Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Town Hall Part 2: Trump, Bush & Kasich; Trump Calls Pope's Slam "Disgraceful"; NFL Legend Rides Off Into Retirement. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired February 19, 2016 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Miguel and Cristina.
A day filled with political clashes. Ted Cruz versus Marco Rubio. Jeb Bush versus Marco Rubio.
[05:00:02] Ted Cruz versus Donald Trump. Donald Trump versus the pope.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't like fighting with the pope. I don't think this is a fight. I think he said something much softer that it was originally reported by the media.
I think he is doing a very good job. He's a lot of energy. But I would say that I think he was very much misinterpreted. And I also think he was given false information.
If he would have heard our side, the side from people that live in the United States --
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Would you like to meet with him and talk to him about it?
TRUMP: I'll do it anytime he wants. I mean, I think it would be very interesting. No, I like him.
MATTINGLY: Trump, just one day after sending a cease-and-desist letter to Ted Cruz's campaign saying he would do much the same with other countries if he's in the Oval Office.
COOPER: So, as president, would you be sending cease-and-desist letters?
MATTINGLY: Yes, maybe to China. Oh, I would be -- I would be sending them to China to stop ripping us off. I would be sending them to other countries to stop ripping us off. I'd send them to Mexico. And when I say cease and desist, maybe it's equivalent, OK? Maybe I'd do it with my mouth.
MATTINGLY: Jeb Bush saying the talk of his campaign failing is premature.
JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I do have momentum if you look at the polls and you'd look the crowd sizes of our town hall meetings and the enthusiasm that exists.
MATTINGLY: And taking on criticism of being an introvert.
BUSH: You'll know this. You'll appreciate this because introverts set goals and grind.
COOPER: Yes, yes.
BUSH: And they're just like arr, they just go at it, you know? Which is a pretty good thing to be when you are running for president, when you've been written off over and over and over again.
MATTINGLY: John Kasich just hours after his poignant moment on the campaign trail continuing to push his message of community and positive campaigning.
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You have to celebrate other people's wins and sometimes you've got to sit with them and cry, because that's what we need in this country.
MATTINGLY: All three have one more day of campaigning in South Carolina. For Donald Trump, the clear frontrunner, all things look like they're on the glide path.
But the moment is now urgent, especially Jeb Bush, who stake much of the future of his campaign on a big performance in this state. For John Kasich, it's about proving the momentum following that second place finish in New Hampshire is for real -- Cristina and Miguel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Phil Mattingly, thank you very much.
Joining us this morning to help cut through this political jungle, and all the days' political goings-on, "Wall Street Journal" White House correspondent Colleen McCain Nelson. She's in our D.C. bureau.
Thanks for watching the debate and now being live with us. You are too kind. You are amazing.
COLLEEN MCCAIN NELSON, WALL STREET JOURNAL: Thanks for having me.
MARQUEZ: You're the machine. We really appreciate it. A junkie. A true political junkie.
NELSON: Indeed. I was up all night thinking about this.
MARQUEZ: Oh, good. Don't think too much. We are barely awake.
But one of the toughest moments is when a voter asked Trump about taking on Bush over his -- Trump knocking Bush over the Iraq war. I want to play that for you. It got testy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: One more chance. You believe he either lied or did not lie? Are you willing to say --
TRUMP: I don't know what he did. I just know it was a terrible mistake.
COOPER: So, was it a mistake for you to say in that debate that you thought he lied?
TRUMP: I'd have to see the exact word. Look, I don't know. I would probably say that something was going on. I don't know why he went in. I don't know why he went in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ: One would say he was walking back his remarks from the first debate in South Carolina, but actually, he jumped in the car, put it in reversed and was speeding back it sounds like.
You think -- did he really hurt himself there, Colleen?
NELSON: Well, it was interesting. He would not repeat the word lie. And he said, well, I'm not saying lying, I'm not saying not lying. And then, Anderson read his words back to him. He said, well, actually you did say he lied.
And even when confronted with his own words, he still just kind of side stepped the question, but he made it a point to not repeat that word. So, clearly, he had second thoughts about what he said. He didn't ever express regret or apologize for what he said.
ALESCI: One thing that was interesting to me is Jeb Bush seemed to break from some Republicans in the party who do not want President Obama to nominate a new Supreme Court justice. Here's what he had to say about that specific question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: Would I nominate someone? I probably would because as I said in the debate last Saturday, I'm an Article II guy. I think the presidency -- we should be respectful of the Constitution. But whatever powers are afforded the presidency, the president ought to use them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALESCI: What do you think of those comments?
NELSON: Well, that was fascinating, because other Republicans are saying Obama shouldn't nominate someone, obviously. And they are criticizing Obama for trying to use his power. So, that was divergent from other Republicans. But it's kind of a tough argument that Republicans are trying to make when they say, well, I would nominate someone, but President Obama should not just because the atmosphere has become so toxic and so partisan.
That's the argument that some other Republicans have been making, that they should be allowed to nominate someone in their fourth year, but that President Obama should not be permitted to do that.
