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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Trump Surrogate Tweets Blackface Cartoon As David Duke Trumpets Support; Clinton Aide Abedin Dumps Husband Over Sexting Again; New iPhone 7 Could Be Unveiled On Sept. 7th; Gene Wilder Dies After Battle With Alzheimer's; Turks View Both ISIS and Syrian Kurdish Troops As Terrorists. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired August 30, 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] ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Anthony Weiner's newest sexting scandal. The sordid photos that ended his marriage and are now causing a really big headache for the Clinton campaign.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And beloved actor Gene Wilder passing away at the age of 83. We will remember his truly unique career.

(SCENE PLAYING FROM "THE PRODUCERS")

BERMAN: It really was one of the best New York scenes --

KOSIK: It really is.

BERMAN: -- of any film of all time. I just love it. Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone, I'm John Berman.

KOSIK: Good morning, I'm Alison Kosik. It's 30 minutes past the hour and the Trump campaign entangled in a new racial controversy just days before Donald Trump is set to address black voters. An African- American surrogate for Trump tweeting out this image of Hillary Clinton wearing blackface, saying she's pandering to black voters.

Then there was one-time Ku Klux Klan leader and current Louisiana Senate candidate, David Duke, trumpeting his support for the Republican nominee, which Trump then disavowed.

Hillary Clinton speaking at a fundraiser expressing concern over Duke piggybacking on the Trump campaign aiming to improve his standing in the polls. She said this, "Nobody knows how well he", Duke, "is doing and how his embrace of Trump and Trump's acceptance of him could put that man, that despicable man, in the Senate of the United States."

CNN's Jim Acosta has more from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John and Alison, the nasty election battle between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton is taking more ugly turns. First, the Trump campaign released a statement condemning a robocall from white supremacist and Senate candidate David Duke that encouraged his supporters to vote for the GOP nominee. Then late yesterday one of Trump's top African-American surrogates,

pastor Mark Burns, apologized for a tweet he posted showing Hillary Clinton in blackface. Here's a video message from the pastor about that posting.

PASTOR MARK BURNS, THE HARVEST PRAISE & WORSHIP CENTER: I really am a shepherd to God's people and the last thing I want to do is to offend people. The tweet was not designed to anger or stir up the pot like it did. It was designed to bring how I feel the very real reality as to why the Democratic Party, and how I view it and have interpreted it, have been pandering and using black people just for their votes.

ACOSTA: All of this comes as Trump is struggling to clarify his position on another hot button subject, immigration. Trump is scheduled to deliver a major speech on immigration in Phoenix on Wednesday night.

A top adviser for the GOP nominee says Trump is standing firm on his position for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, but added a decision on what to do about the millions of law-abiding, undocumented immigrants in this country could come years later -- John and Alison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right, our thanks to Jim. More politics this morning. Long-time Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin announces she is separating from her husband, former congressman Anthony Weiner. This follows a new report in the "New York Post" that Weiner was involved in a new sexting escapade. You'll remember five years ago Weiner blew up his political career tweeting snaps out of his crotch. And three years ago he derailed his mayoral campaign sexting a different woman.

Donald Trump is now using the new scandal to attack Hillary Clinton, calling it an example of her bad judgment. Trump said in a statement that Weiner's marriage put him in close proximity to highly classified information and that Clinton was careless and negligent in allowing that to happen.

KOSIK: All right, let's go ahead and discuss all things political. And with us this morning is CNN political analyst Josh Rogin. He's a columnist for "The Washington Post". OK, Josh, let's get this one out of the way. I'm talking about the "New York Post" about the whole Anthony Weiner scandal -- the latest -- the latest pictures that have come out.

You're seeing Donald Trump really seizing the moment, as John just said, talking about how this is, once again, a lapse in judgment for Hillary Clinton. Listen to what Trump said on a radio show yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In the case of Anthony Weiner she is married to a guy that is uncontrolled and uncontrollable. He's a sick person. And she has access to classified information. Huma Abedin has access to classified information. How Hillary got away with that one nobody will ever know. But to think that it's very likely that much of this information Anthony Weiner would know about.

[05:35:00] KOSIK: OK, so whether or not someone can be easily blackmailed is something that I would imagine that national security officials would be concerned about. But how relevant, really, is this scandal when it comes to Hillary Clinton?

JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Right, so first of all, let's just dispense with this notion that errors by your spouse compromises your own security clearance. That's not a thing, OK? And yes, Anthony Weiner has definitely had some personal failings. It's not -- there's no evidence that he was privy to any classified information and no evidence that any classified information was put into jeopardy. That's just wrong on the facts.

