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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Democrats Face Off In Univision Debate; Tonight: Last GOP Debate Before Super Tuesday 3. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired March 10, 2016 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:12] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: So much happening in the race for president. Republicans in just hours will take the CNN debate stage. Pivotal elections in states like Ohio and Florida just days away. This as, overnight, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders held their most contentious debate yet.
Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. I'm here in New York.
And there he is. He's in Florida.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, that's right. John Berman here at the University of Miami, the site of tonight's Republican debate.
It is Thursday, March 10th. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East.
Breaking overnight: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders head-to-head in Miami. They took part in a bilingual debate sponsored by Univision and "The Washington Post".
Now, this was the first meeting since the huge news of the week. The Bernie Sanders upset in Michigan.
Before Michigan, Hillary Clinton, she had been pivoting to a general election fight against Donald Trump. But pivot no more. Now, Hillary Clinton's attention by necessity back on Bernie Sanders. Bernie Sanders' attention right smack-dab on Hillary Clinton. This was as direct as contentious as it has been.
Senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar with the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, Hillary Clinton getting some sharp questions about e-mail practices while secretary of state and about her trustworthiness. Bernie Sanders questioned by these moderators about being a career politician.
But at this Univision debate, it was immigration that was the big topic. Hillary Clinton hit Bernie Sanders for his failure to support comprehensive immigration reform in 2006 and 2007, when he sided with labor unions. And Bernie Sanders took on Hillary Clinton for her opposition to drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants, something that was an issue for her back in 2008.
Also, their positions on children fleeing violence in Central America came up.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Honduras and that region of the world may be the most violent region in our hemisphere, gang lords, vicious people, torturing people, doing horrible things to families. Children fled that part of the world to try, try, try, maybe, meet up with family members in this country and taking a route that was horrific, trying to start a new life. Secretary Clinton did not support those children coming into this country. I did.
(APPLAUSE)
JORGE RAMOS, DEBATE MODERATOR: But, again, yes or no. Can you promise tonight that you won't deport children, children who are already here?
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will not deport children. I would not deport children. I do not want to deport family members either, Jorge.
SANDERS: So, to answer your question, no, I will not deport children from the United States of America.
KEILAR: This debate happening in the shadow of the Michigan primary where Bernie Sanders staged a massive upset and got some momentum despite still being down in the delegate math. But of these candidates are now pushing forward to these series of contests that we'll see next Tuesday. Even the Sanders campaign admits Florida is advantageous to Hillary Clinton.
But Bernie Sanders and his campaign, they are hoping that what happened in Michigan where they had a message that appealed to this industrial state, where labor unions are strong, that that may give them a toe-hold in Illinois and Ohio as well -- John and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: All right. Brianna Keilar for us at the Democratic debate.
Let's talk about that debate. Joining us right now, CNN politics reporter, Eric Bradner.
Eric, this was a tough debate. I mean, the candidates were tough with each other. I mean, look, after Michigan, it's all different. It's all new. I mean, they are addressing each other directly. And the moderator, I mean, Jorge, he was tough with them, too.
ERIC BRADNER, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: He was. They got tough questions. I mean, Hillary Clinton was asked whether she would step out of the race if she was indicted. She was asked about her e-mail scandal. She was asked about Benghazi.
BERMAN: Let's play about the e-mail exchange. She was asked will you drop out. Listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAMOS: If you've been indicted, will you drop out?
CLINTON: Oh, for goodness. It is not going to happen. I'm not even answering that question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: That's the taste.
BRADNER: Yes, absolutely.
Bernie Sanders got tough ones. He was asked about the comments in the '80s about Fidel Castro. Obviously, important here in Florida.
BERMAN: Since you brought it up, let's bring that up. You can see it there, too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBATE MODERATOR: In retrospect, have you ever regretted the characterizations of Daniel Ortega and Fidel Castro that you made in 1985?
SANDERS: The key issue is whether the United States should go around overthrowing small Latin American countries.
DEBATE MODERATOR: You didn't answer the question.
SANDERS: I think that was a mistake.
CLINTON: I just want to add one thing to the question you were asking Senator Sanders.
[04:05:03] I think in the same interview, he praised what he called the revolution of values in Cuba and talked about how people were working for the common good, not for themselves.