MARQUEZ: Now, you have been following this all along. These debates or this town hall format is different from a debate, where you get the long form and talking. You know these candidates so well. You know all of the stump speeches. You know everything.
Anything -- what popped out to you?
NELSON: Well, it was a humanizing evening for the candidates, particularly for John Kasich, just because in the debates, he is often kind of overshadowed. He doesn't jump into the fray and he really says, I want to stay positive and not fight with the other Republicans. And so, for a lot of viewers, I think this was kind of the first time they have seen an extended version of John Kasich. And they got to see a very different brand of Republicanism from him.
We obviously saw him hugging the voter yesterday, which was a pretty touching moment. He talked with Anderson Cooper about the death of his parents and what a dark place he found himself in and how he found the Lord at that point. So, it was particularly revelatory particularly for folks who haven't been exposed as much to Governor Kasich.
MARQUEZ: It will be interesting to see if that plays in Greenville.
ALESCI: Yes, switching to Democrats. Hillary Clinton and Sanders faced off last night. Hillary got a negative response to something she said. She was basically talking about Sanders and how he's been so critical of former President Bill Clinton and Obama. Here's the response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I just don't know where all this comes from, because maybe it's that Senator Sanders wasn't really a Democrat until he decided to run for president. Maybe he doesn't know what the last two Democratic presidents did.
(BOOS)
Well, it's true. It's true. You know it's true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALESCI: Do you think that response was the people in the room or do you think that kind of negative campaigning doesn't play well on that side of the campaign at this point?
MARQUEZ: Does she have a problem in Nevada?
NELSON: Well, she is suddenly facing a very close race in Nevada. I think that is what you are seeing in that room. She expected to have Nevada be kind of proof of her strength nationally, and this was going to be the first test of the so-called Clinton firewall.
And all of a sudden, she finds herself in a very close race in Nevada. And all of a sudden, her campaign is kind of walking back their statements saying they are far ahead in Nevada and saying, well, we might win. We might not win. Nevada is not as diverse as some of the states on the schedule. So, all of a sudden, it is down to the wire in Nevada.
MARQUEZ: Colleen McCain Nelson, all cheers for you. No boos. Thank you very much.
NELSON: Thank you.
MARQUEZ: Today, President Obama and the first lady will pay their respects to the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. His body will lie in repose in the court's great hall.
In just a few hours, Scalia's loved ones and eight remaining justices will attend a private ceremony, followed by a public viewing from 10:30 until 8:00 p.m. tonight.
Critics have slammed the president for deciding to skip Scalia's funeral mass on Saturday. The White House defending the move, citing security as a major factor.
ALESCI: Time for an early start on your money.
The winning streak for stocks is over. The rally ran out of steam yesterday with the Dow dropping 40 points as gains in oil faded. It was just the eighth time this year that blue chips did not move more than 100 points in either direction. But that put just a small dent in the major rally over the past four sessions. The Dow is still up more than 750 points this week.
Here's where the major three averages stand. The Dow is off 5.8 percent. NASDAQ is the biggest loser, down more than 10 percent, and the S&P sliding 6.1 percent.
Now, stock futures are slightly higher. Oil is down. Europe is up. And Asia finished lower.
Donald Trump versus the pope. We are breaking down the controversial new reaction this morning live from Rome, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:13:19] MARQUEZ: So a few minutes ago, you heard Donald Trump firing back at the pope for criticizing him. Flying from Mexico back to Rome, Pope Francis was asked about Trump's plan to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and building a wall along the entire border with Mexico. Here is the pope's response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE FRANCIS (through translator): A person who thinks only about building walls wherever they may be located and not building bridges is not Christian. This is not in the gospel. As far as what you said about whether I would advise to vote or not vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not a Christian if he has said things like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUEZ: Now, Trump immediately slammed El Papa's remarks as disgraceful, saying no religious leader, quote, "should have the right to question another man's religion or faith."
So, following the town hall, where do things stand with the Vatican this morning?
CNN's Rosa Flores is in Rome for us.
Rosa, you were on the plane with the pope. He always sort of -- when he does the international trips and on the plane ride back, he unloads after thinking about all this stuff. What was it like in that moment? What did you take away as he was saying this?
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miguel, you know that Pope Francis doesn't shy away from tough topics. There's his famous "who am I to judge" quote. In South America, he said the unfettered pursuit of money is the dung of the devil.
And now, I mean, he was asked about Donald Trump and he answered the question. The context is important.
So, here was the question: Pope Francis was asked, you know, in Mexico, you have been speaking very eloquently about immigration. Just across the borders is a very important presidential election going on.
[05:15:02] The GOP frontrunner is vowing to build a wall, vowing to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants. American Catholics, would you tell them to vote or not vote for this man?
Pope Francis answered the question. He said, you know, I can't tell anyone to vote or not vote. But I can tell you this, that someone who speaks about building walls rather than building bridges is not Christian.
Now the question was in Italian. Pope Francis answered in Italian. He mentioned not Christian twice within that question.
