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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Fiery Democratic Debate In Michigan; Clinton Slams Sanders On Auto Bailout; Trump, Cruz Each Win Two This Weekend; Remembering Nancy Reagan; North Korea Threatens "Preemptive" Nuclear Strike; Peyton Manning To Announce Retirement. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired March 07, 2016 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[05:00:22] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Christine Romans. It is Monday, March 7th. It is 5 a.m. in the east. Good morning, everyone.
Breaking overnight, high drama and high stakes at the CNN Democratic debate in Flint, Michigan. This one was different. Just a couple of days before the crucial Michigan primary was a backdrop of the Flint water crisis looming over the entire event.
You could sense the frustration at some points. You could sense that both candidates believe there are not many more chances to change the trajectory of this race. Here are the highlights.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am very glad, Anderson, that Secretary Clinton has discovered religion on this issue. But it's a little bit too late. Secretary Clinton supported virtually every one of the disastrous trade agreements written by corporate America.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When I talk about Senator Sanders being a one-issue candidate, I mean very clearly you have to make hard choices when you are in positions of responsibility.
The two senators from Michigan stood on the floor and said we have to get this money released. I went with them. I went with Barack Obama. You did not. If everybody had voted the way he did, I believe the auto industry would have collapsed taking four million jobs with it.
SANDERS: Let us be clear. One of the major issues Secretary Clinton said I'm a one-issue person. I guess so. My one issue is I'm trying to rebuild a disappearing middle class. That's my one issue.
CLINTON: To think about what it must feel like to send off your first grader, little backpack maybe on his or her back, and the next thing you hear is that somebody has come to that school using an automatic weapon, an AR-15, and murdered those children. Now they are trying to prevent that from happening to any other family. The best way to do that is to go right at the people. We talk about corporate greed. The gun manufacturing sell guns to make as much money as they can make.
SANDERS: We are, if elected president, going to invest a lot of money into mental health. When you watch these Republican debates, you know why we need to invest in mental health.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right, CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more on the debate from Flint, Michigan.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, the lively and contentious Democratic debate here in Flint, Michigan, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton going after it on trade, auto bailout, even crime issues.
It was one of the most contentious Democratic debates that we have seen. Of course, not as comparable to Republicans, but for the Democratic side, it was pretty raucous.
And of course, Bernie Sanders is running out of time to make his case to Democrats that they should elect him. One of the things I was really struck by, we are here in Michigan at the heart of the auto industry. Hillary Clinton assailed him for voting against the auto bailout back in 2009. Listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I voted to save the auto industry. He voted against the money that ended up saving the auto industry. I think that is a pretty big difference.
SANDERS: Well, if you are talking about the Wall Street bailout, where some of your friends destroyed this economy --
CLINTON: You know --
SANDERS: Excuse me, I'm talking.
CLINTON: If you're going to talk, tell the whole story.
SANDERS: Your story is voting for every disastrous trade agreement and voting for corporate America. Did I vote against the Wall Street bailout when billionaires on Wall Street destroyed this economy? They went to Congress and said please, we'll be good boys, bail us out. You know what I said? Let the billionaires themselves bailout Wall Street. Shouldn't be the middle class of this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: Now in the middle of all this contentious exchanges, it is hard to know if any gains were really made. If you're supported Senator Sanders before the debate, you did after. The same for Hillary Clinton.
There is one more full day of campaigning before the Michigan primary goes to the voters and this campaign will be critical. The rust (inaudible) voter, a central part of the electorate here.
[05:05:02]If Bernie Sanders can make gains here, can win here, this will definitely propel this nomination fight even farther. If Hillary Clinton wins, it will keep her assertion going on and her delegate lead certainly going strong here.
So a big day of campaigning today in Michigan. Hillary Clinton is campaigning. Bernie Sanders as well and then they both scatter to those March 15th states, but first, the Michigan primary on Tuesday -- John and Christine.
BERMAN: All right, Jeff Zeleny, thanks so much. On the Republican side, some big wins for Ted Cruz over the weekend. Senator Cruz appears to have a lot of momentum heading into big votes states tomorrow, Mississippi and Michigan.
Many candidates campaigning in those states today. Campaigning for the March 15th states. That's the latest polling out of Michigan. You see Donald Trump with a pretty big lead in the latest polls.
Over the weekend, it was Ted Cruz. Ted Cruz won in Kansas. Ted Cruz won also in Maine as well. He won more delegates than Donald Trump. Trump did win in Louisiana and Kentucky. Marco Rubio was able to win in Puerto Rico.
