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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

GOP Rivals Scramble to Block Donald Trump; Mitt Romney Raises Questions on Donald Trump's Taxes; Ceasefire in Syria Set for Saturday; Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired February 25, 2016 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:07] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: In just hours, Republicans running for president take the CNN debate stage. Only five competitors remaining. Frontrunner Donald Trump with a big target on his back.

Very big day in politics, folks. Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans in New York.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm John Berman in Houston, Texas. This is the site of CNN's Republican debate. Tonight, it is Thursday, February 25th. 4:00 a.m. in the East, 3:00 a.m. here at the University of Houston where just hours from now the five remaining presidential candidates face off in that CNN debate. This is a truly pivotal moment in this campaign.

All four candidates not named Donald Trump know this could be their last chance to knock Trump off his perch and slow his momentum. In national polls Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have been running in second and third place with John Kasich and Ben Carson back in single digits. But it's not the national polls frankly that matter at all right now. Trump has won three contests in a row. Three nominating contests in a row and he's pulling ahead in most due to vote on Tuesday, next Tuesday, Super Tuesday. All the other candidates swear they could beat Trump if only they could get him one-on-one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald is formidable. People are ticked off. They're furious with Washington. They're furious with politicians in both parties that have been lying to them. And I think Donald's support is a manifestation of that. But what the polling data also shows is that head-to-head, Donald against me, we beat Donald handily. We beat him by 16 points, 56 to 40.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our tactics are not going to dramatically change. I think the biggest change in this campaign is going to be when the people not named Donald Trump -- the choices begin to narrow and we start to give the Republican voters a clearer choice of who they want to get behind.

BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: With fewer candidates, I think maybe there's a possibility -- I'm not sure it's going to happen, but there's a possibility that people may actually start getting interested in the real solutions to the problems.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: By the way, for those that wonder about Donald Trump, if I go head-to-head with him in Ohio, I beat him by 18 points.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So now Donald Trump isn't just dealing though with the current competition you assert from all of them. He is always battling Mitt Romney. More on that in a moment because right now, he is also looking ahead a bit to the general election.

CNN's Phil Mattingly was with Donald Trump in Virginia.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Christine. Donald Trump taking a bit of a victory lap after his sweeping victory in the Nevada caucuses and maybe looking forward a bit with attacks on Hillary Clinton.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Boy oh boy, she's become like a marshmallow. She's become -- everything he does, oh, it's wonderful. Whatever he wants to do. It's wonderful. The president -- man, I tell you, it couldn't be -- her life could not so easy, but she -- what she's done is so wrong and it's so unfair. And it looks like she'll be the nominee and it looks like nothing will happen, but it will be something that will be discussed, I promise you. It will be discussed often, often, often.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Now Donald Trump will be traveling across the Deep South in the days ahead, a nod to that Super Tuesday SEC primary where 25 percent of available delegates will be up for grabs.

Now if you talk to GOP operatives across the different campaigns there's a very real concern now that Donald Trump has momentum that can't be halted. Still, it's early. Not only is the SEC primary coming up, also winner-take-all events coming up on March 15th. You're talking about states like Ohio and Florida, places where Governor John Kasich of Ohio or Florida Sen. Marco Rubio still think they have a shot to strike. So there is time left, but guys, there is an urgency coming about the campaign right now.

One thing to keep an eye on is the CNN debate in Houston occurs tonight. Full frontal attacks on Donald Trump, look towards Ted Cruz, look towards Marco Rubio. The two battling it out for second place trying to make a statement tonight. Very wary donors and very wary supporters wanting that move to happen quickly. Tonight may be the night -- John and Christine.

BERMAN: All right. Thanks so much, Phil. This morning, all the talk is about Donald Trump versus Mitt Romney after the last Republican nominee called on the current frontrunner to be the Republican nominee to release his taxes. This morning, Donald Trump is what seems to be a stance on the issue.

The billionaire businessman now leaving open the possibility he will not release his taxes. He told Anderson Cooper he'll make a determination over the next couple of months. This came in response to that speculation from Mitt Romney that Trump could have something to hide.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Frankly, I think we have good reason to believe that there's a bombshell in Donald Trump's taxes.

