Return to Transcripts main page

Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Trump Campaign Under Fire for Anti-Semitic Graphic; Obama Hits the Campaign Trail with Clinton; 2016 Veepstakes; String of Terror Attacks on Muslim World; Kevin Durant Joins Golden State Warriors. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired July 05, 2016 - 05:00   ET

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

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: He tweeted an anti-Semitic graphic to attack Hillary Clinton.

[05:00:06] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama on the campaign trail with Hillary Clinton in a key swing states. Can the president's popularity boost Clinton's poll numbers?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Hundreds of people killed in new attacks as Ramadan draws to a close. ISIS is at the forefront of the new wave of terrorism. CNN has live team coverage, bringing it all now.

Good morning and welcome back to EARLY START. I'm George Howell.

ROMANS: It's nice to have you born today. I'm Christine Romans. It is Tuesday, July 5th. It is 5 a.m. in the east.

Breaking overnight, the Trump campaign under fire now, offering an explanation for how a graphic that some are calling anti-Semitic ended up on Donald Trump's twitter feed. The image accusing Hillary Clinton of corruption, it shows a pile of cash and a six-pointed star.

Now, that image first appeared on a white supremacist message board two weeks ago. But last night, after being pressed on the issue through the weekend, the Trump campaign's social media director posted a statement on Facebook saying, "That the graphic was not created by the campaign nor was it sourced from an anti-Semitic site. It was lifted from an anti- Hillary Twitter user where countless images appear."

The statement goes on to say, "As the social media director for the campaign, I would never offend anyone and therefore chose to remove the image." Critics, though are still hammering Trump over that graphic.

CNN's Sara Murray has more.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Good morning, Christine and George.

Donald Trump is still dealing with this firestorm after he put out a tweet that appeared previously on a white supremacist message board. It slammed Hillary Clinton as "Crooked Hillary" but it also included a six-pointed star that evokes the Star of David, and therefore, anti- Semitic imagery. Trump did put out a statement trying to turn this around on Hillary Clinton.

Now, in that statement he said "These false attacks by Hillary Clinton trying to link the Star of David with a basic star, often used by sheriffs who deal with criminals and criminal behavior, showing an inscription that says Crooked Hillary is the most corrupt candidate ever with anti-Semitism is ridiculous. Clinton, through her surrogates, is just to trying to divert attention from the dishonest behavior of herself and her husband."

And, of course, the Clinton campaign was highly critical of that tweet, saying it shows a pattern of behavior of Donald Trump, sort of highlighting these extremists.

Now, for Trump's part, he's also been trying to turn attention away from this scandal to the veepstakes. He met yesterday with Iowa senator Joni Ernst. What's not clear is how interested she would be in taking this V.P. job, or even whether the Trump campaign is very serious about considering her for that second in command slot, but aides say that the meeting went very well. Back to you guys.

HOWELL: Sara, thank you. Both Donald trump and Hillary Clinton are stumping in the crucial swing state of North Carolina this day. Clinton on the campaign trail with the president for the very first time, starting in Washington, D.C. this morning and then hitching a ride I mean, Air Force One on to Charlotte.

The president is hoping his renewed popularity will rub off on Clinton at the new poll says she might just need that help.

The USA Today/Suffolk University survey shows her six points ahead of Trump. That is a significant narrowing of her double-digit lead in the same poll two months ago.

For the very latest on the story, let's turn to CNN's Sunlen Serfaty in Washington.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Christine and George.

Well, coming off this weekend's FBI interview over her use of a private e-mail server as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton will try to take back control of the narrative today. She will be campaigning for the first time with President Obama in Charlotte, North Carolina. And giving her visit a bit more presidential flair, Clinton will actually hitch a ride down there with President Obama on Air Force One, which Donald Trump quickly seized on tweeting quickly last night, "Why is President Obama allowed to use Air Force One on the campaign trail with Crooked Hillary? She is flying with him. Who pays?"

