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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Republicans Battle For Wisconsin; Trump Says Ohio Governor Should Exit Race; Clinton & Sanders Wrestle Over Date for NY Debate; NTSB Investigating Amtrak Derailment Killing Two, Injuring Dozens; Deadly Winds Kill Two Across Midwest and Northeast; Greece Begins Deporting Refugees To Turkey. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired April 04, 2016 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump and Ted Cruz calling for John Kasich to get out of the race. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton can't agree on the terms of their next debate. The race for president gets heated one day before a key state primary election.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: New information this morning about a deadly Amtrak derailment. Two people killed, dozens injured. We're going to give you this new information that we're learning this morning. That's coming up.

ROMANS: Happening now, thousands of refugees who risked their lives on a dangerous journey to get into Europe. This morning they are being deported. The EU's controversial new plan now in motion. We are live.

Welcome back to EARLY START this Monday morning. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: Nice to see you all. It is 5:31 in the east. We are just one day before voters head to the polls in Wisconsin and this one looks big and, frankly, different than we have seen. There is an intense battle this morning between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, both of them campaigning across Wisconsin today.

The latest polls show Ted Cruz out in front, leading Trump by as much as 10 points. And Cruz picked up new key tactical victories over the weekend, way beyond Wisconsin and Colorado. He won the first six delegates to the Republican convention. They were chosen at a week- long selection process. More later from Colorado this week.

In North Dakota, the Cruz team claims it did well in packing that state's delegation to the convention though all of North Dakota delegates are unbound. But today is all about Wisconsin, where a Ted Cruz win could alter the momentum of the Republican race.

CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has the very latest from Green Bay.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and John. Well, the Cruz campaign has hit the ground hard here in Wisconsin, dispatching Heidi Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Gov. Scott Walker, all barnstorming this state this weekend. The Cruz campaign manager declaring an all hands on deck situation in the final 24 hours before voting starts in Wisconsin tomorrow.

And Cruz, for his part -- the senator has really been projecting confidence on the stump. He's been predicting that he will get most, if not all, of the state's delegates tomorrow night. And on the stump here in Green Bay he told the crowd, really playing up the importance of this moment going forward -- saying that it is going to be a decision point that will resonate across the country beyond just here is Wisconsin. The senator also seemed to get a little reflective on the state of the race and all that has transpired.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This has been quite the election cycle. It hasn't been boring. There were all sorts of things a year ago if someone had said you were going to see you wouldhave said, no, that will never happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: And there's a notable strategy shift coming from the Cruz campaign here in Wisconsin. They are out with their very first negative TV ad targeting John Kasich. This is a candidate that they have, in large part, attempted to marginalize throughout this campaign calling him, point blank, a spoiler. So this focus on him in these last few hours here in Wisconsin certainly suggest some concern on their level about what role he might play tomorrow night -- Christine and John.

ROMANS: All right, Sunlen Serfaty, thank you so much for that. Joining us to break down the fight for delegates on both sides, senior digital politics correspondent Chris Moody. Good morning. Let's start with the GOP and the front-runner and the number two guy, both telling distant third get out of the race. Let's listen to what Trump says about John Kasich.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Kasich -- Kasich is now one for 30. Is it one for 30 or one for 29? He's one for 30. It's good if he gets out. I don't want him in. I don't want him in and he shouldn't be in. And let me tell you, he wants to get to the convention. That's OK. Go to the convention and announce you want to be president, but you shouldn't be littering up the process because that's what he's doing. It's really a disgrace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: And then team Kasich turning around and saying well, look, we don't think he's going to get the number of delegates he needs to have the nomination before the convention, so Donald Trump should drop out of the race.

CHRIS MOODY, CNN SENIOR DIGITAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Right. John Kasich is really playing the long game here. Donald Trump also asked the RNC to kick him out of the race, as though they could. That's not how things really work. If John Kasich has the money and the time he can run for president to his heart's content.

But here's what John Kasich knows -- that on the campaign trail you're fighting on Donald Trump's turf. Trump is going to win states, but he might not. It's looking like he might not be able to clinch the nomination. Once we get to the convention John Kasich believes that that's his opportunity to possibly bag this thing. Obviously, he's going to have to make a pretty tough argument, though.

[05:35:00] Let's say he doesn't win any other states. He only has one. He's going to have to convince those delegates why he should be the one for them to go and not Ted Cruz. That's going to be a tough sell for him but he believes that that's really his own opportunity and the only way to get there is to stay in the race.

BERMAN: So my question, Chris, is that both Ted Cruz and Donald Trump say that John Kasich is hurting them. They both want John Kasich out of the race, but they both can't be right. I mean, John Kasich has to be helping either Ted Cruz or Donald Trump. It can't be both.

