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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Trump Sticks to Winning Playbook; Clinton, Sanders Battle for Minority Votes; Cruz Trains His Fire on Rubio; Sanders Pushes Back Against Single Issue Claim; Walmart Increases Employee Salaries; Kalamazoo Shootings Motive; Syrian Ceasefire Days Away. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired February 22, 2016 - 05:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:31:05] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: After his Palmetto pummeling, Donald Trump moves on the silver state where he hopes to slay Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. This race getting more intense as it gets smaller, by the moment.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Hillary Clinton reestablishing herself as the Democratic front runner in the race for president, but Bernie Sanders is promising a long battle ahead.

BERMAN: And what a horrific story out of Michigan. An Uber driver arrested, accused of killing six people in one night, picking up fares in between his attacks. We have new developments this morning.

All right, welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman.

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It is 31 minutes past the hour this Monday morning, and this morning Donald Trump riding high after his big win in the South Carolina primary, turning his attention now to Super Tuesday on March 1st. Trump's victory has members of the Republic establishment -- donors, pundits, candidates -- they are grasping for a way to stop him.

Based on a rally late last night it seems Trump is sticking to the strategy that has brought him success thus far. That strategy? Tough attacks on his rivals, even those like Jeb Bush, who have dropped out of the race.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has the very latest from one of those Super Tuesday states. He's in Georgia for us.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Good morning, John and Christine. Fresh off his primary victory in South Carolina, Donald Trump rolled in Atlanta on Sunday with the momentum at his back, and the crowd here responded in-kind, roaring in approval as Donald Trump hit his key notes talking about trade, talking about border security, as he typically does. But, Donald Trump didn't really bring in his current rivals, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, who came in second and third place in South Carolina. He did, however, bring in one of his former rivals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'll give you a story. One of the candidates -- I won't say who yet, but you can find out. One of the candidates -- the head of a major, major -- the owner of a major, major pharmaceutical company is in charge of his campaign, right? You know that, right? In charge of his campaign. Raises hundreds of millions of dollars. They've raised a fortune.

They have a fantastic -- like, a lot of money -- pharmaceuticals. So a friend of mine comes up to me -- a doctor. He says, Donald, I don't understand it. The United States is the biggest purchaser of drugs in the world. They don't negotiate price. They're not allowed to. And I said, what are you talking about? They're not allowed to. So I said, that can't be but let me check it. As soon as I checked it I realized why. He's right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DIAMOND: That, of course, is one of the lines Donald Trump has consistently used when he talks about Jeb Bush and the influence of special interests. However, Jeb Bush now out of the race, dropping out on Saturday night after a poor showing in South Carolina. But it looks like Donald Trump, who has consistently used Jeb Bush as his foil on the campaign trail, may be missing him a little bit. John and Christine, back to you.

ROMANS: All right, thanks for that, Jeremy.

With Jeb Bush out of the race that leaves five Republicans running for president. All of them will meet head-to-head in the next GOP debate this Thursday night in Houston, Texas. Wolf Blitzer will moderate the CNN Republican presidential debate beginning at 8:30 p.m. eastern. That's only on CNN Thursday night.

BERMAN: All right. This morning, Hillary Clinton trying to consolidate her return to front runner status. She enjoyed a close, but comfortable, five point win in Nevada over Bernie Sanders. Now the Clinton team rejects the claim from the Sanders camp that it won big among Nevada Latinos. The Clinton team argues that precinct data is more reliable than the exit and entrance poll data that Sanders is citing.

The battle for minority votes -- it continues as the Democratic campaigns move to South Carolina. That primary is Saturday. Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders spoke to BET about what they would do for African-American voters and, you know, they admitted -- they say the Democratic Party has not done enough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The white community, including myself, have not been as sensitive as we should be to what goes on in black communities in terms of policing issues. So, it is -- I plead, you know, guilty to the fact that I think I have not been as sensitive to that issue, and it's an issue that we have got to be sensitive to. [05:35:16]

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am well aware that some of the decisions that were made during the eight years of my husband's presidency -- that we have to learn lessons from, and I'm very clear about that. Yes, I supported my husband's policies. My opponent, Sen. Sanders, voted for them. I did not have a position where I could express myself independently. He did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right. Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will come face-to-face with voters in South Carolina for an unbelievably important town meeting. It's Tuesday night right here on CNN. This is the last time they'll be on the same stage or, you know, one after each other before Democrats vote in South Carolina. It's a Democratic town hall live from Columbia, 8:00 Tuesday night. It is moderated by Chris Cuomo only, right here on CNN.