Now, North Carolina, as a setting for today, is a strategic move for the Clinton campaign. They see that state as the biggest must-win for the Trump campaign, so certainly trying to undercut him a bit there.

Now, aides to Clinton tell CNN they do expect Obama, today, to tell the story of his "rival to friend" relationship with Secretary of State Clinton, as well as, likely, laying into Donald Trump. He -- They expect him to echo the message that Clinton has been pushing herself, that Trump is unqualified for the presidency. Christine and George?

ROMANS: All right, Sunlen thank you for that. Let's discuss the campaign and everything that's going on right on the campaign with CNN Politics Reporter, Eugene Scott, live for us this morning from the Washington bureau.

EUGENE SCOTT, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: So much to talk about.

ROMANS: Good morning. Let's talk about the tweet. So I mean, it's either insulting anti-Semitic or sloppy. Just picking up something, you know, retweeting something, you know, from an anti-Hillary Twitter user, but it originally appeared on the anti-Semitic message board.

Trump defending this tweet, saying, "Dishonest media is trying to depict a star in a tweet as the Star of David rather than Sheriff's star or a plain star." But the social media director has seems taken it down. Where do we stand on this controversy here?

[05:05:10] SCOTT: I think one of the main places we stand its people are not clear. They don't understand why it seem to takes 48 hours for any type of response. I was working Saturday when the tweet went out. And media here and at CNN and other supporters and even critics were trying to figure out what was going on. I was watching it in the Twitter sphere and it seems like there was no response.

So, whether or not the intention was negative or not, there is some concern about why is the campaign so slow to response in very controversial actions by its staff members that some voters would find problematic?

HOWELL: This is a week where we saw Hillary Clinton interviewed by the FBI. At the same time, this tweet overshadowed that it seems in the headlines.

SCOTT: Yeah, very much so. I -- that same day, it was quite a busy Saturday.

Secretary Clinton was being interviewed that morning. But at -- but this hit social media way harder. And seems like what it's -- what was set up to be a pretty smooth weekend for Donald Trump after Hillary Clinton had a pretty bad week after the FBI interview as well as here her husband's meeting with the attorney in general. It just seem like this caused more diversion and it wasn't because of the media. It wasn't because of media. If you see there were people from the ADL and even supporters who wanted to know what this was about. I think it was just not the best handle situation.

ROMANS: We should stay with the ADL. They said they put out a statement on this, the Anti-Defamation League. The imagery is the classic trope of Jews and money implying that she's raising Jewish money or something along those lines.

I get tweeted pictures like this all the time from anti-Semites and racists and white supremacists all the time. Does this familiar to me? Absolutely." This is from Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO and the National Director of the ADL. He released that statement yesterday.

But, you know, Donald Trump, you know, one of his top advisors, sort of unpaid, unofficial advisor is his son, Jared Kushner who is a noted Jewish newspaper publisher.

SCOTT: Right.

ROMANS: Right and he on the campaign trail has been very strongly supportive of Israel.

SCOTT: Sure.

ROMANS: So in his policies and his actions don't reflect necessarily what -- there is retweet what would suggests.

SCOTT: Yeah, very much so. And so I mean, I think some people in the Trump campaign were somewhat surprised that any references to anti- Semitism could be made because they were like, look, my daughter is Jewish as my son-in-law and my grand kids, I would never do that. But I think that brings up the question for some critics. If you have so many people so close to you who know that this should not be done that this is a poor look, why do you keep doing these things? And this is not the first time that's we reported on cnnpolitics.com that Donald Trump has had some trouble with appearing to be unsupportive of the Jewish community.

HOWELL: These unforced errors and the question just continues, is it sloppy or is it intentional?

SCOTT: Right. Right.

HOWELL: So we'll have to continue to follow these obviously. Let's talk V.P. picks now.

SCOTT: Sure.

HOWELL: Eugene, so you know, when it comes to Hillary Clinton, there are so many names there that are out there.

SCOTT: Right.

HOWELL: What are we hearing?