Now, the bigger issue here is that Donald Trump is sort of gloating about a very personal tragedy for Huma Abedin and her family and trying to tie this to Hillary Clinton. It's something that his supporters are likely to appreciate but I don't see what it does for him in terms of getting him the middle of the road voters that he needs.

I mean, in the end, the link is tenuous just because of Hillary Clinton's past with Bill Clinton's own personal failings. It's a link that Donald Trump insists on making.

BERMAN: No -- this is all -- everything you say, 100 percent true.

ROGIN: Thank you.

BERMAN: Nonetheless, you -- as always, Josh Rogin -- you could understand there was anxiety in Clinton world, really, over the last two days, over this whole thing.

ROGIN: Of course. I mean, Hillary Clinton, for a long time, has had concern about Anthony Weiner's proximity to the campaign but that's because it's a political risk, not a security risk, right? The politics of it are definitely dicey and it's not a good look. And because it invokes of this long history of the Clinton affairs and it sort of just drudges up all of that bad -- all of those bad memories. But from a security perspective there's no there, there.

BERMAN: Two completely different issues. That's right, Josh.

ROGIN: Exactly.

KOSIK: All right, so this is a campaign that if you didn't think could get ugly -- even uglier than it is now, it's getting even uglier. We're invoking the KKK here, hearing from now U.S. Senate candidate David Duke in a robocall talking about support for Donald Trump. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID DUKE, U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE, FORMER KKK LEADER: Unless massive immigration is stopped now, we'll be outnumbered and outvoted in our own nation. It's happening! It's time to stand up and vote for Donald Trump for president and vote for me, David Duke, for the U.S. Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: OK, so the Trump campaign quickly coming out and disavowing David Duke, but this kind of link is not good for his campaign.

ROGIN: Right. I mean, the Trump campaign's basic defense here is we can't control our surrogates. And I believe them. I think that's true because if they could they would tell these guys to stay quiet, at least for this week. I mean, this is the week, as you reported Alison, that the Trump campaign is trying to repair its relationships with minorities. This is their big initiative.

They have a speech about immigration to repair the relationship of Hispanics. He's going to Detroit to speak directly to African- Americans for the first time. Some say that's too little, too late. Some say that his message is patronizing and condescending to these very minorities. But there's nobody who says that these things help him. I'm sure if the Trump campaign had its druthers these things would not be happening, but it's really out of their control at this point.

BERMAN: Yes. David Duke is not a Trump surrogate, to be clear. David Duke is a Senate candidate, former Klan leader --

ROGIN: He's a supporter.

BERMAN: -- who is running, and he's linking himself to Trump while Trump disavows him.

ROGIN: Right.

BERMAN: It's interesting to me, Josh, that the Trump campaign continues to focus on this theme of race as much as they are. They have this event planned for Saturday. It's part of their everyday talking points now and I'm wondering if you're picking up what they think is working about it for them.

ROGIN: Yes, well, I don't think they think it's working yet, right, so this is a reflection of the new campaign management. You have Kellyanne Conway. She's a pollster. She looked at the numbers and she said oh my God, we're 37 points behind with Hispanics, 83 points behind with African-Americans. We've got to address this.

Now, people will debate whether or not they're addressing it well and we don't know if it's going to work because they haven't actually done it yet. First, they have to come up with a position, then they have to roll out the positions, then they have to defend the positions, and then there's a lag for the polling. So we'll see if it works. I'm skeptical, myself.

But at least the first step is admitting that you have a problem. That's a healthy thing for the campaign to be doing. It's not about beating Hillary Clinton on race, it's about shrinking the margin, especially in those key states, so that they can stay competitive.

BERMAN: It's something like one percent in places like Pennsylvania and Ohio.

ROGIN: Right, exactly.

BERMAN: Nowhere to go but up from that, Josh Rogin. Great to have you with us this morning.

KOSIK: Josh, thanks so much.

ROGIN: Anytime.

KOSIK: You planning to buy a new iPhone?

BERMAN: Yes, I am, in fact. I need one.

KOSIK: Well, me too, but let's wait until next week to buy it because Apple is hosting an event on September 7th and it's widely expected to unveil the iPhone 7. So here's what insiders are talking about. Hmm, new iPhone camera possibly, with a dual-lens system.

[05:40:00] A thinner body, but that might mean the end of the headphone jack -- no. Apple may switch to Bluetooth connectivity for headphones or make users with standard earbuds use an adapter. We could also see a new version of the Apple watch and an updated line of MacBook Pro computers.