John Kasich, he won nothing over the weekend, but he did pick up some notable endorsements from some newspapers and also Ronald Reagan's son, Michael, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, FMR. GOVENOR OF CALIFORNIA: I want John Kasich to be the next nominee of the Republicans and also to be the next president of the United States.
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, Arnold, love you man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Joining us to discuss the debate last night and the primaries going forward, CNN Politics reporter, Tom Lobianco. Tom, first, the Democratic debate late into the night, your big takeaways, what changed?
TOM LOBIANCO, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Clinton was really sharp last night. She had some great lines. There are clearly sometimes there where Sanders did not know how to respond. You know, some of -- they are at the point right now where their messages are distilled to such a point that they got these great one liners coming out.
You know, Sanders snapped a little bit where he butted in and said excuse me, I'm talking. You know, that was not good for him. There are some questions of how much does this change in Michigan.
It's in Michigan. Ironically enough too, this is also a debate that Sanders had asked for, one of the three extra debates. So, she kind of looked like the Democratic candidate and frontrunner, who was around in October at some of the early debates, very strong.
Back when people were saying maybe we shouldn't have limited the debates, maybe we should have some more debates.
ROMANS: She was strong on the auto bailout. Where it happened. She really hammered Bernie Sanders on that. He seemed surprised by that round of attack. Let's talk about the Republicans quickly. Who has the momentum now coming out of this weekend? Who has it? Is it Trump or Cruz?
LOBIANCO: Ted Cruz. Clearly. Trump, the expectations are sky high. He didn't meet them. Ted Cruz looks like your anti-Trump candidate. If you are looking for one candidate right now, if you're the Republican establishment, if you're a Republican and Evangelical, someone who doesn't enjoy Donald Trump. This looks like your guy.
He is performing. He is winning these states. Those were upsets on Saturday. You know, Trump's supposed to be running away with this. That was the whole never Trump movement, which sprouted up finally was all about stopping the inevitable.
It looks like Ted Cruz is starting to do that. The delegate counts, Trump is not running away with this right now. That could change very easily. Cruz is the guy right now.
BERMAN: And the never Trump movement that you mentioned has some soul searching to do. Because really if everyone is being honest with themselves, the money and the establishment backing for the never Trump movement has been really a pro Marco Rubio phenomenon.
Now it seems Ted Cruz is the most effective foil on Donald Trump and a lot of these never Trump people are going to have to look inwards and see if they are willing to back Ted Cruz.
LOBIANCO: Absolutely. Do you take to a convention and run it out? Do you risk it what might happen in a convention or do you hop on board early? Do you make the shift now before you get to these winner-take-all states?
You know, March 15th with the winner-take-all in Florida and Ohio are going to be very decisive. You know, if you lose the chance to stop Trump now, you might not get it back.
ROMANS: All right, Tom Lobianco, nice to see you.
BERMAN: All right, we have a lot more political coverage going on here at CNN. Tomorrow is another key voting day. Michigan, Mississippi, Idaho, Hawaii for the Republicans.
[05:10:06]Wednesday, there is a Democratic debate in Miami. Thursday, a Republican debate in Miami. This is the final debate for the Republicans before Super Tuesday. We don't know if the Republicans will debate after Super Tuesday at all. This is crucial. Stay right here on CNN.
ROMANS: All right, time for an EARLY START on your money. We want to look at spending on advertising. It did not guarantee a victory for Marco Rubio on Super Saturday. The Florida senator and his allies spent nearly twice as much in TV advertising combined.
Rubio won zero of the states up for grabs. He did pick up Puerto Rico. Here is how it broke down. In the 15 months leading up to Saturday, Conservative Solutions, a PAC backing Rubio, spent more than $124,000 on ads.
It works out $1.46 a vote. Donald Trump who won two states Saturday spent no money on advertising and Ted Cruz who also won two states spent about half as much money as Marco Rubio.
Tributes pouring in around the world for Nancy Reagan this morning who died Sunday at her home in California from congestive heart failure. She was 94. Nancy Reagan was one of the most influential women of the 20th Century.
She was, of course, first lady to President Ronald Reagan. Fiercely protective during his two terms in the White House. The depth of her devotion was perhaps even more evident in the years after he left office and battled Alzheimer's disease.
David Gergen, CNN senior political analyst, a longtime adviser to Ronald Reagan, he reflected on the Reagans relationship.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: It was a great -- one of the great love stories of American politics (inaudible). They came together in the early 1950s and it changed Ronald Reagan's life.