SCOTT: Well, we're hearing a really diverse group of names. We had Senator Cory Booker on "State of the Union" yesterday. We have Tim Kaine from Virginia. Of course, there's Elizabeth Warren. We're hearing some Julian Castro, Xavier Becerra, I mean, like, who it will be is not incredibly clear right now. But it seems to be quite broad.

One thing that the campaign has been very vocal about is that the intention the effort won't necessarily be on picking someone who help Clinton reach a community that she's perhaps not doing that well. What the emphasis will be on picking someone that she thinks can pick up on the job if something were to happen to her on day one as well as someone that she likes working with. I mean, as we saw that, it is a job where it's moved, you know, over the years from just this thing that kind of doesn't have a lot of responsibility to much of a tag- team situation we're seeing with Obama and Biden and I think Clinton wants to continue that with whoever she picks.

HOWELL: And with Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich?

SCOTT: Yeah. I think it's very possible it could be, you know, they were at the Aspen Ideas festival this weekend and Joe Biden kind of rib, Gingrich a bib. But Gingrich came out, I wrote about this on cnnpolitics.com and said if I am chosen, I don't want it to be a job where I'm just going to funerals and ceremonials. I want something that it's going to come with a lot of responsibility and abilities to be influential and that's not surprising for Gingrich because quite frankly, he has all of this experience and he wanted to be president himself.

But if Donald Trump picks Gingrich, I don't think Gingrich has anything to worry about in terms of not being brought into make major decisions because quite frankly, he has way more experience in this field than Donald Trump does. So Trump will need him.

ROMANS: And Paul Manafort, the campaign manger for Donald Trump has said that Donald Trump sees himself more as a chairman of the board and less of the ...

SCOTT: Sure.

ROMANS: ... a president or chief operating officer which is sort interesting if you look at it in that way with Newt Gingrich saying he doesn't want to be just be going to funerals and, you know ...

SCOTT: Right.

ROMANS: ... and state dinners. He wants to be actually implementing policies. He is indeed a policy wonk.

[05:10:02] Let's talk about Hillary Clinton's numbers, I mean it's pretty interesting or Donald -- I'm sorry, Obama's number -- President Obama's numbers.

SCOTT: Yeah, yeah.

ROMANS: It's interesting, he's going to start campaigning with Hillary Clinton and when you look at his approval rating right now, I think above 50 percent right now and you see how that compares of other presidents of this of this time of the campaign cycle. Is that something that gives her a bit of a tailwind if she's out there campaigning with the president?

SCOTT: I think it does with liberal voters in North Carolina. As you remember, Obama won North Carolina in way which was a big surprise considering, North Carolina's history. He did not win in 2012 but the liberal activism base in North Carolina right now, is been really activated following the bathroom laws affecting transgendered people as well as some concerns about Voter Suppression Rights. And so I think, what this does, is mobilizes the base to come out and get behind Clinton. But the work is needed. The help is needed because there are lot of Trump supporters in North Carolina as well which is not very surpassing.

HOWELL: So a popular president, will it rub off on Hillary Clinton? We'll have to see. We'll see Eugene Scott, thank you so much.

ROMANS: Thank you Eugene.

SCOTT: Thank you guys.

ROMANS: All right, time for EARLY START on your money. Hillary Clinton is heading to Atlantic City, Wednesday to attack Donald Trump's business practices.

The campaign official telling CNN, the presumptive Democratic nominee will discuss among other things. Trump's record in the gambling center including those controversial casino bankruptcies, a four different Trump properties in the New Jersey City have filed for bankruptcy since 1991, the most recent bankrupt saying, 2009.

The Clinton campaign claims the trip will highlight how Trump makes money at the expense of investors, at the expense of workers. This isn't the first time Clinton criticized Trump's business dealings. Trump himself has defended using bankruptcy laws to help his business and employees.