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK: What do you mean?

ROMNEY: Well, I think there's something there. Either he's not anywhere near as wealthy as he says he is, or he hasn't been paying the kind of taxes we would expect him to pay, or perhaps he hasn't been giving money to the vets or to the disabled like he's been telling us he's been doing.

[04:05:14] And I think that's the -- the reason that I think there's a bombshell in there is because every time he's asked about his taxes he dodges and delays and says, well, we're working on it.

TRUMP: My returns are extremely complex and I'll make a determination at the right time. I'm in no rush to do it. Nobody has been bringing it up except for Mitt Romney. And the reason he brings it up is that he lost in the last election, and lost very badly, so I don't know why he's bringing it up. But tax returns are very complicated. I have many, many companies.

I have, you know, tremendously -- you know, I have a very complex system of taxes and frankly I get audited every single year. So, you know, my -- unlike everybody else who never gets audited, I get audited every single year, which I think is unfair. But I got through large audits and that's the way it is. But we'll make a determination over the next couple of months. It's very complicated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Dueling phone calls over the issue of Donald Trump's taxes and hearing from Mitt Romney from afar right there. A big day in the race. A big night coming up with the Republican debate here at the University of Houston.

Let's turn to CNN Politics reporter Tom LoBianco in Washington.

Tom, let's start with the issue of taxes and look, a lot of people have all of a sudden started to talk about this. It's almost as if there is a coordinated discussion, you know, coming up from the establishment world right now talking about Donald Trump and his taxes. But it's not just the establishment. Ted Cruz was only too happy to speculate that Donald Trump should release his taxes soon and why he might not be.

Listen to what Cruz said.

CRUZ: An awful lot of people speculate that he hasn't made nearly as much money as he said. Who knows? Because he doesn't release his tax returns. But, you know, I do think -- I do think Mitt has a good point that the voters are entitled to know before they vote because you better believe the Democrats if there's anything in there the Democrats are going to go to town on this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So this plagued Mitt Romney four years ago for a long time. Do you think this is a type of issue that over time that can cause Donald Trump problems or maybe not even over time, maybe even as soon as now before Super Tuesday.

TOM LOBIANCO, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Well, it's interesting they're doing this now. You know, for the establishment, the Republican establishment, it's almost a rare guaranteed win for them bringing this up. Right? I mean, if he doesn't release them, that looks good. The speculation hangs out there. You've got Mitt Romney making the call on it. You can defer away from your candidates there.

It does look like it could build up. You know, one of the things that we already know is that it does not appear that he has $10 billion based on the financial disclosures last year. That was only verifiable I believe up to about $3 billion in wealth. And you can see -- you could hear Ted Cruz hitting on that point already. It's an effective attack. A rare effective attack on Donald Trump.

BERMAN: It's curious to see if we will see that on the debate stage here in Houston tonight. Also curious on the flipside about the dynamic between Donald Trump and Marco Rubio. Look, because we've seen Donald Trump against many of the candidates in the field. We've never have seen a back and forth with Marco Rubio and Donald Trump. Mostly because they've laid off each other.

Last night, Anderson asked Donald Trump if it's time to start engaging for Donald Trump the man who's been running in second place lately. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: You are gearing up obviously for the CNN debate tomorrow night in Houston. What do you see as Senator Rubio's biggest vulnerability?

TRUMP: Well, I think I'll save that for tomorrow night. So we have to keep some good action for tomorrow night. But we'll be -- you know, we'll be totally prepared. And you know, people have not done very well against me. So far everybody that's attacked me has gone down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: I suppose the question isn't just that Donald Trump will go after Marco Rubio, but if you think that Marco Rubio will finally try to address Donald Trump.

LOBIANCO: Well, Rubio and Cruz are both in the same place where they have to punch up to Trump now. And the chances they get, as you pointed out earlier, the chances are dwindling. I mean, there's not an awful lot of debates left. The stage is shrinking as it were, although it does look like Ben Carson will be sticking around in perpetuity.