He was ending his movie career and his first marriage ended badly. He was lonely and uncertain of himself. He met Nancy and they together went through the '50s together and bonded very closely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The president and Mrs. Obama extending their condolences in a statement saying, "They were fortunate to benefit from her proud example and her warm and generous advice." Nancy Reagan will be buried next to her husband at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California.
Truly 20th Century political figure when we are here in the midst of a 21st Century race --
BERMAN: And a romance that lasted for decades.
ROMANS: All right, 12 minutes past the hour. North Korea upping the ante with the nuclear threats. Is there reason to worry with the unpredictable regime now warning of preemptive strikes? We go live to Seoul next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:16:53]
ROMANS: New tensions this morning on the Korean Peninsula with the North threatening a quote, "Preemptive and offensive nuclear strike" as the United States and South Korea begin their annual joint military training exercises.
CNN's Paula Hancocks following developments. She is live in Seoul, South Korea. Paula, you know, we know the North despises these military exercises. Every time these happen, there is scary rhetoric. Is it more concerning this time given the recent history with provocations from the North?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine, you are right. We should expect this kind of rhetoric this time of year. It happens every year. These drills are every year. Pyongyang sees them as a dress rehearsal for an invasion and they get very jittery.
But this year, the tensions are higher on the Korean Peninsula. Look at what the run-up to this event has been. January, there was a nuclear test. February, North Korea carried a satellite launch, which everyone assumed was a long range missile test.
Then just last week, the U.N. sanctions against North Korea were the strongest in two decades, which led the North Korean leader, Kim Jong- Un to say he wanted his nuclear weapons on standby in case he wanted to use them at any time.
And then you have this today, the preemptive nuclear war threat. We heard it before, but it is still significant and worrying for officials around the world.
Of course, the question is would they even be able to carry out such a threat? The assumption is they are not there yet, but it is certainly worrying that they are carrying out this kind of rhetoric. Tensions will be rising -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right, Paula Hancocks, thank you for that in Seoul for us this morning.
BERMAN: All right, this morning, ISIS claiming responsibility for a suicide attack in Iraq that killed 35 people and injured more than a hundred. Iraqi police officials say it happened Sunday at a busy security checkpoint in the city of Hilla. They say the suicide attacker was driving a truck laden with explosives.
All right. One of the great quarterbacks to play the game is retiring. Peyton Manning will make it official today. Coy Wire with this morning's "Bleacher Report" next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:23:21] BERMAN: Peyton Manning is calling it a career. This after 18 phenomenal seasons, five NFL MVP awards, and two Super Bowl titles.
ROMANS: Coy Wire has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report." Hey, Coy.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and John. Peyton is going to make it official at a news conference today 1:00 p.m. Eastern. As John mentioned 18 seasons in the NFL. The average career is about 3.5. The 39-year-old Manning is going out on top after that big Super Bowl 50 win with the Broncos.
He is retiring as the only quarterback in NFL history to lead two franchises to Super Bowl titles. Manning called the Broncos on Saturday to let them know he is hanging up the cleats.
Denver's general manager, John Elway, released a statement saying, in part, "Peyton was everything that we thought he was and even more. Not only for the football team, but in the community. I'm very thankful Peyton chose to play for the Denver Broncos."
Peyton's biggest rival throughout his career, Tom Brady, showed his respect on Facebook posting, "Congratulations Peyton on an incredible career. You changed the game forever, and made everyone around you better. It's been an honor."
Peyton Manning's career as the all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns. With one more than Brett Favre, most wins than any quarterback in NFL history.
Huge stunner in the NBA yesterday, the Lakers, losers of 51 games so far, shocking the world, and maybe themselves by upsetting the Warriors who only lost five games this season. The biggest reason?
The Warriors could not hid a broadside of a barn. Clay Thompson and Curry combined for just 1 of 18 from behind the arc. Lakers deep from behind the arc was stifling.
[05:25:04]To put perspective on how big of a win we are talking about, the 72 percent win percentage difference between these two squads is the most ever in NBA history.
Guys, the Warriors have lost six games. Four of the six wins have come against -- losses, excuse me, teams with losing records this season. It's kind of an odd stat.
BERMAN: They didn't show up. I mean, it was terrible. I set aside time to watch that game. I wanted to see Golden State work their magic and there was no magic. All right, Coy, thanks so much.
ROMANS: All right, 26 minutes past the hour. Hostilities reach a breaking point in the Democratic race for the White House. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, their latest face-off. The highlights and a look at the 2016 race next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDERS: If you are talking about the Wall Street bailout where some of your friends destroyed this economy.
CLINTON: You know --
SANDERS: Excuse me, I'm talking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Excuse me, I'm talking.
