you have something to say, say it directly, but you will not find that I ever changed a view or a vote because of any donation that I ever received. So I think it's time to end the very artful smear that you and your campaign have been carrying out in recent weeks and let's talk about the issues.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let's talk about why in the 1990s Wall Street got deregulated. Did it have anything to do with the fact that Wall Street, providing, spent billions of dollars on lobbying and campaign contributions? Well some people might think yes, that had some influence.
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BRADNER: It was a risky move for Clinton who was trying to extinguish the "bern" here in a state where Sanders has a 2 to 1 lead according to a new CNN poll. She's trying to pick up a few points here and also stop his momentum nationally. And during the debate, she flashed some anger over Sanders calling her a moderate, saying that a progressive is someone who likes to make progress. She also offered a new response to Sanders' criticism to her 13-year-old vote to go to war in Iraq, saying that a vote in 2002 has little to do with fighting ISIS today. Now the two talked about the close results in the Iowa caucuses and the reports that Sanders' camp may be preparing to challenge those results or ask for them to be reexamined. But Sanders took a pass saying that a few votes here and there isn't the biggest deal in the world and they essentially tied. John and Christine --
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN HOST: All right. Thanks for that, Eric. Helping us to assess the debate and all of the day's political action, and there's a lot of it to end this week, CNN politics reporter, Tom LoBianco joins us from Washington. Good morning to you. You know, we talked a little bit about that progressive criticism, how she pushed back on that. I wanted to play a little bit of sound about Sanders and Clinton and this whole idea that she represents the establishment. Listen to this.
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SANDERS: Secretary Clinton does represent the establishment. I represent, I hope, ordinary Americans and by the way, who are not all that enamored with the establishment.
CLINTON: Senator Sanders is the only person, I think, who would characterize me, a woman running to be the first woman president, as he can exemplifying the establishment. And I've got to tell you, it is really quite amusing to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gets the point on that one, don't you think?
TOM LOBIANCO: Absolutely. You know, what's interesting about that is that it wasn't just a rebuttal to Sanders, it was also actually a very clever way to bring up something that her campaign has always left implicit. If she's elected, it would be history making. She would be the first woman president. That's not something that she talks about all the time on the trail. It's not a huge talking point that they use. So really, that was two birds with one stone there.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: Hillary Clinton facing a lot of heat over the e-mail controversy. It just doesn't seem to go away. Yesterday, the Clinton campaign feels like it got some good news -- news that the intelligence committee retroactively deeming some e-mails that went to Colin Powell's private server as classified, e-mails that went to people who work with Condoleezza Rice as classified, and she took the opportunity to bring this up in the debate. Let's listen.
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CLINTON: We had a development in the e-mail matter today when it came out that Secretary Powell and close aides to former Secretary Rice used private e-mail accounts. And now you have these people in the government who are doing the same thing to Secretary Powell and Secretary Rice's aides, they've been doing to me. Which is that, I never sent or received any classified material. They are retroactively classifying it. I agree completely with Secretary Powell who said today, this is an absurdity. And so I think the American people will know it's an absurdity. I have absolutely no concerns about it whatsoever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: It's interesting. In the Democratic primary, this isn't as much about the e-mails, whether or not she's telling the truth or not, it's about electability. Democrats are concerned that it could hurt her later on.
[05:34:43] LOBIANCO: Absolutely right. One of the things that's been hanging out there that is of concern is whether or not the internal investigation going on right now, the government investigation of her e-mails yields anything or leads to anything further down the line. Once the nominee has been determined, that's sort of lingering out there. And this is very effective because it's not just her saying it now. Now she can point to former Secretary of State Colin Powell saying the exact same thing, and in a lot of ways, making her case for her. Not just as Secretary of State, but also a Republican.
ROMANS: Let's talk about the Republicans here. Last night, kind of a remarkable interview and I would say a new tone from Donald Trump.
BERMAN: A totally new tone.
He sat down with Anderson Cooper and he's really got Iowa in the rear- view mirror and sort of a new candidate heading into New Hampshire. Listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You've basically accused him of fraud, of stealing the election in Iowa. You talked about wanting a new election in Iowa. Have you actually spoken to Republican party officials about that?
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Now look, I'm into New Hampshire now. It's just one of those things. It was sort of a lot of strange things. And I like Ben Carson very much and he got pretty roughed up, frankly. Although it affected me maybe more than Ben. But I'm so much -- because I've been now here for two days -- I'm so much into this, into New Hampshire that I just -- I don't care about that anymore.