ROMANS: All right. There is so much to talk about. This was an amazing weekend -- an amazing 48 hours of political news, and about 10 days of political news coming up.

Let's talk about it this morning with Daily Beast editor-at-large Goldie Taylor. Good morning. Nice to see you this morning. Donald Trump, South Carolina -- he is the front runner. And the Republican establishment? What do they try to do? They try to work with him or destroy him?

GOLDIE TAYLOR, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, THE DAILY BEAST: I think they attempt. Destroy him is going to be hard for them, but I think they attempt to wrap their arms around what they think would be a consensus candidate. Someone who could bring together the remainder of Republicans, and they've invested themselves in Marco Rubio. Whether or not that pans out remains to be seen, but I think Ted Cruz is going to do everything he can to refute that choice.

BERMAN: Well, first of all, I mean, Ted Cruz doesn't care about having, you know --

TAYLOR: That's right.

BERMAN: -- the established wrap their arms around him.

TAYLOR: He's built an entire career against it.

BERMAN: Yes, but Marco Rubio -- I think you will see a flood -- an avalanche of support --

TAYLOR: That's right.

BERMAN: -- for him this morning -- starting now. Starting this weekend. Dean Heller in Nevada --

TAYLOR: That's right. BERMAN: -- endorsed him this weekend. I think you'll see more of it. I've got to ask you about the most interesting story I read this morning. It's in the Washington Post. Robert Costa writes that Donald Trump is now talking to Rudy Giuliani. Rudy Giuliana, the mayor of New York City, is in regular contact with Donald Trump advising him on his campaign. Rudy doesn't say that he's supporting Donald Trump necessarily, but the mayor also says there are a bunch of other important Washington and New York insiders who are giving advice to Donald Trump. Interesting.

TAYLOR: I think it is interesting that Donald Trump is taking counsel, really, from anyone else outside of -- you know, he says he really dues trust his wife, Melania, and I think that's an important thing to have -- a strong partner. But, to find that he has a circle of business leaders, former political leaders who are giving him advice and counsel, and that he is taking it, I think is a real story. Donald Trump is not known for heeding the counsel of others. He is really known for shooting from the hip.

ROMANS: Right.

TAYLOR: And so, this could be interesting in terms of what we hear from him messaging-wise in the coming weeks.

ROMANS: And shooting from the hip has really gotten him -- it has worked for him --

TAYLOR: Absolutely. It's paid off.

ROMANS: -- thus far. Let's look again at those South Carolina numbers because it's so interesting how close it was between Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. And really, I mean, Ted Cruz -- team Cruz playing this as a tie for second. It was what, a 1,000 vote difference out of 700,000 votes cast? They needed to win and they did. And this is what Ted Cruz -- saying on ABC "THIS WEEK" saying basically, look, I'm the one who can beat Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's people across this country are recognizing, OK, if we want to beat Trump, Cruz is the only one who can do it. He's the only one who has done it. And part of the reason is, George, you cannot beat Trump coming from the left. You cannot beat Trump with a candidate who supports amnesty. It doesn't work. If you come at the left to Trump you will lose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: So what does he do now? Does he stop his campaign, which has been looking at Trump, and now he has to turn to Rubio? How does this work now?

TAYLOR: I think he has to keep pointing at Trump. The reason why he did so well in South Carolina compared to say Marco Rubio is that in the days leading up to the campaign there were robocalls released from a pro-Ted Cruz PAC, and they attacked Donald Trump straight on. They attacked him on the Confederate flag issue. They attacked him on same-sex marriage, using his own voice. That's what got Ted Cruz advanced so far in South Carolina, and I think he's going to bet on that moving forward.