HOWELL: We're following the story of new attacks around the world killing hundreds as Ramadan draws to a close. A new wave of terrorism that quite frankly could strike any where. CNN has live team coverage next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:15:05] HOWELL: Welcome back. We have seen a string of major terror attacks in the Muslim world leaving hundreds of people dead all as the holy month of Ramadan comes to a close.

ISIS is said to be responsible for bombings in Turkey, in Bangladesh and in Iraq, those strikes, followed by suicide bombings in three Saudi Arabian cities over a 24 hour period, including one near the U.S. consulate in Jeddah.

CNN has team coverage with our deep venture correspondents around the world from Baghdad to Dhaka in the Saudi attacks.

Let's start with our International Diplomatic Editor, Nic Robertson who is live this hour for us in London, Nic good day to you. What more do we know about the string of bombings in Saudi Arabian cities?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, the Saudi Interior Ministry has now announced the one of the names of one of those suicide bombers. A Pakistani man, a driver who had been working in Saudi Arabia for the past 12 years, living with his wife and his mother-in-law, he was 34-years-old. This is relatively unusual that you would have a Pakistani national frankly not even Saudi national involved in one of the attacks in Saudi Arabian. That's rare. But it's almost unprecedented to have three attacks in the space of one day. And two of them on opposite sides of the country, almost timed simultaneously, the most deadly one in Islam second holiest city, Medina there. The suicide bomber approached a Saudi security checkpoint, detonated his explosives, killed four of the officers, wounded several others.

In the east of the country, all the way across Saudi Arabia, a suicide bomber that tried to get into a Shia mosque. He wasn't able to get in. He detonated explosives. He died. No other casualties there.

And earlier in the morning that day right outside the U.S. consulate in Jeddah again the first time the U.S. premises, America premises inside Saudi Arabia have been targeted in this way for about a decade or so. Suicide bomber there moving around behaving in a random kind of way, the police approach him he detonates his explosives, kills himself, two of the officers injured. Three more bombs found in his vehicle.

There has been no claim of responsibility so far. But when you look at this, you have to say the profile for the attacks does fit ISIS. And ISIS are the once that are being calling for attacks during Ramadan.

ROMANS: All right, thanks for that Nic in Baghdad. The death toll keeps rising from a suicide truck bombing in Iraqi capital. There's 200 killed, 175 wounded in a huge blast.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh following the very latest for us this morning, she is in Amman Jordan. And Jomana, this is the single deadliest attack in Iraq since 2003.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's truly devastating attack, Christine. And it's been more than 48 hours since that suicide truck bombing struck this commercial district in Baghdad.

And until now we are told that rescue workers are still on the scene, they are still and digging through the rubble trying to pull out more bodies and body parts of those who are caught in the bombing.

And heartbreaking story after the other, we are hearing family members who are showing up at the scene still searching for loved ones. One couple searching for their teenage son who was there at a cafe celebrating his birthday with his friends. A mother who has been to several morgues around Baghdad looking for her son who was out shopping. And more and more tragic stories like this.

215 people killed, lives lost, many of them children, too. And more than a 100 others were wounded in this attack. And as you mentioned, this is the single deadliest attack we have seen in Iraq since 2003.

And this kind of high profile spectacular suicide truck bombings, this is not we have not seen in Iraq, in Baghdad specifically since the height of the violence there. So we haven't seen this in years. ISIS has claimed responsibility for this attack. Really rising concerns there, that while the group has lost a lot of territory that it used to control in Iraq, most recently the city of Fallujah is still possesses this ability to carry out this kind of horrific and devastating attacks and really also highlighting that's it's going to take more than fighting ISIS on the battle field more than a military fight to defeat the group perhaps fighting the ideology, not just militarily.

George, back to you.

HOWELL: Jomana, just looking at the image of the building. You just get a sense of how terrible this attack was. Jomana Karadsheh, live for us in Amman Jordan, thank you for your reporting.

Moving on now to Bangladesh, the terror attack in Dhaka. ISIS also claiming responsibility there, but officials say that attack was carried out by home-grown militants.

Let's go live to Dhaka, CNN's Alexandra Field following that story. Alexandra, good to have you with us.