MOODY: It can't be. I think we'll have to dig into the polling data after a couple of weeks or months here to see really where the Kasich voters were going. But I think if you look at Ted Cruz's perspective, he has been playing the long game here, looking very closely at the delegate race not as much as just winning each state, but making sure he racks up as much delegates as possible. Deep into the policy here -- deep into the delegate game -- in a way Donald Trump certainly is not.

A lot of this stuff is behind the scenes. You don't get to see it on the campaign trail, but Cruz has been working very smartly at this game and John Kasich does, possibly, pull away some of that opportunity. If you go the convention it's a lot easier for Ted Cruz versus Donald Trump as opposed to Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, and John Kasich.

I think Cruz just wants a clear path. He wants to be the one alternative to Trump and the guy he can shift all the delegates to, or at least make that argument, if they can get to the convention without Donald Trump clinching it beforehand.

ROMANS: Let's talk about Wisconsin quickly because this is going to be a big prize here. You've got a well-informed electorate, active voters, usually has pretty high turnout for the Republicans. It is sort of the establishment. If there is an establishment state for the Republicans, this is it. Ted Cruz winning in these polls by a 10- point lead here. Could it be a good day for Ted Cruz?

MOODY: It looks like it's going to be a very good day. Anytime you win a state -- not just fight in the delegates behind the scenes, but win against Donald Trump, you've had a good day. Look, Donald Trump has branded himself as a winner. And not just that, but also a closer, and right now it's getting more and more difficult for Donald Trump to make that closing argument. Now, the map does look pretty good for Trump going forward. It heads east, it goes to New York where Trump is dominating, but if you can chip away at that narrative and beat him in a big state like Wisconsin,I think it's a great day for Ted Cruz.

Look, the name of the game for him right now is not just winning, but it's just keeping Trump below the threshold of delegates that he needs, and that's going to be a victory because as we mentioned earlier, once you get to that convention floor, that is Ted Cruz territory. That is John Kasich territory. It's not necessarily Donald Trump.

Donald Trump dominates on the stump when he's able to campaign at big rallies. He's not going to have that at the convention. There's going to have to be a lot of wheeling and dealing, a lot of horse trading, and Donald Trump might be good at that at business but he hasn't proven it in politics. Well, now's the time for him to prove and put his money where his mouth is and actually try to close a deal here. And this is probably going to be one of the biggest deals he's ever closed if he can pull it off.

BERMAN: Chris, 30 seconds left. Democrats -- they're spending all their time debating over whether they debate again or when they debate again. What's going on here?

MOODY: Yes, debates over debates. I think that's far less interesting than actually what they're going to say at a debate. Look, Bernie Sanders has had an incredible couple of weeks in the northwest taking the momentum to Wisconsin, a place that he could very well win. This has been a thorn in Hillary Clinton's side. We're now in April. I think she wanted to have this thing sealed up by now, so she's probably getting a little bit frustrated.

Going into the biggest battleground, New York is a state that both of them have roots in. If Bernie Sanders can really make a case and fight against Hillary Clinton in New York, that's going to be his huge test to be what Hillary Clinton supporters would call a spoiler. Certainly, Bernie Sanders' people wouldn't call it that.

But they want to have a debate before New York and I think Democrats, especially, Bernie Sanders supporters want to see one. Not only a debate, but they want to see one in prime time like the Republicans have had this whole time, and that's really what a big part of this debate is about because there were so many debates on the Democratic side that were held on weekends or times there was a low audience. They want to change that and get heavy exposure this time.

BERMAN: Chris Moody, great to have you with us this morning. Thanks so much, pal.

MOODY: Thank you.

ROMANS: All right, 39 minutes past the hour. Time for an EARLY START on your money. Global stock markets unfazed, nonplussed, completely unmoved by Donald Trump's claims this weekend that it's a terrible time to invest in the stock market. Dow futures are higher, oil is flat. Stock markets in Europe are higher. Shares in Tokyo closed slightly lower overnight.

To the Tesla story now. Drivers are loving Tesla's new lower pricedelectric car. Preorders topped 275,000, so says Tesla founder and CEO, Elon Musk. He's been tweeting sales updates. Customers must put down a $1,000 deposit to reserve their spot in line. The new ride expected to start rolling off the production line in late 2017. Tesla will make the car in California. The batteries will be made in Nevada. This Tesla model 3 starts at $35,000. It can get up to 215 miles on a full charge. It can go zero to 60 in less than six seconds.

[05:40:00] BERMAN: Preorders for a car not out for another year, right. Two workers killed, there are many more injured in a new Amtrak derailment. We have new information on the investigation next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:45:00] ROMANS: Breaking news this morning. About 200 people evacuated from Newark International Airport's terminal B after a series of electrical fires broke out in a boiler room ceiling. Now, no injuries. Officials say morning flights should be OK but some afternoon flights may be affected, so best to contact your airline if you're going into or out of Newark this morning.