COOPER: But you think Ted Cruz intentionally was spreading false information?
TRUMP: I don't care.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: I don't care.
BERMAN: It's like I'm into New Hampshire. It's like I changed from country to rock 'n' roll. I'm into West Coast rap now. I'm into New Hampshire.
LOBIANCO: You know, this new tone from him is, it's like Donald Trump acoustic. I wonder if he's going to put out an album of ballads soon. His tone has just softened incredibly after Iowa and this is more evidence of that. You know, in that same interview, he talked personally about his brother, Fred, the drug addiction problems that he had and how that contributed to his personal decision not to use alcohol, not to drink. It's a different Donald Trump right now. You know, I don't want to say atonement, necessarily, but he seems to know that he has to soften it up somehow.
BERMAN: And New Hampshire's a different state for Donald Trump and for all these candidates. On the subject of family, you brought up Fred Trump. Let's talk about the Bush family because Jeb Bush brought out his mother to campaign with him and it was really remarkable. Let's watch Barbara Bush.
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BARBARA BUSH: Jeb is the nicest, wisest, most caring, loyal, disciplined -- that's good. Not by me. But he's not a bragger. We don't allow that. But he's decent and honest. He's everything we need in a president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: I couldn't tell reading Bush's body language, how much he was enjoying that moment or not. Look, he adores his mother, he adores both of his parents. This is a move he clearly thinks is necessary, but not without some risk, Tom.
LOBIANCO: Absolutely. They got to play it now. You know, if you had any questions about it before, it's too late in the game to be thinking about holding anything back. What's interesting is, listen to that dry humor, that wit that she has. It really, in a lot of ways, kind of cuts through the tenor of the rest of the 2016 cycle. It's really -- he's doing this now where he's going to have this George W. Bush, this Right To Rise Super PAC is going to cut an ad, or they've cut an ad, rather, with his brother, the former president. That's going to start airing in South Carolina. There's a big focus on South Carolina right now. They've got to put some points on the board and bringing out the Bush family and Bush legacy, that's focused there.
ROMANS: All right. Tom LoBianco, thank you.
BERMAN: We'll see how it plays. All right, Tom. Thanks so much. This morning, federal officials calling for enrollment for the third year of Obamacare, very successful. New government figures show 12.7 million Americans signed up for 2016 coverage under the affordable care act. That beat the Obama administration's stated goal of 10 million. About 3/4 of those signed up did so through the federal healthcare.gov exchange, the rest through state exchanges.
ROMANS: Let's check your money this morning on this Friday morning. Asian stock markets are mostly lower. European markets are mixed. U.S. stock futures are up a little bit. A good day on Wall Street yesterday. Stocks up for the second day in a row, the Dow up 80 points, the S&P 500, the NASDAQ also managed a small win. Big prices, big moves, rather, in oil prices kept markets on edge, though. Prices in oil jumped 6 percent yesterday and then closed down almost 2 percent so incredibly wild in oil and that is affecting the stock market.
[05:39:57] President Obama wants to upgrade the country's transportation system. He wants to pay for it with a big tax on oil. A $10 tax per barrel of oil. It comes at a time when the energy industry has been crushed by the plunge in oil prices. Almost all oil companies have cut jobs. Many have filed for bankruptcy. Some are defaulting on loans. The tax would only apply to oil imported into the country. U.S. oil that is exported would be exempt. It's very unlikely, basically zero, the tax would get through the Republican controlled congress. There's some questions, who sort of pays the tax, what it looks like, but that is an effort by the body administration to try to get funding for transportation infrastructure.
BERMAN: 20 minutes until the hour right now. New cases of the Zika virus confirmed in the United States. Florida just expanding its state of emergency. We'll have details next.
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[05:44:52] ROMANS: This morning, growing concern over the fast spreading mosquito-borne Zika virus. Health officials in Brazil report two cases new Zika cases that were passed down through blood transfusions. Now the outbreak has cast a shadow on Carnivale as tourists flood into Rio de Janeiro and other major Brazilian cities. Workers have been frantically spraying the streets with insecticide. We should learn more today from the CDC about the number of Zika cases in the United States. Florida has now expanded its public health emergency. CNN's Alina Machado has more on that.
ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, we know none of the cases in Florida involve pregnant women and we also know that the 12 people infected got the virus while traveling abroad. Four of the cases are right here in Miami-Dade county, the rest are in Broward, Hillsboro, Lee, and Santa Rosa counties. At this point, there is no indication that mosquitoes here in Florida or anywhere else in the United States are transmitting Zika, but state and local governments are working to get ahead of the virus. They want to make sure the appropriate resources are in place in case we see an outbreak. And that's why a public health emergency has been declared in the five Florida counties affected. Here's what the Florida governor has to say about the response.