What more can you tell us about the instigation?

[05:20:04] ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, George, while the investigation continues into who carried out these attacks, the cafe that was the scene of so much carnage on Friday night is still closed even to the owner who talked to us today about the labor of love that he had created here in Dhaka. A place that he called an oasis with a large garden and communal tables, a place where he intended for foreigners and for locals, for expats to mingle together to share meal. It was also the place that was targeted by a gang of assailants who came in shooting the place up, lobbing grenades and then hacking the victims who were left behind.

Twenty people killed inside the restaurant. Two more police officers tried to stop the carnage.

(OFF-MIC)

FIELD: ... isn't sure that he could ever open a restaurant again. He could not bear the responsibility for anything happening like this ever happening again.

Among those killed who's a Bangladeshi woman. We also spoke to her uncle who were flex on the fact that the assailants have been identified as Bangladeshi, all men from Dhaka, all between the ages of 18 and then mid-20th.

(OFF-MIC)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAK KHAN, UNCLE OF ISHRAT AKHOND WHO WAS KILLED IN THE ATTACK: There are children. They were raised and educated. Yeah, they went school, the same school as my daughter into. And I see them as my children. But when I see these people, these children, they being brainwashed, despite the fact they have good education. Despite the fact have good university and school education, I feel so sad. Why would this happen?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: Police say that two people who are injured during the attacks are in custody. And then both them are suspects. One was initially identified as the sole surviving attacker. It isn't yet clear who that second person. Christine?

HOWELL: He is diplomatic quarter.

ROMANS: I know, Alexandra Field, thank you so much for that, Alex. You know, just a tragedy there.

All right, a heartache in Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant jilting the Thunder, taking his talent to Golden State. So how did this blockbuster deal get done?

Andy Scholes with his morning's Bleacher Report next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:25:34] HOWELL: Welcome back. So it is one of the biggest free agency decisions in NBA history. Talking about Kevin Durant and taking -- he is leaving the Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors.

ROMANS: Well, Andy Scholes has more in this morning Bleacher Report. Hey Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hey, good morning guys. You know, this is rock to the NBA world yesterday. You know, amazing news if you're Golden State Warriors fan, terrible news for the rest of the NBA. Durant deciding to join Steph Curry and the Warriors, he made the announcement on the players tribune, writing, "It really pains me to know though, I will disappoint so many people with this choice, but I believe I am doing what I feel is the right thing at this point in my life and playing career.

Now, Durant had played all nine of the season with the Thunder organization. A fans in OKC not happy with this decision, clearly, some burning his jersey, others blowing it up with fireworks. Those fans clearly forgetting how much Durant did in the community in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder General Manager, Sam Presti on the other hand, yeah, nothing but good thing today about Durant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAM PRESTI, THUNDER GENERAL MANAGER: I would like to thank Kevin for not only, you know, what he did for the team and our organization on the floor, but also for what it is that he did for Oklahoma.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SCHOLES: The U.S. Track and Field Olympic trials continuing in Eugene, Oregon. And you have to check out what happened during Joey Uhle's pole vault attempt in the finals.

Uhle's pole snapping in half on his attempt. Now, luckily he was not injured. Army reservist Sam Kendrink actually won the event and will represent the U.S. in Oregon (ph).

And finally Joey Chestnut is back on top of the world after regaining his Nathan's hot dog eating titles. Chestnut downing a Nathan's record of 70 hot dogs and buns easily beating defending champ Matt "The Mega Toad" Stoney, and this is Chestnut, a 9th world title guy. And I don't know about you guys but, I have a hard time watching the Nathan's hot dog eating contest. I just can't do tit. I think I'll pass.

HOWELL: Andy Scholes, thank you.

SCHOLES: All right.

ROMANS: All right, Donald Trump this morning he is blasting the media, calling the media dishonest. He is defending the tweet attacking Hillary Clinton that many are criticizing as anti-Semitic. Trump's explanation next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)