The NTSB is investigating a deadly Amtrak train derailment south of Philadelphia. Rail officials say the train was carrying more than 300 people when it left the tracks moments after hitting a backhoe and two Amtrak workers. Both of those workers were killed. Nearly three dozen passengers injured. We get more this morning from

CNN's Sara Ganim in Chester, Pennsylvania.

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, a source close to the investigation telling CNN that those two construction workers, one in a backhoe and one near a backhoe, were struck by this train, number 89. They were both Amtrak workers, which raises the question of how they did not know that they were in an active track when this accident happened and how the train didn't know this was an active construction scene when this happened.

The NTSB now on scene working with Amtrak to investigate this accident. You can see behind me, that is train number 89. It was on the Palmetto route from New York to Savannah, Georgia. Three hundred and forty-one passengers on board, 35 of those passengers injured when this collision happened. None of them with life-threatening injuries. All of them were either taken to the hospital or gotten to their destinations by Amtrak today.

But you can see the force of that impact just by looking at that front engine car. You can also see that it actually derailed from the track. Now, on Sunday Amtrak was able to bring back limited service on this northeast corridor which is good news for people in their Monday morning commute because 750,000 people ride the northeast corridor every day between Boston and Washington, D.C.

But, on Sunday morning around 8:00 a.m. this was a very frightening experience for many of those passengers. One of them telling CNN he could something was wrong before the crash happened. Outside the window they could see a cloud of dust and it felt like they were riding on gravel. Another passenger, 15-year-old Linton Holmes, talked about his frightening experience. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINTON HOLMES, AMTRAK PASSENGER: The train was like rumbling and then we got off track, I guess. And then it was just bunch of dust. It was just dust everywhere. And then the train conductors -- they were running to the front. There was some people -- they were pretty bloody from the -- because it was an explosion. We got off track and then it was like a big explosion. Then it was a fire. Then the windows bursted out and some people were cut up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GANIM: Now, the investigation is clearly ongoing. The good news is the NTSB has already recovered the data recorder, as well as the forward and inward looking cameras. Hopefully those will yield some answers -- John and Christine.

ROMANS: All right, Sara, thank you for that.

This morning, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant is deciding whether to sign a new religious freedom bill that passed the state's House and Senate. The measure would allow government employees and private businesses to deny services to same-sex couples who want to get married. The governor is expected to decide whether to sign that bill by tomorrow. On Friday, a federal judge blocked officials in Mississippi from enforcing a law that bans same-sex couples from adopting children.

New calls this morning for embattled Alabama Governor Robert Bentley to step down. State lawmakers back in session. Legislation putting Bentley's recall to voters is expected to be drafted as soon as today. The Republican has been under fire ever since recordings surfaced last week revealing sexually explicit phone conversations between the governor and political adviser Rebekah Mason. Mason has since resigned but questions remain over whether state funds were used to conceal that relationship.

Dangerous and deadly windstorms ripping through parts of the Midwest and Northeast. A tree smashed a car in Abington, Massachusetts. The victims inside there. Two people trapped in that car were killed. This was the scene in Ohio. You can see a huge tree toppling over onto a house. In New York, much the same. Downed trees everywhere. Debris scattering the streets. At least 370,000 people from Wisconsin to Maine suffering significant power outages.

All right, 49 minutes past the hour. Let's take a look at what's coming up on "NEW DAY". Chris Cuomo joins us now. Hey, Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": Hey, Christine, how you doing?

ROMANS: Great. CUOMO: We're going to stay on that weather tip a little bit here because it got a lot of people by surprise. That means a lot of infrastructure took a hit that people didn't see coming, so a lot of communities are still trying to get back on their feet. We're also going to look at what happened with this Amtrak crash outside Philadelphia yesterday. So we'll take you through all of that.

And then, of course, we'll have to get into the storm of its own making, the presidential campaign. Thank God it's Monday, says Donald Trump. Not just because he's a very strong Christian but because that means last month is over. Last week, specifically, is over. It was seen as a bad one for Donald Trump. He says don't count me out when I'm down -- remember New Hampshire.

Cruz is saying if we want to look back, Christine, let's look back at Iowa because Wisconsin looks a lot like Iowa. So, both men are poised for a big night tonight. We'll take you through why although it's looking good for Cruz.

[05:50:00] ROMANS: All right, looking good for Cruz. Nice to see you, Chris. Nice to see you back after vacation.

All right, so Donald Trump trashed the stock market and the U.S. economy this weekend, but guess what? Stocks are higher this morning. Stocks jumped Friday after the government's monthly job report and investors are feeling a little optimistic, too. We'll get an early start on your money next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:54:00] ROMANS: Greek officials have begun deporting hundreds of refugees and migrants back to Turkey. It's part of a controversial new agreement with the European Union. More than 52,000 men, women, and children are stranded in Greece since the Balkan nations decided to shut their borders.

Let's get the very latest from CNN's Phil Black. He joins us live from Turkey this morning. And behind you, Phil, some of the vessels that will be bringing these folks in.

[05:55:00] PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Christine. Yes, this is one of three vessels that will be docking here today, bringing 202 migrants in total. Most of them from Pakistan, some from Afghanistan, but also two Syrians, who we're told by Greek authorities have volunteered to return at this very early stage. The first batch of these so-called returns.

These migrants are all people that have really left behind a failed dream. They initially crossed the sea behind me to get to Greece, often in very flimsy vessels, with the dream of establishing a new, peaceful, prosperous life in Europe. That now won't happen, as you touched on there, because other countries in Europe have closed their borders.

It's created this backlog in Greece. There tens of thousands of people there and so the European Union felt it has to something. Its response is to strike this agreement with Turkey that it would allow it to return some of the migrants. Those that either don't apply for asylum in Greece or those whose application there is unsuccessful.

It's a controversial arrangement because critics of the deal, human rights activists, pro-refugee activists -- they say that Europe is abdicating a moral responsibility to look after these people. To give them care and protection. There are also concerns about sending them back here to Turkey where Turkey's critics believe that this is a country where that is not best placed or best motivated to give them that protection either.

But to give it some context, Turkey is a country that is dealing with an enormous migration situation itself. There are around 2.7 million Syrians in this country that have fled the war and Turkey is operating what it calls an open door policy to Syrians fleeing that conflict, at least until that conflict is resolved, Christine.

ROMANS: All right, Phil Black. Thank you so much from Turkey for us this morning.

Fifty-seven minutes past the hour. Let's get an EARLY START on your money. Stock futures ticking higher, unphased, unmoved by Donald Trump's claim that it's a terrible time to invest in stocks. That was in a Washington Post interview this weekend. He also said the U.S. economy is headed for a "massive recession," something most people in the markets don't agree with either.

Oil is down below $37 a barrel. Stock markets in Europe are up. Shares in Tokyo falling overnight as stock markets in China close for the holiday. After those gains on Friday the Dow is now up about 2 percent in 2016. NASDAQ down 1.8 percent. It was down almost 5 percent a week ago. The S&P 500 is up 1.4 percent this year.

Of the 30 stocks on the Dow Jones industrial average, 21 higher for the year. The biggest losers, mostly in the financial industry. American Express, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan -- look at those losses there. J.P. Morgan Chase is off more than 9 percent. Concerns about exposure to the oil industry shaking the financial sector earlier this year. Investors are also concerned about how the banks will fare if interest rates are expected to remain low for the foreseeable future.

A deal to tell you about this morning -- a potential deal. Alaska Airlines nearing a deal to buy Virgin America for $2 billion. That's according to various reports overnight. JetBlue was also said to be bidding for the airline. All three companies declined to comment on the merger. It would mark another step in consolidation in the U.S. airline industry.

Alaska Airlines is the eighth largest carrier in the U.S. by traffic. It's based in Seattle. It flies to 90 destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico. Virgin America is outside of the top 10. It flies to 22 destinations. Virgin America's stock has been on a tear over the past couple of weeks amid rumors of a sale. It was started, of course, by billionaire Richard Branson back in 2007. It went public in the year 2014.

All right, a heated battle on the presidential campaign trail one day before a key state primary. "NEW DAY" picks up our coverage now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Let me get rid of the other two and then I'll be presidential, OK?

CRUZ: I could not care less about Donald Trump.

TRUMP: He's a dirty, rotten, cheat. Remember that.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A vote for me is a vote for John Kasich.

TRUMP: It's good if he gets out. I don't want him in.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What we're hearing is truly scary.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You are looking at the strongest Democratic candidate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was kind of a frightening few seconds. We didn't know what to do.

BERMAN: Two killed, dozens injured in a new Amtrak derailment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The windows are blown out right beside me.

HOLMES: We got off track and then there was like a big explosion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This state has the most hateful law in America against LGBT people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This law puts us in danger.

GOV. PAT MCCRORY (R), NORTH CAROLINA: The state is representing pragmatic middle America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's incumbent upon you, Gov. McCrory, to fix your mess.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

CUOMO: Good morning, welcome to your new day. It's Monday, April 4th, 6:00 in the east. Alisyn could not bear to see me or J.B. with a tan so she's not here today, but we are. It is Monday. Donald Trump is happier about that than anybody else in this race because it means last week is over, or is it?

Ted Cruz still beating the drum of Trump's recent abortion punishment comments, especially with women voters ahead of tomorrow's very important Wisconsin primary. Trump, however, reminding people about he rebounded after some controversy to win big in New Hampshire.