I think that the -- you need to -- something needs to happen. So they need to punch up. Trump can punch down. He doesn't lose by hitting them. And for Trump, there is a very easy one on Rubio which that they've all have been going after him for a while now on immigration. The Gang of Eight work. Perhaps you don't need something as ham- handed as a Photoshopped picture where it appears that he is shaking hands with President Barack Obama. But I would look for him to punch down on immigration, possibly.

[04:10:13] BERMAN: And quickly, one question on the Democrats here. Obviously we're in Houston for the Republican debate. But Hillary Clinton picked up an endorsement yesterday, Harry Reid, the Senate minority leader now from Nevada, says he is backing Hillary Clinton to be president. Of course this comes days after the Nevada caucus which the caucus is what she wants his endorsement might have helped a little bit before the Nevada caucuses. But still it is a significant boost.

LOBIANCO: Sure thing. Absolutely. Harry Reid coming out, that's -- it's kind of the formal imprimatur on her candidacy. His comments to our Manu Raju were very interesting where he was saying that look, we need to put this thing to bed. He wants to -- he wants to stop the insurgent campaign of Bernie Sanders before this does too much damage to the Democrats. You know, for him looking forward it's not too hard to see Republican nominee Donald Trump. And you need someone strong as the Democratic nominee if you are going to take him on in November. And you know, having a drawn-out battle all the way to the convention in July does not help the Democrats.

BERMAN: All right. Tom LoBianco, we will talk to you again. A lot going on today in the world of politics. Most of it here in Houston where the five remaining Republican candidates meet head-to-head on the debate stage. This is the final debate before Super Tuesday before next Tuesday. Wolf Blitzer moderates. It all begins at 8:30 p.m. tonight only on CNN.

And Christine, I just cannot emphasize enough how much these other candidates, the non-Trump candidates, need to do tonight. They need to do something to change the trajectory of this campaign because Donald Trump keeps racking up win after win.

ROMANS: He really does. And even -- you know, controversies, questions about taxes doesn't seem to dent his support and really among his supporters.

You know, John, for many years, reporters following Donald Trump and his business has always wondered if the E in CEO stands for exaggerator. And you know, the question now is will you finally be able to see those tax returns? It doesn't seem like a fire is burning under him to release them.

BERMAN: We will see what he does. I mean, we'll see if he continues to get questions. I imagine every time he does an interview now he'll face those questions. The real issue is, will the other candidates bring it up on the stage tonight?

ROMANS: Yes.

BERMAN: Will they choose to make it an issue? And sometimes they backed off from going after Donald Trump.

ROMANS: We'll see. We'll know for sure in a few hours. Thanks for that, John. Talk to you soon in Houston again.

Meanwhile, we have new information this morning that President Obama's pick to fill the Supreme Court vacancy could be someone Republicans will have a tough time refusing. That's next.

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[04:16:26] ROMANS: Welcome back. President Obama wants to make it clear, despite stonewalling by Senate Republicans, he will put up a candidate for the vacancy on the Supreme Court. The president is said to be consulting with legal experts and members of both political parties before announcing a nominee in the weeks ahead.

Now CNN has learned one of those being vetted right now is a Republican. Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, also from Nevada, knows the governor well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D), MINORITY LEADER: I don't pick the justices, but I know if he were picked I would support the man. He's a good person, he has a great record, and he has been a tremendously good governor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: GOP leaders in the Senate have said they will not consider any election year nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court.

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaking out on the company's privacy fight with the FBI. Cook telling ABC News Apple has helped investigators but stopped short of creating a so-called backdoor with the potential to unlock any iPhone, not just the one that belonged to one of the San Bernardino shooters. Cook calls it a matter of public safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM COOK, CEO, APPLE: This case is not about one phone. This case is about the future. What is at stake here is can the government compel Apple to write software that we believe would make hundreds of millions of customers vulnerable around the world, including the U.S.

DAVID MUIR, ABC NEWS: And you'd have to write that system in order to unlock that phone?

