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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Trump's Evolving Immigration Stance on Immigration; Clinton Slams AP Story About Her Foundation; Rescue Efforts After Italian Quake Continues. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired August 25, 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] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump with a huge shift on immigration. Reversing one of the hallmarks of his campaign and this comes as he unveils a new line of attack against Hillary Clinton. We will show you what he says.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Hillary Clinton taking to CNN to defend herself from Trump's attacks. What did she say about the Republican nominee and how she is defending herself amid these controversies about her e-mails and the Clinton Foundation?

Good morning, everyone. It's Thursday. Welcome to EARLY START. Nice to see you. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: Nice to see you.

ROMANS: Hi.

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. It's Thursday, August 25th. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East. And this morning Donald Trump, he seems to have a radically new position on immigration to go with a new line of attacks against Hillary Clinton. In a few hours Donald Trump meets with minority leaders here in New York. But last night Donald Trump suggested to FOX News that he would allow some undocumented immigrants to stay in the United States.

So why does this matter? Well, for more than a year since he announced his candidacy, Trump has made clear that all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, all of them, he thinks -- he thought they had to go. Even if it took a deportation force. But apparently not anymore.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They'll pay back taxes. They have to pay taxes. There's no amnesty. There's no amnesty.

SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Right.

TRUMP: But we work with them. And I've had very strong people come up to me. Really great, great people come up to me and they've said, Mr. Trump, I love you, but to take a person that's been here for 15 or 20 years and throw them and the family out, it's so tough -- I mean, I've had -- I have it all the time. It's a very, very hard thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: This is new. This is a new policy for Donald Trump. An old one, though, for some other Republicans, including the ones that Donald Trump beat and ridiculed during the primaries. Jeb Bush and John Kasich.

Now to be clear, to be fair, Donald Trump's positions are hard to pin down. He was not really pressed on them last night. But he does gear for a big immigration speech next week. One that was initially planned for today.

So in addition to all of that, Donald Trump held a rally last night in the red state of Mississippi. He hurled a surprising new charge at Hillary Clinton.

CNN's Jim Acosta has the latest.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, Donald Trump has come up with a new super charged line of attack for Hillary Clinton. At a rally here in Jackson, Mississippi, Trump called Clinton a, quote, "bigot." That goes much further than where he's been over the last several days during which he said that Clinton did not care about the concerns of African-American and Hispanic voters. Here is more of what he had to say at this rally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Hillary Clinton is a bigot who sees people of color -- only as votes, not as human beings worthy of a better future. She's going to do nothing for African-Americans. She's going to do nothing for the Hispanics. She's only going to take care of herself, her husband, her consultants, her donors. These are the people she cares about. She doesn't care what her policies have done to your communities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Trump also previewed this upcoming shift on the issue of immigration reform telling the crowd at this rally that his upcoming immigration policy will not adversely affect American jobs. But he did tell Fox News in an interview that he will allow the undocumented to stay in this country if they have not broken the law -- John and Christine.

ROMANS: Again a huge shift in his position on immigration.

Hillary Clinton has a highly anticipated speech in Nevada today. The secretary will try to tie Donald Trump to the so-called alt-right political movement. What her campaign describes as dystopian mix of nationalism, racism and conspiracy theory. This comes after a series of questions have emerged about alleged overlap between Clinton Foundation donors and the State Department. Overnight Secretary Hillary Clinton gave her first interview on that subject with an exclusive with Anderson Cooper and she also talked about her speech today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump called you a bigot. He'd been calling your policies bigoted. Tonight he actually called you a bigot. How do you respond to that?

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump has shown us who he is, and we ought to believe him. He is a taking a hate movement mainstream. He's brought it into his campaign. He is bringing it to our communities and our country. He's someone who is very much peddling bigotry and prejudice and paranoia.

COOPER: Donald Trump is now indicating he would allow some illegal immigrants to remain in the country. What do you make of what appears to be quite a big shift by him on this if this in fact is his policy moving forward?

[04:05:04] CLINTON: He is trying to do kind of a shuffle here. But I think we need to look at the entire context. We need to believe him when he bullies and threatens to throw out every immigrant in the country. And certainly changes his position three times in one day, it sends a message that it's just a desperate effort to try to land somewhere that isn't as, you know, devastating to his campaign as his comments and his positions have been up until now.

COOPER: According to "The New York Times" report, you told FBI investigators that former Secretary of State Colin Powell advised you to use a personal e-mail account. His response to that this past weekend was reportedly, quote, "her people are trying to pin it on me," and I quote, "The truth is she was using," I'm talking about the private e-mail server, "for a year before I sent her a memo telling her what I did." He's talking about the private e-mail account.

Did you say that to FBI investigators and is Secretary Powell right? Were you using this private e-mail server prior to your conversation with him?