BERMAN: Well -- but so far, ending up being in third place behind Marco Rubio, a guy he needed to beat. So maybe he's got to worry about is Marco Rubio flying, too.

TAYLOR: He does.

BERMAN: Let's talk about the Democrats quickly, because we head to South Carolina right now with Hillary Clinton coming off a close, but comfortable, win --

TAYLOR: Right.

BERMAN: -- in Nevada, you know. South Carolina's a state that lines up well for her. A lot of the March 1st states line for her, as well. Bernie Sanders to Jake Tapper yesterday. Bernie Sanders a little bit defensive now -- sounding. Maybe I should rephrase that. Bernie Sanders facing questions about some of the lines of attack now that Hillary Clinton is making, particularly whether or not he's a single issue candidate. Listen to what he told Jake.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Hillary Clinton's been referring to you as a single issue candidate. What do you think when she says that?

SANDERS: I haven't the vaguest idea what she's talking about. If she thinks that income and wealth and equality, and the fact that the rich get richer while everybody else gets poorer is the only issue, it's not. We are talking about dozens of issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:40:32]

TAYLOR: Well, the voters do, and they're talking about it in the barbershops and beauty shops and out and about in the streets. They're talking about how when Bernie Sanders is posed the question, whether it is about mass incarceration, whether it's about education, he always, always answers first then pivots back to Wall Street, income and equality, and the wealth gap in this country. And so, I think that's the line of attack that Hillary Clinton is taking and it's working in large corridors. She's saying that this candidate has a cap.

ROMANS: Interesting. I think -- I mean, he does go back every time he talks about college or he talks about healthcare, he does end up going back how the whole system is rigged against you so these are the things I'm going to do. So, it's a single issue backed up in a lot of issues. All right. Goldie Taylor, so nice to see you.

TAYLOR: Thank you. ROMANS: All right. One of those issues he talks about, Walmart. On the campaign trail he talks about Walmart a lot. One million Walmart workers this week are getting a raise just as Bernie Sanders is ratcheting up his criticism of that system he says enriches the elites and hurts working people. The minimum wage at Walmart is now $10 an hour in the U.S. Starting this week the average wage will rise to $13.38 an hour. The minimum wage, of course, is $7.25 nationwide.Bashing Walmart has been standard stump fare for Bernie Sanders, and it has really worked for him. He often claims the Walton family, who founded Walmart, is part of the blame.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: And the reason that the workers in Walmart are on Medicaid, food stamps, and subsidized housing is because the Walton family refuses to pay their workers a living wage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: I asked Walmart executives about those repeated slams against the company. They declined to comment specifically about Bernie Sanders or the political process. But they pointed me to this. They say look, they are raising wages, they are offering paid time off, they are offering more predictable schedules. That has been one of the biggest complaints from some of these workers who say they work a part-time job here or a part-time job there.

They're also getting food stamps or they're getting something else, and they don't have predictable schedules and that's part of the problem there. That has really resonated among Bernie Sander's supporters who have said look, why is a company as big as Walmart -- why do people who work there get any other benefits -- welfare benefits? The company says they are raising wages, but I think you're going to hear more about this on the campaign trail for sure.

BERMAN: I'm sure he will and it's got to sting. All right, a stunning killing spree in Michigan. Six people dead. An Uber driver accused of picking up and dropping off passengers in between the attacks. We have new information coming in this morning. That's ahead.

[05:43:12]

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[05:49:15]

BERMAN: In just a few hours the alleged shooter in a Kalamazoo, Michigan killing spree will be formally charged at a court arraignment. The 45-year-old suspected of murdering six people at three separate locations on Saturday night allegedly in between picking up fares as an Uber driver. Authorities say the shootings appear to be random and investigators at this point, they're at a loss for a motive.

Let's get more from CNN's Nick Valencia. NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, it is just sickening when you consider the details. Investigators saying that this suspect, a 45-year-old man from Kalamazoo, was casually carrying out this shooting spree and in between each shooting he was still picking up passengers, working as an Uber driver. He was eventually taken into custody at about 12:30.