COOK: Yes. The only way we know would be to write a piece of software that we view as sort of the software equivalent of cancer. We think it's bad news to write. We would never write it. We have never written it . And that is what is at stake here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Apple is working to make future models of iPhones impossible to break into. That's according to new reports this morning. This would force the government to find its workaround to get information from phones even when it has court orders like in the San Bernardino terrorism case. These reports this morning say it would also help protect customers from hackers.

The recent privacy fight is not helping Apple's stock. It is down 10 percent this year alone. It is down a stunning 30 percent from its high last April. IPhone sales are slowing and may even decline this quarter, that is just unprecedented. Also the Apple Watch was not the hot stocking stuffer analysts thought it would be last holiday season. Apple shipped 4.1 million of the devices in the last three months of 2015. That's according to IDC. Forecasts were for five million.

Still good enough for 15 percent of the global wearable market. Apple does not publicly disclose watch sales and declined to comment on that report. But that report getting a lot of attention.

All right. The deadly storm system that slammed the south is now battering the East Coast killing at least four people in Virginia, including a 2-year-old boy.

Just look at the destruction in Waverly about 50 miles south of Richmond. A tornado tossing a mobile home to the air into a church, killing a family of three inside. Lives and possessions ripped apart in an instant for thousands of people in the area.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was seeing my garage was gone, my camper was gone, my mother's garage was gone, and I was just catching this in the corner of my eye when I was running to her house to make sure she was OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Major storm damage also reporter in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. An apparent tornado toppling buildings and tearing off rooftops. There are even reports of a collapsed barn with animals trapped inside.

[04:20:03] If you're flying today, check with your carrier because the storm system has caused thousands of cancellations with about 300 already preemptively canceled today.

All right. In just hours, the ceasefire backed by the U.S. and Russia begins in Syria. Will it work? And will refugees struggling to survive get the help that they need? We are live.

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ROMANS: A limited ceasefire in Syria is set to start Saturday and it is still not clear how it will be implemented or what happens next if it does not take hold. The U.S. and Russia trying to hammer out the final details by Friday. It's a complicated agreement. And inside the Pentagon, there is a lot of mistrust when it comes to Moscow's motives.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh tracking the very latest developments for us live from Amman, Jordan.

Good morning, Jomana.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine. About 24 hours time, that is the deadline that is set for the various groups on the ground excluding of course ISIS and the al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra to respond to the United States and to Russia confirming that they will be taking part in the cessation of hostilities.

[04:25:03] But there are more questions than answers at this point about how the cessation of hostilities is going to be implemented, who is going to be overseeing it with no neutral force on the ground to be observing the cessation of hostilities. And at the same time, we heard President Obama yesterday speaking in a joint press conference with Jordanian King Abdullah in Washington.

And President Obama really here very cautious saying that really doesn't want to raise expectation at this point that the situation on the ground is really complicated, it's a very difficult situation while some progress is being made, it is still a very complicated situation.

As you mentioned also, some U.S. officials at the Pentagon are really suspicious of Russia's motives. Of course when you talk about a deal like this, the cessation of hostilities, any sort of agreement like this, it would require some trust here and good faith, which is really lacking in this conflict. And a lot of concern about what the Russians are doing and what they are actually -- what they're saying and what they're doing working with the United States to reach this agreement, but what we have been seeing on the ground according to U.S. officials in the past few weeks, they have been really solidifying their presence. The groups that they are backing on the ground there in Syria.

So lots of concern about that, and what will happen. But we will have to see. And of course this is really critical for the many civilians, the millions who are caught in the crossfire of this conflict who are hoping for a pause in this violence come midnight Saturday local time. They want to see some sort of a temporary truce, Christine. The United Nations said it has trucks loaded and ready to go for a second round of aid deliveries that could begin on Sunday.

ROMANS: Absolutely right. And so important to bring it back to the people. For five years. Civil war for five years. People need help.

Thank you so much for that, Jomana Karadsheh for us in Amman, Jordan this morning.

Twenty-seven minutes past the hour. Could tonight, tonight, cement Donald Trump's frontrunner status in the race for president? Five candidates taking the CNN debate stage in just hours. What are their new attack strategies? How big is the target on Donald Trump's back?

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