CLINTON: I have been asked many, many questions in the past year about e-mails. And what I've learned is that when I try to explain what happened it can sound like I'm trying to excuse what I did. And there are no excuses. I want people to know that the decision to have a single e-mail account was mine. I take responsibility for it. I've apologized for it. I would certainly do differently if I could. But obviously I'm grateful the Justice Department concluded there was no basis to pursue this matter further.

COOPER: He said today, quote, "sold favors and access in exchange for cash from people who donate to the Clinton Foundation." There is an appearance of a conflict of interest for the foundation. You've agreed to make changes if you're elected. Why not just make those changes now? Have your husband step away from the foundation now?

CLINTON: Well, first, what Trump has said is ridiculous. My work as secretary of state was not influenced by any outside forces. I know there's a lot of smoke and there's no fire. Those AP reports, let's put it in context. It excludes nearly 2,000 meetings I had with world leaders, with countless other meetings with U.S. government officials when I was secretary of state. It looked at a small portion of my time. And it drew the conclusion and made the suggestion that my meetings with people like the late, Elie Wiesel or Melinda Gates or the Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus were somehow due to connections with the foundation instead of their status as highly respected global leaders. That is absurd.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: And that's what we heard from her surrogates for the past 24 hours. You know, trying to really tamp down that particular part of the story.

BERMAN: A lot going on in that interview, right? I mean, previewing the speech she's giving today on this so-called alt-right, the conservative movement associated with Donald Trump. She's previewing that. Responding to the Donald Trump's charges she's a bigot.

Anderson also pressed her on the fact that she hasn't given a press conference in a year.

ROMANS: That's right.

BERMAN: It's interesting. It's always interesting to hear interviews with Hillary Clinton because we don't hear the press conferences.

ROMANS: Yes. She said stay tuned. She didn't say she would.

BERMAN: She didn't say she would.

ROMANS: She said stay tuned.

BERMAN: Yes.

ROMANS: All right. Hillary Clinton also blasting the price hike in EpiPens. She tweets, quote, "EpiPens can be the difference between life and death. There is no justification for these price hikes."

In a Facebook post, she calls the price hikes outrageous and demands that Mylan, maker of the EpiPen immediately reduce the cost, quote, "It's wrong when drug companies put profits ahead of patients, raising prices without justifying the value behind them," end quote. If elected, she would require drug companies to explain big price hikes.

That's scaring Wall Street, by the way. Mylan stocks fell 5 percent yesterday. It's down almost 12 percent over the past five days. Two of the biggest losers of the Dow yesterday were also drug makers. Merck, 1.3 percent, Pfizer down as well. Even health care stocks are feeling it. United Health dropped more than 1 percent. Futures, by the way, flat this morning. But the drug sector hit on the idea that maybe Congress, maybe Washington is going to be a little more activist in coming months on these price increases.

BERMAN: Unsteady -- unsettled time on Wall Street right now.

ROMANS: You think so? I feel like it's eerily quiet. Very close to --

BERMAN: That's what I mean.

ROMANS: Eerily quiet. Janet Yellen speaks at the big Jackson Hall Central Banker conference this week so.

BERMAN: Intrigue. All right. Nine minutes after the hour right now. The death toll from the earthquake in Italy has nearly doubled overnight. We have new numbers, we have new developments in the rescue efforts. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:13:39] ROMANS: New developments this morning in the rising death toll from the earthquake in Italy. At least 247 people have died. Aftershocks are still being felt in central Italy where the 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck. Collapsing buildings and leaving small mountain towns in ruin. Rescuers are frantically searching for signs of life in the rubble. Most of what they found is grim but there are also remarkable stories of survival.

I want to bring in CNN contributor Barbie Nadeau live in Saletta, Italy. Good morning.

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning. You know, the stories, the good news story, there are few and far between now. About 17 hours after the earthquake, they pulled out a young girl. The crowds that were waiting for some good news applauded. That's been the last good news we have.

Right behind me, though, in this small little enclave of about 20 residents, this morning they pulled out the last body of the last known victim, let's say. You know, it was an older woman. Her son was waiting -- had been waiting all night for word, maybe she's alive, maybe she found a way to survive in the rubble. Unfortunately that wasn't to be. They pulled out her body and took it away.

This area has seen a remarkable devastation. Almost every single building in this little enclave is completely destroyed. And we've had aftershock after aftershock in which bits and pieces of the building that remain standing continue to just fall down.

[04:15:03] You know, when we're talking about the increase, incredible increase in the death counts right now, over 247 people. The reason that that number jumps so high is because finally yesterday late afternoon, they were able to get in some heavy lifting equipment to move the rubble. Prior to that, the first 78 hours, after the earthquake, the roads were just -- we're clear enough to bring in the kind of lifting equipment you need to move rubble from stone houses. So that's why that number jumped so quickly because they were able to finally move the rubble and see what was below.

ROMANS: Just a tragedy. I'm glad that they are able to find some people and try to get them out to safety. But that death toll rising is just heartbreaking.