But, Miguel, the other thing that is important, Pope Francis never uttered Donald Trump's name. His name was in the question. He was asked about Trump and he spoke generically, saying that someone who speaks about building walls rather than bridges is not Christian -- Miguel.
MARQUEZ: Very, very interesting. It is a very clear statement he wanted his message to be heard.
Rosa Flores for us in lovely Roma, bring me a espresso machiatto, por favor.
ALESCI: Help is on the way for the people of Flint, Michigan. The Michigan House of Representatives approving $30 million to help residents and businesses in the city pay the bills for their contaminated water. Also Thursday, Governor Rick Snyder who has been criticized for not acting fast enough has said Flint is getting additional $2 million in state funds. The money would go toward a plan to begin replacing lead contaminated pipes as early as next week.
MARQUEZ: The trials for the five Baltimore police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray are now on hold. Maryland's Court of Appeals postponing the proceedings to consider whether one of the Baltimore cops can be compelled to testify against all the others. The trial of William Porter, the first of the six officers charged in the case ended in mistrial. Gray suffered a fatal spinal injury while in police custody last year.
ALESCI: Beyonce's controversial Super Bowl performance prompting Miami Police Union to call for law enforcement nationwide to boycott her world tour. In a statement, Miami's police union accused the singer of using her halftime to, quote, "divide Americans by promoting the Blank Panthers and anti-American message." Beyonce's world tour is set to kick off April 27th at the Marlins Stadium in Miami.
MARQUEZ: More Silicon Valley support for Apple in its privacy fight with the FBI. Facebook is standing by the company which is fighting a court order to help the Feds access encrypted data from an iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters. A Facebook statement says it creates, quote, "a chilling precedent". Google and Twitter have also come out in support of Apple's CEO Tim Cook, contends the demand threatens the security of all its users and says the company is prepared to take the fight all the way to the Supreme Court.
After 12 seasons in the NFL, Jared Allen is riding off into retirement, literally.
Andy Scholes is not riding anywhere. He's riding into your homes, next, from the bleacher report. There he is. Hi, Andy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:22:48] MARQUEZ: Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach Monty Williams gave a very emotional speech during the funeral for his wife yesterday.
Andy Scholes has more in this morning's bleacher report -- Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, guys.
Williams' wife, Ingrid, was just 44 years old when she died as a result of a car accident a little more than a week ago. The Williams were married for more than 20 years and had five children. Williams showed amazing composure when speaking at the funeral.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONTY WILLIAMS, NBA COACH: This is hard for my family, but this will work out, and my wife would punch me if I were to sit up here and whine about what's going on. When we walk away from this place today, let's celebrate because my wife is where we all need to be. I'm envious of that. But I've got five crumb snatchers I've got to deal with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: The entire Thunder organization attended the service. Members from the Spurs and Clippers did as well. They jumped on a plane in order to get to their game last night in Los Angeles.
On the 15th anniversary of his father's death, Dale Earnhardt Jr. found a way to honor his dad. Junior winning one of the qualifying races for this weekend's Daytona 500. He now gets one of the starting spots for Sunday's big race, and he says this win is extra special.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., CAN-AM DUEL RACE NO. 1 WINNER: I'm guilty of the race tonight because of the day. That is very special to me. I was glad nothing bad happened or we didn't tear our car up because that would have been embarrassing on a day like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: All right. We all know the saying ride off into the sunset. Well, Panthers defensive end Jared Allen decided it was time to ride off no matter what the weather was doing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JARED ALLEN, 5-TIME PRO BOWL SELECTION: Everyone, I want to say thank you for an amazing 12--year career. This was the part where I was going to ride off into the sunset, but seeing as there is no sunset, I'm just going to ride off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Tell you what, that's a pretty cool way to retire, guys. You know, Allen played in the Super Bowl against the Broncos with a broken foot. I'm sure he would have liked to go out with a win. But, unfortunately, that did not happen.
[05:25:00] But still, a pretty cool way to announce the way he's going to retire.
MARQUEZ: He galloped off. Andy, it's just usually so much, but this was a very sort of emotional Friday.
SCHOLES: You know, Jared Allen is actually -- yes, the stories we have were pretty emotional. But I'll tell you what? Jared Allen, he's kind of a comedian. I'm sure he found it funny that he was riding off into kind of a snowy atmosphere as opposed to a sunset.
MARQUEZ: All right. Well, there's that. Have a great weekend. Thank you.
SCHOLES: All right. You, too, guys.
ALESCI: Republicans running for president fielding questions from the voters on the CNN town hall stage. We have all you need to know about that just after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALESCI: Republicans running for president taking tough questions from voters. Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, John Kasich on the CNN town hall stage. We're breaking down the big moments.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Cristina Alesci.
MARQUEZ: And I'm Miguel Marquez. It is 29 minutes and 52 seconds past the hour.
Breaking overnight, presidential hopefuls in the Republican Party taking on the tough questions from South Carolina voters in a CNN live town hall event.
>