Investigators seized a semi-automatic handgun from him, and in their search of his residence discovered even more weapons. They're working on figuring out if any of those weapons were used in the commission of any of these crimes. Now, investigators are really scratching their heads. What's unsettling, particularly to them, is that this suspect, for all intents and purposes according to the police chief, an average Joe with no criminal history, no criminal record, or certainly no indication that he would have the capability of carrying out something like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF GETTING, KALAMAZOO COUNTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: That, you know, he aware of what was going on and he was able to carry on his normal routine. These were very deliberate killings. This wasn't hurried in any way, shape, or form. They're on video. We've watched the video with law enforcement. They were intentional, deliberate, and I don't want to say casually done -- coldly done is what I want to say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Six people left dead as a result of that shooting rampage. Two people are also wounded, still in the hospital recovering from their wounds. A mother of three children was the first to be shot. She's still recovering in a hospital, as is a 14-year-old girl. Investigators are really worried and concerned about her outcome. She was in surgery early Sunday morning, but still is in very, very critical condition. As far as that suspect, he's expected to face murder charges and will make his first court appearance sometime Monday afternoon. John, Christine.

ROMANS: All right, Nick Valencia following that story for us this morning.

Let's take a look at what's coming up on "NEW DAY" this morning. Alisyn Camerota joins us. Hi, Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": Hi, guys. Great to see you.

ROMANS: You, too.

CAMEROTA: John, thanks for being here in my stead. Very nice of you.

BERMAN: You were missed. You were missed.

CAMEROTA: Thank you. Great to be back, guys. So, is Donald Trump officially unstoppable? His big win in South Carolina putting the rest of the field on notice. Super Tuesday fast approaching. Is the GOP embracing or rejecting its front runner? We will speak to the Trump camp.

And Hillary Clinton, meanwhile -- it looks like she may have her groove back. She staved off an upset in Nevada and has a nice lead heading into South Carolina. We'll ask her spokesperson if she, too, is unstoppable now.

Also, that massacre in Michigan we've been talking about. A man with no criminal history accused of a deadly rampage leaving six people dead. We'll speak with officials from Kalamazoo about why he allegedly snapped. So, so much to talk about when we see you in about 11 minutes.

ROMANS: I know.

BERMAN: All right, looking forward to it. All right. On a brighter note than Michigan, for sure, the video that a lot of people are talking about this morning. I want you to look at this. An excited, incredibly happy 106-year-old woman fulfilling her dream of visiting the White House. This is Virginia McLaurin. When she was born William Taft was in the oval office. McLaurin was invited to take part in Black History Month. She just -- you can see how much he delighted the Obamas by being there. Just watch.

[05:53:14]

ROMANS: Everyone is talking about this. Everyone is sharing this,this morning. Just a really nice moment at the White House.

BERMAN: You know, when you can charm the president and first lady, you now -- any president and first lady at this point in the administration, they've seen everything. I don't think they've seen anything quite like that.

ROMANS: She has seen everything, though.

BERMAN: That's true, too, right?

ROMANS: She has seen everything.

BERMAN: Except not the White House, apparently, so good for her.

ROMANS: All right. Stocks coming up. The best week of the year, but has the rally run out of steam? No. Get an EARLY START on your money next.

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[05:55:11]

BERMAN: New developments this morning in Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry says a ceasefire there could begin within a few days. The truce put together by more than a dozen nations, including the United States. It was supposed to go into effect Friday but that did not happen. The violence has raged on. ISIS has claimed responsibility for several attacks over the weekend that left more than 120 people dead. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh monitoring developments for us from Beirut with

the latest. Good morning, Nick.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, that death toll you referred to for the attacks yesterday claimed by ISIS has now risen, say activists, to 184. Quite a staggering toll, and a violence separate, frankly, to that incident around the capital, which is ISIS, not part of the cessation of hostilities that John Kerry's talking about. The other violence between regime and those groups they label as anti-regime has been continuing around Aleppo, activists saying that barrel bombs have been used by the regime in some areas northeast of Aleppo.