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GOV. RICK SCOTT (R), FLORIDA: We're going to get ahead of this. We're going to make sure our residents are safe, our visitors are safe. We're going to do everything we can to take care of everybody in our state. It's the right thing to do, always prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACHADO: Well the state of Florida is also asking the CDC for additional testing kits. They want 1,000 Zika anti-body tests. Those tests can tell if someone has had Zika in the past. They also want 4,000 more kits to test for active cases. Remember, the mosquito that typically carries Zika is commonly found in Florida and there are already mosquito control plans in place throughout the state. John and Christine --
BERMAN: All right, Alina. Thanks so much. New developments in the investigation into the Flint water crisis. Michigan's attorney general tells "The Detroit News", he expects the independent probe to reach back at least ten years. And now state government e-mails reveal senior officials knew about a potential link between lead contaminated water in Flint and a spike in legionnaires' disease long before Governor Rick Snyder made it public last month. On Thursday, the Michigan senate approved $30 million to help pay the water bills of Flint residents. Those residents were getting contaminated water. It's expected to pass the state senate next week.
ROMANS: Some welcome news for residents of Porter Ranch, California, that's near Los Angeles. State officials say a ruptured natural gas well that has been leaking since October, it could be permanently sealed by the end of next week. The gas leak forced more than 4,000 families in the area to relocate. The company, Socal Gas, is facing more than two dozen lawsuits now filed by residents and public agencies.
BERMAN: A second Virginia Tech student, Natalie Keepers, charged as an accessory to the killing of a teenager girl, is being held without bail. 13-year-old Nicole Lovell was buried Thursday. Authorities say Keepers and David Eisenhauer planned to kill Nicole and dispose of her body during a meal at a fast food restaurant. Prosecuters told the judge Keepers quote, was excited to be part of something secretive. Investigators believe Eisenhauer had an inappropriate relationship with Nicole and she planned to expose it. He's charged with abduction and murder.
ROMANS: Police in Chicago working to solve a mysterious multiple murder this morning. They say six bodies, five adults and a child, were found inside a house Thursday in the city's Gage Park neighborhood. The victims were discovered throughout the home. Investigators say the bodies had signs of trauma, they may have been stabbed. They are still trying to determine exactly what happened.
BERMAN: Troubling accusations against quarterback Johnny Manziel. The ex-girlfriend of the NFL quarterback tells police that Manziel forcerd her into a car, hit her, dragged her by the hair in Dallas last weekend while threatening to kill her and himself. Now Manziel denies any wrongdoing. He has not been charged. His team, the Cleveland Browns, already expected to cut ties with him even before this incident.
ROMANS: All right, 48 minutes past the hour. Let's take a look at what is coming up on "NEW DAY". Alisyn Camerota joins us this Friday morning. Hi there.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, guys. Great to see you. Happy Friday. We will be breaking down the highs and lows of the Democratic debate last night where the sparks were flying. Hillary Clinton defending her record against Bernie Sanders. We'll look at both their performances and who made the most impact with voters ahead of Tuesday's big vote. Also, Chris is live in Santa Clara, California, getting ready for super bowl 50. He's not playing in it. He's previewing the big game for us and bringing us also everyone's favorite part of the night -- the ads.
BERMAN: Everyone's favorite part of the night?
CAMEROTA: Well, OK, maybe I'm editorializing.
MICAHELA PEREIRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, no, no. I agree.
CAMEROTA: Michaela says yes. Now my favorite part of the night is the nachos. But Michaela says a lot of people love the ads the most.
ROMANS: Beer with those nachos, too. The halftime show is pretty good. That's my favorite part.
BERMAN: What's wrong with you people? Who are you people? All right, fine. We'll see you soon.
[05:49:41] ROMANS: What's your plan for the day after super bowl? Will you make it to work? We're going to get an early start on your money. Be surprised how many people are going to just take the whole day off.
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[05:53:57] ROMANS: Breaking news this morning. A U.N. human rights body just ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is being arbitrarily detained. He has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012, trying to avoid extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning in a rape case. Despite the U.N. finding, British police say they will arrest Assange if he steps foot outside those embassy doors. Going to go live to London, bring in CNN's senior international correspondent, Nima Elbagir. What do we expect could happen? We know he's expected to speak sometime today.