Barbie, thank you.

BERMAN: Tough, tough pictures to look at there.

ROMANS: Yes.

BERMAN: All right. Breaking overnight. A historic peace deal in South America after five decades. 50 years of warfare, the Colombian government and the FARC rebels are reaching a peace agreement. Two sides announced the deal in Cuba where talks began four years ago. The lead government negotiator declared the war is over. The Colombian public will have its say on this peace deal. It can be a national referendum that will take place on October 22nd. It's not a sure thing. But the rest of the country will vote to secure this deal.

ROMANS: The U.S. Navy slamming Iran, saying four Iranian vessels violated international law and maritime standards when they conducted a high-speed intercept of the U.S. missile destroyer. A Navy official says two of the vessels slowed and turned away only after coming within 300 yards of the USS Nitze. The face-off is the latest in a series of too close encounters with Iran since December including Iranian rockets launches, drones flying over U.S. vessels and the capture of U.S. sailors in January.

BERMAN: A series of violent tornadoes that ripped through central Indiana. We're going to have the latest damage assessments and the forecast for the clean-up crews. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:21:24] ROMANS: All right. At least 20 people are injured after a cluster of storms tear across Indiana. Here's a look at a huge twister. In the background tornado sirens warning of impending danger. Houses were flattened in the city of Kokomo. You can see this house is a total loss. My goodness.

Meantime, to the east of Kokomo, this funnel cloud touched down. And to the west of Indianapolis, another tornado smashed buildings and homes in Montgomery County. Fortunately no deaths are reported in the storms and those who were injured are expected to make full recoveries. But unbelievable.

BERMAN: Yes.

ROMANS: More thunderstorms also in the forecast for Indiana today. Our meteorologist Derek Van Dam has the latest for us.

(WEATHER REPORT)

BERMAN: All right, Derek. Thanks so much.

The Orlando hospitals that treated dozens of people injured in the Pulse nightclub shooting back in June say they will not bill survivors for medical services. Officials at the Orlando Regional Medical Centers, just a terrific facility were most of the victims were taken, say the total unreimbursed costs could exceed $5 million. They plan to seek payment from other sources including insurance and victims' funds set up by the city. ROMANS: Black box recording from the doomed El Faro cargo ships

shedding line on the crew's final hours. NTSB investigators are now analyzing some 26 hours of information from the voyage data recorder which was pulled from the ocean floor back in April. It includes audio from the bridge along with weather and navigational data. The El Faro sank last October during Hurricane Joaquin. All 33 on board were killed.

BERMAN: All right. Goal keeper Hope Solo has been suspended from the U.S. women's soccer team for six months for what officials say were unacceptable comments at the Rio Olympics after Sweden beat the United States. Solo called the Swedish team, quote, "a bunch of cowards."

A couple of things about the suspension here which are important. Number one, it only applies to the national team. She can still play on her club team. Number two, you know, they just finished the Olympics. It's not like they have any big tournaments for the next six months anyway. Number three, though, is, you know, most people don't think this is just for what happened in the Olympics. Hope Solo has had a lot of issues with the team going back and forth.

ROMANS: She called them a bunch of cowards because of the way they won, right? She --

BERMAN: They played a very defensive, restrictive, laid-back.

ROMANS: Right.

BERMAN: They didn't any chances. And so she was mad.

ROMANS: But they won.

BERMAN: Yes. Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

BERMAN: Yes. Yes. So they won. The idea is to win the game and they won.

ROMANS: Right. All right. Astronomers have discovered an earth- sized potentially habitable planet orbiting the closest start to the sun. That's according to the European Space Observatory. It has a temperature suitable for water to exist on its surface. They dubbed the new planet Proxima B. It is more than four light years away from us but practically around the corner in cosmic term.

BERMAN: Yes. Four light years, which, you know, means if you start walking now, right?

ROMANS: Proxima B.

BERMAN: You'll get never.

[04:25:01] ROMANS: It sounds like a cream for an itchy scalp.

(LAUGHTER) BERMAN: It's planet and a cream. It's the best kind of cream.

All right, Donald Trump with a big shift on immigration. Suggesting that some undocumented immigrants can stay in the United States. This is a huge shift.

ROMANS: What happened to deportation?

BERMAN: This is a huge shift. So what did Hillary Clinton say about this? She had an exclusive interview with CNN last night. She also talked for the first time about these new Clinton Foundation revelations. We'll have the latest next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: A seismic shift on immigration from Donald Trump. Would he now allow some undocumented immigrants to stay in the U.S.? No deportation force? That and his latest attack line on Hillary Clinton moments away.

BERMAN: All right. Hillary Clinton in the meantime, she gave an exclusive interview to CNN overnight. The first time she has spoken about the new e-mails that might be released, the new revelations about the Clinton Foundation. Also her response to Donald Trump overnight calling her a bigot.

Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman.