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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Sanders Stands By Clinton Put-Down; Donald Trump Shifts Strategy in Fight for Delegates; John Kerry Arrives in Baghdad; Taking Back Mosul From ISIS; Warriors Beat Spurs to Reach 70 Wins. Aired 5- 5:30a ET

Aired April 08, 2016 - 05:00   ET

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: It's my kind, it's my version, finale of "American Idol." You can see more highlights of this conversation on "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS" this Sunday, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

[05:00:05] MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN ANCHOR: You really made your Friday.

Oh, and guess what? EARLY START continues now.

(MUSIC)

MARQUEZ: The battle for votes in New York getting more bitter. Late last night Bernie Sanders doubling down on his belief that Hillary Clinton is not qualified to be president.

ROMANS: Donald Trump with a strategy to win the White House. Is the Republican frontrunner preparing for a fight for delegates at a contested convention?

MARQUEZ: And breaking news this morning. Secretary of State John Kerry landing in Baghdad. Political chaos threatening the war on ISIS. We are live.

Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Miguel Marquez.

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. Nice to see you this morning, Miguel. It is Friday, April 8th. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.

All right. New attacks and reaction this morning in the Democratic battle over credentials. Bernie Sanders on "Late Night With Seth Myers" standing behind his putdown that Hillary Clinton is not qualified to be president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MYERS"/NBC/LAST NIGHT)

SETH MYERS, LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MYERS: You made a comment about Hillary Clinton being unqualified for the office of president. Is that something you regret saying?

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, it was said after she and her campaign said that I was unqualified.

MYERS: Well, I didn't hear her say you were unqualified. I heard her failed to say you were qualified. I didn't -- she didn't say unqualified.

SANDERS: Well, look, the issue is, you know, after we won in Wisconsin and that was our sixth victory in seven caucuses and primaries, I think the Clinton campaign has been getting a little bit nervous and I think they have been getting more negative. If people attack me and distort my record, we will respond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: All right. This as both candidates crisscross New York today, trying to lockdown the state before its crucial April 19th primary.

Senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny, he's got the latest from New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Miguel, after one of the most heated days on the Democratic campaign trail, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton campaigning again today in New York. Now, Bernie Sanders questioned the qualifications again and again of Hillary Clinton to be president. He actually went there and said, because of her vote on the Iraq War, because of her positions on Wall Street, how she accepts money from Wall Street donors, she's not qualified to be president.

Now, most Democrats probably don't believe that, but it certainly fired up his supporters. But she took the high road, for the moment at least and this is how she responded.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, it's kind of a silly thing to say, but I'm going to trust the voters of New York who know me and have voted for me three times, twice for Senate and once in the presidential primary.

Look, I didn't -- I don't know why he's saying that, but I will take Bernie Sanders over Donald Trump or Ted Cruz anytime.

ZELENY: Now, Bernie Sanders for his part saying he is simply trying to respond to what he called campaign smears from the Clinton campaign, who have planned to question his qualifications, his preparedness, his readiness to be president. He took one more shot at Hillary Clinton for all her fundraising. She flew to Ohio and Colorado to do some fundraising on Thursday and he made sure that voters knew about it.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will not leave here this morning and go to a Wall Street fund-raiser. I will not be --

(APPLAUSE)

I will not be hustling money from the wealthy and the powerful.

ZELENY: Now, with both candidates on the campaign trail here in New York, Hillary Clinton in Rochester and Buffalo, Bernie Sanders in the city, they're doing an all-out push for the New York primary now to some 11 days away. How this race goes is going to shape how the rest of the Democratic Party goes and if the party will ever unify once this long primary race is over -- Christine and Miguel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: It is a long primary race. Thanks, Jeff Zeleny.

Helping us break down the fight across the political landscape, CNN's political reporter, Tal Kopan joins us from Washington bureau.

Good morning. Thanks for getting up early for us.

ROMANS: Good morning.

TAL KOPAN, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Good morning.

MARQUEZ: I want to get right to the comments overnight and how this fight for New York is shaping up. Sanders on Seth Myers -- let me say, sort of saying of all the candidates out there, maybe Hillary isn't so bad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MYERS: Hillary Clinton versus a Republican nominee.

SANDERS: Oh, come on. Hillary Clinton's worse day, she is 100 times better than any of the Republican candidates.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: There is the unity that Jeff was talking about. Maybe they will be able to unify.

MARQUEZ: Yes, I like when he went -- yes.

So, are these -- will the Democrats eventually unify?

KOPAN: I think the Democrats will definitely unify once they get through an actual nomination. There's never been any indication, any threat by Bernie Sanders that he would not essentially support Hillary Clinton. There are rumbles out there that a handful of supporters might not be able to back her.

But it really has not come from the campaign or inner circle that would indicate that Bernie Sanders would have issue with supporting her. I mean, I feel like we are watching a master class in backhanded compliments between these two.

[05:05:03] They've been doing this dance for weeks and months now, where they don't really want to insult each other. They don't want to make a mockery of the nominating process and the way they want to portray the Republican Republicans as having done. But they do still want to edge each other out. So, we are seeing the bad blood moments bubble up to the surface, where they just can't hold themselves back.

ROMANS: These are primary moments, no question. Remember, you are likeable enough, Hillary, and one guy hired her for a top job, as secretary of state. So, we have seen primaries get ugly and they mend fences early on.

I wanted to play a little bit of sound from Seth Myers again last night, Bernie Sanders sort of joking about what is his signature issue. It's a bit here about breaking up the banks. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: My advice to you is the same advice I give to a couple contemplating an open relationship. It's time to break up. But don't feel bad. All the best bands break up eventually. The Beatles, Destiny's Child. Personally, I can't wait for the behind the music on Goldman Sachs. Big banks? You're bernt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Bernt, B-E-R-N-T.

I mean, it is funny, trying to make light of this controversy this week, that he hasn't really know how -- or he couldn't he can't quite, you know, demonstrate how to break up these banks. He is fighting with the GE CEO. Does this help him? Does this help him get new followers or not?

KOPAN: I think it's mostly damage control at this point. Like you said, he had the interview earlier this week. The transcript was released.

It was pretty damning if you read through it. You know, the editorial board pushed him. Well, how will you break up the banks? But how will you do it?

His answers were a little thin. It was a little bit of politician speak which we see on occasion, where he sort of kept speaking in vague topics and tried to change the subject a little bit. When it is your signature issue, it's one thing if it is early in the game and policy positions and not flushed out.

But when it's your signature issue, it really doesn't look great. And the Clinton campaign e-mailed the transcript out in full to reporters, really pushed it. So, being able to make light of it, being able to joke about it, it's a break. I mean, it helps him try to sort of move past that news cycle and get back on message.

ROMANS: The CEO of GE is not laughing.

MARQUEZ: No, he's on fire.

ROMANS: Yes.

MARQUEZ: The interesting thinking for me on the Republican side is this dual contest that's happening now, the race of 1,237, but also this race looking ahead to that convention. Everybody expecting a contested convention.

Here's what Ted Cruz told Dana Bash about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Do you have a pool of Trump delegates who've already said, "I'm with you on the second ballot"?

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are working hard to elect our people to every delegate slot. I'll tell you, if we come to a contested convention, we will know every single delegate. We will have a relationship with every single delegate. We will have conversations with every delegate. And we're working to get our people elected to every single delegate slot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUEZ: That has got to put a chill in Mr. Trump's spine. Clearly, he is looking ahead to the convention. It is not clear that he has those delegates.

What is your sense of it between the Trump and the Cruz campaigns on the delegates?

KOPAN: Well, I've actually been digging into the delegates quite a bit lately. It's become one of my primary focus here, looking at -- looking at this actual process.

We have moved so far past the numbers at this point. I'm not sure everyone realizes, but we are getting down to individual single people and how those every single one of those, about 2,400 individuals who are going to the convention are going to respond to each ballot. That is the reality here.

And everyone I talked to says the Cruz campaign is very organized in this regard. In some states where this process began early, they were beginning in December and January to recruit people to run for these delegates spots. So, there is no doubt his operation is quite good and that his opponents also have an interest in portraying it as good to raise expectations.

It is a lot murkier on the side of the Donald Trump side of the campaign, although he has announced several moves this week to bolster that effort. And it's clear that his campaign now recognizes if they didn't before that this is going to be essential. So, you are absolutely going to see a play for every one of these people in some quite interesting ways, I think, we're going to see.

ROMANS: So, here's my question about the Republican race here. The question on the Democratic side is you heard Bernie Sanders say, she's better than any of the Republicans. Will Republicans be able to hold their nose and accept Ted Cruz? The Republicans who are just scared to death of Donald Trump, will they be able to accept him as their nominee if he gets it?

KOPAN: This is a very open question.

[05:10:01] You know, you talk to a lot of Republicans and most of them, even after sort of trashing Donald Trump or trashing Ted Cruz for a little while, at the end of the conversation, will they still stay, but I'll get behind the nominee, because I don't want to see Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders become president.

But I have also talked to people who are still, you know, entertaining dreams of a third party candidate, of a white knight coming into the convention and not being one of the above options. You know, there are surveys that show there are people who would not vote for the alternative. It's not clear if those people are going to change their minds or if they're just going to stay home.

This is a very real question not just for us who like to play the pundit game, but for the Republican Party. They are asking themselves what is going to happen.

MARQUEZ: Absolutely fascinating.

Tal Kopan, you have 2,400 new Republican friends to make. You better get busy. Thank you very much.

KOPAN: Hit the phones.

ROMANS: Her best line, master class and underhanded compliments.

MARQUEZ: And here is one you don't want to miss. This is going to be pretty darn good. Next Thursday night, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders face-off in a CNN Democratic presidential debate in Brooklyn. That's April 14th, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, five days before the New York primary.

ROMANS: All right. It is round three in the fight between Bernie Sanders and the CEO of General Electric over outsourcing. Sanders started it when he slammed GE for taking jobs overseas after using the American economy to build its multinational business. Those are comments posted by "The New York Daily News".

Then, GE's CEO Jeff Immelt defended his business. In his op-ed in "The Washington Post" he wrote this, quote, "GE has been in business for 124 years and we have never been a big hit with socialists. We create wealth and jobs, instead of just calling for them in speeches."

Immelt says it building jobs overseas because GE has customers in 180 countries. He said his company does pay billions in taxes. But he did criticize the complex tax code and said he likes to see that fix. In response to all this, the Sanders campaign lashed out at Immelt's multimillion dollar pay package. Sanders policy director telling CNN, quote, "If the CEO of General Electric he wants to know how his company is destroying the fabric of America, he should take a good look in the mirror."

General Electric says, "Why don't you come and visit the plant that we have that has high paying jobs right there in Vermont that Bernie Sanders has never visited, you can see exactly how capitalism works than socialism."

MARQUEZ: This is going to get uglier, isn't it?

ROMANS: I think it is.

(CROSSTALK)

ROMANS: It is happening in New York. You have Wall Street and where the funding and oxygen comes for American business. I think you're going to start to see some of these big named CEOs and Wall Street bankers start to say, OK, Bernie Sanders was interesting a year ago. Now it is dangerous.

MARQUEZ: I think Bernie is going to hit back just as hard.

ROMANS: I think you're right, absolutely. And his supporters will love him for it.

MARQUEZ: Yes.

ROMANS: All right. Breaking news this morning, Secretary of State John Kerry landing in Iraq. Political chaos there threatening the fight against ISIS. We are live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:17:00] ROMANS: We're following breaking news this morning. Secretary of State John Kerry landing in Iraq this morning, just moments ago, as an escalating political crisis threatens the fight against ISIS. Secretary Kerry aiming to shore up U.S. support for Iraq's embattled prime minister.

CNN's global affairs correspondent Elise Labott. She joins us live on the phone. She is traveling with the secretary of state's press pool.

Elise, good morning. Tell us what's at stake here today.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, Christine, Prime Minister Abadi has faced so many protests calling for his removal, not only by his predecessor Nouri al-Maliki, but by well known firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. For his efforts to combat corruption is not enough according to a lot of people in the country, despite holding some of the world's largest oil reserves, really an economic crisis is fueling a lot of frustration against the government and the prime minister's reform is not coming fast enough.

And some of these protests surrounding his office made him divert some of the Special Forces fighting ISIS to shore up the capital. Washington is very concerned of the political gridlock which could jeopardize the fight especially after the fears of more violence. Iraqi armies have won a number of victories of ISIS in recent months and retaken an estimated 40 percent of the country, but it's still ISIS controls the large swath of the country, including Mosul, the country's largest city.

And Kerry is making sure the government does not lose its focus against ISIS and especially in the upcoming campaign to take Mosul in the coming months, Christine.

ROMANS: An internal political battle, at the same time trying to fight ISIS. Elise Labott is there in Baghdad for us -- thank you so much for that, Elise.

MARQUEZ: Now, it's a battle of the NBA Titans. Golden State Warriors looking to set the all-time mark for wins in a season, taking on the red hot San Antonio Spurs.

Coy Wire or Chad, whatever his name, he's there with this morning's bleacher report.

Hi, Coy. We will see you in a second.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:23:37] MARQUEZ: American golfer Jordan Spieth looking very strong in his bid to take back the Masters title.

ROMANS: All right. Coy Wire has more on this morning's bleacher report -- hey, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and Miguel.

Spieth is looking to become the first golfer since Tiger Woods to win back-to-back green jackets. Tiger did it in 2002.

There is something about Augusta that makes the 22-year-old Texan feel at home. He struggled a bit at the start of the season, but during his first round yesterday, he was on point the entire game.

He started right where he left off from last year's masters win, becoming the first player in tournament history to lead outright in five consecutive rounds. Spieth finishes with a round of 66 and has a two-stroke lead going into the second round day. He'll tee off at 12:55 Eastern.

And on the very opposite end of the spectrum, poor Ernie Els. The big South African had the worst imaginable to his round yesterday, six putting the first hole, five misses within three feet of the whole. This guy is a four-time major winner. He finishes with a score of 9 on the first hole, and that's the worst score in 80 years at the Masters. After his round, Els said it is hard to putt when you have snakes in your head. Those are boa constrictor I think.

To baseball, really a scary moment where Christine's Cubs and Diamondbacks going at it in Phoenix yesterday. Cubs' Kyle Schwarber collides with Dexter Fowler.

[05:25:02] Both were going for this line drive. It ends up being an inside the park home run for Arizona.

Here it is again, both players are actually pretty lucky it wasn't worse than that. Schwarber gets carted off the field. X-ray is reportedly negative. MRI scheduled today.

Good news for, Christine. They win again. Those Cubbies win 14-6. They are 3-0 to start the season.

Big NBA match up last night. Warriors hosting the Spurs. It's the first time two teams with at least 65 wins ever faced each other, the buckets. Everyone wondering if the Spurs would play their starters, they did and they didn't matter.

The Warriors snagged the opportunity and threw down in front of the home crowd. Curry led the way with 27 for Golden States, who becomes only the second team in NBA history to win 70 games. The Warriors only have three games left in the regular season.

Next up, Grizzlies in Memphis. If they win all three, they'll hold the NBA's all-time wins record, surpassing Michael Jordan's '95- '96 Bulls.

ROMANS: That's amazing.

MARQUEZ: Cool.

ROMANS: All right. Lots of Chicago teams in sports today. Thanks, Coy.

WIRE: You are welcome, Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Have a great weekend.

Bernie Sanders late last night doubling down on calling Hillary Clinton not qualified to be president. The battle for votes in New York, boy, it gets ugly. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)