I just couldn't disagree more. You know, if the values are that you oppress people, you disappear people, you imprison people, even kill people for expressing their opinions, for expressing freedom of speech, that is not the kind of revolution of values that I ever want to see anywhere.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: So, Eric, you teed u up perfectly how tough it was. How do you think the candidates handled it?
BRADNER: So, they both handled it pretty well. What this really showed more than anything is that this is going to go on for quite a while now. Hillary Clinton, as you said, had tried to pivot to the general election. She had to pivot right back last night. Both candidates launching attacks for the whole two hours. We didn't
really see anything too new. We knew these were points of weaknesses, with both candidates, serious questions they have to face long term.
It was a win for Hillary Clinton in that she survived, in that Bernie Sanders had won that big Michigan primary that stunned everybody, and here was this chance to sort of really change the story. This is the last debate scheduled for a while. And Hillary Clinton emerged from it with some bad moments, but largely unscathed.
ROMANS: Eric, you know what, I think is new you guys is that stunner in Michigan and just this realization now from both camps and from the media and from everyone that this feeling of economic malaise is real, even if the numbers are showing in advance in the American economy, lower unemployment rate, et cetera, et cetera. I mean, what Bernie Sanders has been selling has been resonating. And the way he has been -- the way he has been hammering consistently on Hillary Clinton about her ties to Wall Street, her perceived ties to Wall Street, her big money speeches to Goldman Sachs, for example, that really has been playing among his supporters that the game is rigged against them and Hillary Clinton is part of that game.
Listen to him again hammer her on those paid speeches last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDERS: When you get paid $225,000, that means that that speech must have been an extraordinarily wonderful speech.
DEBATE MODERATOR: So, does this mean that you would not think she would have to disclose?
SANDERS: I would think a speech so great that you got paid so much money for you would like to share it with the American people. I think she should.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: It is interesting, Eric. Some people who went to the speeches said mostly it was big bankers asking her what was going on in the world, asking her what her perceptions were about, you know, different facets of international relations. Not them her asking about Wall Street and Wall Street regulation.
But that's beside the points. This has been really resonating with Bernie Sanders folks.
BRADNER: Yes, absolutely. Perception matters more than reality in this case, in large part because the transcripts do exist. We know that.
Hillary Clinton has had months to come up with a good answer to that question knowing that Bernie Sanders is going to pound her on it in person every time the two share the stage. And still, she doesn't have a good -- just sort of deflecting and saying if the Republicans sell their speeches. But if you combine that with Sanders message on trade, which we
learned in Michigan is really resonating, especially with the race going to Ohio, Illinois and Missouri and Rust Belt states. The one- note candidate is singing a pretty effective tune.
BERMAN: You know, it's interesting. You said Hillary Clinton doesn't have a pad answer yet on Wall Street. She does seem now to have an answer on another question she asked consistently, which is, you know, why she's not connecting more with voters? And you heard her explain last night, it's just not what I do. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I am not a natural politician, in case you haven't noticed like my husband or President Obama. So, I have a view that I just have to do the best I can and get the results I can, make a difference in people's lives and hope that people see that I'm fighting for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Fans of Hillary Clinton and people within Brooklyn, they love it when Hillary Clinton shows this side of herself.
BRADNER: Right. Wasn't that fascinating? I mean, she is someone who's too proud to admit that kind of thing most of the time. And yet, for a candidate for whom authenticity is a problem, that kind of moment is really effective, because it shows she is willing to sort of explain like why a lot of the stuff is tough for her. Why she is not the kind of candidate who's inspiring movements the way President Obama did.
You know, it worked. It's a way of sort of humanizing her and deflecting a lot of this criticism. Frankly, I'm surprised she hasn't done more of that already. But she is looking to connect with people, looking for -- because that's what Bernie Sanders does.
[04:10:00] BERMAN: Right.
BRADNER: That was the way of doing it, it really seems to work for.
BERMAN: All right. It's interesting. If you get a sense the stakes are higher, then candidates both all over Florida today. I mean, you have these big states now campaigning in big ways. That's on the Democratic side, that was the Democratic debate.
The Republicans doing it too, Romans. And in just hours, the Republicans running for president, they have their own debate right here at the University of Miami.