Is any of this remotely like a ceasefire or cessation of hostilities? You might say, well no, obviously. The violence is continuing unabated. The key, though, is the sort of diplomatic sequencing ahead. John Kerry's been talking to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. Yesterday in Oman, he said that potentially in the days ahead, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, may talk to Barack Obama to iron out the creases here. Bizarre, frankly, just to many observers we don't have Syrians at the negotiating table. Just the old Cold War superpowers.

Vladimir Putin, I think, clear he wants to take it to an extra stage up before any sort of deal is signed or suggested. But, frankly, on the ground nothing has happened. The violence hasn't stopped and many are saying is this protracted set of negotiations weakening the idea of diplomacy entirely in this Syrian conflict, or could we possibly see some good come out of it. That's what John Kerry hopes. John?

BERMAN: That's the hope, but so far the reality has not measured up to the hopes in Syria. It's been years since that's been the case. Nick Paton Walsh for us. Thanks so much.

ROMANS: All right. It's almost the top of the hour. Let's get an EARLY START on your money this Monday Morning. The biggest weekly rise in three months last week, folks. Dow futures -- they look like they're going to pop again this morning. Oil boosting markets here and around the globe. Really a lot of relief in the commodities markets fueling this. European stock markets higher here. Stocks in Asia closed higher overnight.

New numbers this morning on how much cash the presidential candidates have to spend. Ted Cruz tops all GOP candidates with so-called cash on hand. He has $13.6 million ready to spend. Marco Rubio has $5 million. Ben Carson just over $4 million. Donald Trump, $1.5 million, but that's a little misleading. He's funding much of his own campaign. He frequently gives himself loans.

BERMAN: Yes, he's got however many billions he really has. That's his cash on hand.

ROMANS: He's a category all his own. John Kasich is $1.4 million. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton started February with a stunning $32.9 million in cash, more than all the Republican candidates combined. You can see Bernie Sanders, half of that -- $14.6 million. A big part of the story here is how much they're spending. Bernie Sanders unloaded $34.9 million in campaign funds in January. He spent a lot of money. Hillary Clinton spent nearly $20 million. Ted Cruz, the most in the Republican field, $12.6 million he spent in January.

Donald Trump, Marco Rubio finished close behind. They spent more than $10 million each. Ben Carson, John Kasich trailed them significantly. You know, January -- a huge month for campaign spending as candidates raced through Iowa and New Hampshire. With Super Tuesday just more than a week away presidential hopefuls are entering a very busy and expensive period on the campaign trail.

BERMAN: Yes. The big takeaway there, Hillary Clinton with twice as much money on hand as Bernie Sanders. Bernie Sanders has the ability to raise a ton. He's not going to lose this campaign because of money, but he may not win because of it, either.

ROMANS: But he spent so much money in January. Are you surprised that he didn't show better in Nevada?

BERMAN: Well, he did very well. He did very well in January, but the financial dominance that you might have expected him to have at the pace he's raising hasn't materialized.

ROMANS: Interesting, all right.

BERMAN: All right. Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton -- they try to make their next move after a big weekend. "NEW DAY" starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We won with everything. Tall people, short people, fat people, skinny people.

CRUZ: Donald sees our campaign as the only campaign that can beat him.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will bring this party together faster than anyone else in this race.

TRUMP: I'll win states that aren't in play.

CLINTON: I don't think we are a single issue country, and I am certainly not a single issue candidate.

SANDERS: We are talking about dozens of issues. I'm not quite sure where Sec. Clinton is coming from.

CLINTON: We want to make progress in our country.

SANDERS: Hillary Clinton is echoing much of what we are saying.

BERMAN: The horrifying weekend killing spree in Kalamazoo.

GETTING: This guy was not on anybody's radar.

BERMAN: Did this Uber driver pick up new passengers between murders?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He started really erratically, running stop signs.

GETTING: These were very deliberate killings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota, and Michaela Pereira.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR. Good morning. Welcome to your new day. It's Monday, February 22nd, 6:00 in the east. Are the primaries over? Is Trump unstoppable? Clinton now in a position to run away. Those are the big hyped questions you'll be hearing a lot in the beginning of this week, but they're going to be answered quickly.