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine. Well as you can see, since we last spoke, British police have now stationed officers outside the embassy door. We have been hearing from Julian Assange's lawyer who told CNN that this is a vindication, a damning vindication, she says, of the handling not only of the UK authorities in this case, but also of the Swedish prosecutor's office into this investigation. We've asked her about any potential next steps but she said we're going to need to wait and hear what Julian Assange himself has to say when he speaks a little later this morning.
[05:55:03] The British foreign office has released a statement in which they say they're planning to formally contest this, Christine. They vigorously deny these charges of the arbitrary detention. They say that Julian Assange has voluntarily detained himself. That he is free to walk out of that Ecuadorian embassy behind me but if and when he does, they will be waiting to arrest him as required to under the auspices of the Europe wide deportation order, the Europe wide arrest warrant. So now it seems that the ball is in Julian Assange's court. And whether this will be anything more than just a moral boost to his cause here today, Christine.
ROMANS: And listen, remind everybody the background of the story. He is known as the WikiLeaks founder but he faces this investigation in Sweden over rape.
ELBAGIR: He does. And two of the four charges pending against him have actually had to be dropped because the statute of limitations in them has passed. And the most serious charge, that allegation of rape, there's a ten year statute of limitation but there are only four years remaining in that and the Swedish prosecutor's office said throughout this that this is their biggest fear, that while the U.N. panel of experts has been debating Julian Assange's human rights, they are concerned about the human rights of the women who brought the charges to court. There is, of course, a lot of controversy and a lot of debate about whether he should have been arrested to be questioned, about whether that respects his human rights, but the Swedish prosecutor's office telling us, Christine, that they sought for over a year to question him in that building behind me but the Ecuadorian authorities have not given them that opportunity.
ROMANS: All right. Nima Elbagir, keep us posted if there are any developments in that case today and any more comment from him. Let's get an early start on your money right now this Friday to end the week. Asian markets mostly lower. European markets a little bit higher. U.S. stock futures are up. But all of this can change, folks, in just a few hours. Today is the monthly jobs report. The biggest economic report in the world, basically. CNN money predicts 197,000 jobs added in January. The jobless rate likely stayed steady at five percent.
Applications are soaring at George Washington University. The school ditched the SAT requirement last year and applications spiked 28 percent. That's about 6,000 more students compared with last year. GW says it saw more applications from African-American and Hispanic students, also from students who would be the first in their family to go to college. Experts say SAT requirements discourage low income and minority students from applying. GW is the latest school to go test optional. More than 30 schools have dropped the requirement in the past year. They focus on other things like grades and the like.
Planning to skip work Monday because of Sunday's big game? You will not be alone. 16.5 million people may miss work the day after the super bowl. That's according to a survey by The Workforce Institute. 10.5 million workers have already asked for the day off in advance. And among those who do manage to make it to work, 7.5 million of them will show up late.
58 minutes past the hour. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, they debate one-on-one for the very first time. Sharpening their attacks and their defense. "NEW DAY" picks it up now.
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CLINTON: I never sent or received any classified material. -- doing the same thing to Secretary Powell and Secretary Rice's aides. They are retroactively classifying it.
SANDERS: One of the things we should do is not only talk the talk but walk the walk.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm number one in New Hampshire. Will you please keep me there? This is ridiculous.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump is very rattled right now.
TRUMP: We're going to win with the military. We're going to knock the [ bleep ] out of ISIS.
B. BUSH: He's everything we need in a president.
JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Mom, my crowd sizes normally aren't this large. I wonder why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Super bowl 50 is on track to be the most expensive sporting even in U.S. history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For us, the ultimate goal for this sport is to win the super bowl.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota, and Michaela Pereira.
CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is February 5, 6:00 in the East, but still 3:00 am, still party time where I am, out on the West Coast for super bowl 50. We've got a lot to tell you about with game but first, we have to talk politics. You've got Alisyn and Michaela in New York holding it down with what we saw last night. The gloves are off on the Democratic side of the presidential election. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders exchanging big barbs last night in the debate about who is progressive and who is best for the job of being president. A big phrase of the night, Alisyn, was "artful smear". Hillary Clinton telling Bernie Sanders to lay off.
CAMEROTA: We are going to get to that, Chris, momentarily, but over on the Republican side, Donald Trump says he's moving past his calls for a rematch in Iowa. Instead, he's focusing on New Hampshire and changing his playbook there. A new CNN poll has Trump ahead of the pack with the primary just four days away. So let's begin our coverage with --