Wow! Could this one be electric? Just days to go now before huge winner-take-all primaries in Florida and Ohio. They will take this stage tonight at the CNN debate. We'll preview it, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Ted is actually a bad talker, pretty good debater, bad talker. Can't talk. I don't mind debating him at all. The problem is, when I debate somebody, then people say I'm not a nice person, but they say, you won the debate.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: So, bottom line, tomorrow night, you are expecting a different tone by you'll be ready --
TRUMP: I think it's going to be softer, but I'll be ready. I mean, you know, I think Marco is going to be a different person. Marco's been, you know, mortally wounded. I -- you know, questions will Marco be there. These debates to me are getting very boring if you want to know the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: All right. That's Donald Trump talking with Anderson Cooper about tonight's debate at the University of Miami. Tonight's CNN debate here at the University of Miami.
As far as we know, Marco Rubio is coming, by the way. So, let's talk about the stakes.
[04:15:00] Let's talk about the event and moment.
Joining us again, CNN politics reporter Eric Bradner.
Eric, all I can say is, you k now, wow. I mean, there are four candidates left, right? Next Tuesday is winner-take-all in Florida and Ohio.
The polls show Donald Trump leading in Florida, 99 delegates at stake. Most polls in Ohio show Trump ahead, although there is one new one, from FOX, that shows John Kasich ahead there. I mean, you know, it's not hyperbole to say the stakes here are enormous.
BRADNER: Absolutely. I mean, this is a home game for Marco Rubio. He's from this area. And, you know, things did not work out for him early. He had to show a second act. He had to prove he could go after Donald Trump. That didn't work out either.
So, now, Rubio has to find a third act. He's way behind in the polls and he's looking at a do-or-die election in Florida next week. So, the big question is what his strategy is going to be. He has acknowledged these attacks on Donald Trump haven't worked, that sort of made him look small. So, can he regain his stature, regain his footings, sort of find her way to show his political talent, because the pressure could not be any bigger than it is right now.
ROMANS: Absolutely. You know, Donald Trump says he is getting bored by these debates.
I am not getting bored by these debates and I think that tonight is incredibly important for all of these -- all of these characters in this amazing political theater that we've been watching. Let's listen to what Marco Rubio said on MSNBC about his personal attacks against Donald Trump and where this conversation has gone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In terms of things that have to do with personal stuff, yes. At the end of the day, it is not something I'm entirely proud of. My kids were embarrassed by it. And I -- you know, if I had to do it again, I won't.
This is a guy that has basically offended everyone for a year, I mean, literally mocked a disabled journalist, a female journalist, every minority group imaginable, on a daily basis. I mean, you run, it becomes, he used profanity from the stage.
That said, yes, I don't want to be that. If that's what it takes to be president of the United States, then I don't want to be president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Are we going to see a presidential Donald Trump tonight? I mean, a presidential Donald Trump and Marco Rubio who's trying to take the high road?
BRADNER: Probably not.
(LAUGHTER)
BRADNER: Look, Donald Trump has improved as a debater. And the proof is that early on, he would have these moments of insults and back and forth with moderators and whatnot. He would kind of disappear as the debate went on. There'd be a lot of people on stage and he wouldn't be able -- he wasn't able to talk policy that effectively.
But now, he is at the center of the debate the entire time. And wearing as big a target he is wearing, there is just no way he will go the whole night without being attacked and invitation to give to somebody right back.
Rubio will probably take a different approach tonight, but he's not going to layoff Trump entirely. And Ted Cruz has shown that he is sort of Robin to Rubio's Batman when it comes to that, you know, beat Trump game.
So, I think both of them are going to still taking their shots at Trump. And Trump is the master of the theater of all of this is going to hit back. And he's gong to go on air afterwards and he's going to claim that he won. He's going to claim that -- he's going to have some sort of new insult that came of it all to hit the other candidates with.
BERMAN: I've got to say, though, it is a safe bet now that Marco Rubio said it was a mistake to talk about Donald Trump wetting his pants and talk about his hand size.
BRADNER: Right.
BERMAN: It wasn't about his hands, as we all now, to talk about all those things.
Marco Rubio now saying that's a mistake. It makes it impossible for him to do that tonight again. A lot of the donors, if you read the scathing articles right now, they thought it was a bad idea to begin with.
Let's talk about Ted Cruz, because Ted Cruz I think did something very, very interesting. First of all, he was endorsed by Carly Fiorina right here in Miami, in Marco Rubio's backyard. That's interesting in and of itself.
Secondly, he has been playing this game with the convention, saying, well, I'm not in favor of the contested convention. I'm going to win the delegates I need to get there. Now, he is sort of opening the door to the possibility that he is willing to fight it out in Cleveland.
Watch what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Look, Reagan and Ford battled it out at a contested convention. That's what conventions are for. If you are fighting between candidates who have earned the votes of the people and it's the delegates at the convention elected to do that, that's the way the system works, and that's perfectly appropriate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: That's different. Really.
BRADNER: It is.
BERMAN: I mean, you know, why is he doing this? Does he realize he can't get, you know, 1,237?
BRADNER: Probably yes. It's going to be really difficult at this point, especially because we're looking at winner-take-all states like Florida and Ohio, where the idea in terms of stopping Trump, even if you are Cruz, is to hope that, say, Kasich can win Ohio, something like that.
He really wants to make this a one-on-one race and he wants to do that now. But Kasich is giving no indications that he's going to drop out anytime soon.
[04:20:02] He could very well win Ohio. The math just gets complicated here. So, Cruz is somebody who has organized well the entire time. He could probably do well at a convention.
So, yes, I mean, there's definitely an increasing realization with everybody who is not Donald Trump that a contested convention is increasingly possibly. It probably -- it's too early to say the only avenue to stop Trump. BERMAN: He's one of the most meticulous candidates I've ever seen,
Ted Cruz. So, every word out of his mouth means something. Every step he takes, every place he goes means something. So, watch him closely the next few days.
Stay with CNN. Our debate coverage happens here at the University of Miami all day long. Honestly, this could be the very last primary debate on the Republican side. We do not know. That's just how high the stakes are.
The coverage all day long. The official pre-game tonight at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time right here on CNN.
You know, Christine Romans, you know, we're here in sunny Miami -- at least I'm told it is sunny at 4:00 a.m. The sun is not out yet.
ROMANS: It is sunny here, in fact. I think it's warm here in the Northeast as it is in Miami. So, I'm afraid you did a temperature differential for going down south.
All right. Thanks, John.
You know, economists rate the U.S. economy a B plus. Home prices are rising. Unemployment is low. Gas prices are down 25 percent from last year, saving Americans hundreds of dollars.
But voters all this week have been telling us again and again, they do not feel it. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, they are capitalizing on those feelings.
Here's what's driving it: First, wages are not rising. Families are taking home the same amount of money back in 1995.
Second, Americans without college degrees are being left behind. This demographic used to fill the manufacturing sector. Some of those jobs are gone. Non-college grads are struggling.
Third, white men are facing changes in the job market. The labor participation rate for white males has declined now for six decades. It is still easier for whites to get a job, but competition is much tougher. There is anxiety in this demographic, economists tell us.
Finally, inequality is getting worse. The top income earners in America took half the income made in the United States in 2014.
I encourage all of you -- all of you to go to CNNMoney.com and read this amazing story about just what are these demographic trends that is driving what we are seeing at the polls, this energy for Donald Trump, this energy for Bernie Sanders about what's happening in the economy.
All right. Twenty-two minutes past the hour. State of emergency declared as deadly storms pound parts of the south. There is more on the way. We've got that for you, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [04:26:36] ROMANS: Ten families in Flint, Michigan, plan to file individual law suits today on behalf of more than two dozen children they say were poisoned by the lead contaminated water supply. On Wednesday, Flint's mayor announced that city will stop sending water bills to some 85,000 people until credits can be applied. The state last week approved $30 million to help Flint residents with water utility bills.
Twenty-seven minutes past the hour.
Following breaking news overnight. Five people killed in a mass shooting in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, east of Pittsburgh. Homicide investigators saying at least two gunmen barged into a backyard party and opened fire, killing four women and a men. At least three others were wounded and are in stable or critical condition. We don't know what sparked the shooting, and there's no word yet on a motive.
There is a state of emergency in 16 parishes in Northern Louisiana. Deadly storms triggering historic flooding, killing three people, forcing thousands to evacuate. More than 1.5 feet of rain has fallen on parts of the state with another 10 to 12 inches expected. Officials are very concerned about hundreds of homes that are now at risk because of possible levee failures.
In just hours, the Republicans take the CNN debate stage. Just hours ago, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders had their most heated debate yet. New action in the race for president. We break it down, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