Apple stock has had a rough year, though. It's up just 1.5 percent in 2016. Slumping iPhone sales over the past two quarters have investors reevaluating the company.

Meantime, regulators in the European Union are expected to rule this morning on charges that Apple dodged taxes by making a deal with the Irish government, and that ruling could force Apple to pay back taxes of almost $20 billion -- that's a "b" -- $20 billion, but just a drop in the bucket for Apple. Apple's got at least $231 billion -- $231 billion on its balance sheet.

BERMAN: Petty cash, petty cash. All right, Hollywood legend Gene Wilder passing away. We're going to look back at his incredible career. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:45:10] (GENE WILDER SINGING IN SCENE FROM "WILLY WONKA")

BERMAN: That, of course, Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka in "willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory". He owned that film. Filmgoers everywhere are mourning the loss of the legendary comic actor who was also an accomplished screenwriter and author as well. He died Monday at the age of 83. He'd been suffering from Alzheimer's disease, which was not widely known.

Just some of the movies he was in -- "Bonnie & Clyde", "Stir Crazy", "Silver Streak" with Richard Pryor. That's Kosik's favorite. Those are just a few of his great roles. And then there was the work with Mel Brooks, a truly wondrous comedy partnership. It began with Brooks casting Wilder as Leo Bloom in "The Producers". (SCENE PLAYING FROM "THE PRODUCERS")

BERMAN: No one did neurosis like Gene Wilder. In 1974, this is Wilder as the Waco Kid in "Blazing Saddles", which was a groundbreaking comedy. Tacky now, maybe, but hilarious. And then of course, "Young Frankenstein" which Wilder co-wrote with Brooks.

(SCENE PLAYING FROM "YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN")

BERMAN: That, of course, is Peter Boyle. Mel Brooks tweeted a final salute to his long-time friend, calling him one of the truly great talents of our time who blessed every film they did with his magic.

(SCENE PLAYING FROM "YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN")

BERMAN: I'm going to watch that this weekend. Gene Wilder is survived by his wife of 25 years, Karen. And you know Gene Wilder will be missed.

KOSIK: All of those films. So many of them I watched growing up as a kid. It's like watching my childhood.

BERMAN: And it's just unique. I mean, no one was like Gene Wilder. I mean, no one else could play the roles like he did.

KOSIK: Well said, exactly. All right, tropical weather systems brewing trouble in the Atlantic and the Pacific. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri, he's got the latest. Good morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Alison and John. Watching these storms across parts of the Gulf really. And you take a look just around western Cuba, almost the precise location is where we had some of the convection yesterday at this time with a thunderstorm that was associated with tropical depression nine.

The forecast hasn't changed much. Still looking at a north and, eventually, easterly track with this. The big bend of Florida from Tampa out towards Panama City, it's the highest threat for a Thursday afternoon tropical storm landfall.

Now, it could either be Ian or it could be Hermine, depending on what the other storm that we're watching across the Carolinas does. But notice the rainfall with this is going to be the main threat. A lot of rainfall. Six to 10 inches over a pretty expansive area when it comes to this making landfall from Thursday into Friday.

But notice the tropical depression eight that's sitting right off the Outer Banks of the Carolinas. Also, it just kind of moves offshore there. As soon as it skirts the coastline the cold front shunts it away, so that's good news there with rainfall skirting the coastline as well.

But warm temperatures. Still looking at mid-90's across and expansive area, but look what happens. First day of September -- that'd be Thursday -- we get a little taste of autumn for some people. Cool air comes in, temps drop off about 10 degrees by late week -- guys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: Oh, I'm not ready to say goodbye to summer yet.

BERMAN: All right, let's take a look at what's coming up on "NEW DAY". Alisyn Camerota joins us now.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": Good morning, everybody. We have a very interesting show for you this morning. We're going to bring you behind the scenes of the debate preparations for the candidates. Who's helping Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump? It turns out there's a psychologist, a ghostwriter, and a radio talk show host, so we'll show you all that intrigue.

Also, we have a reporter from "Vanity Fair" who has spent a lot of time reporting on Huma Abedin. Of course, you know that name. She's so instrumental in Hillary Clinton's campaign, yet she remains sort of mysterious and, particularly, in light of what's happening with her husband, Anthony Weiner. We'll find out exactly who the woman is behind Hillary Clinton.

All that when we see you at the top of the hour on "NEW DAY".

BERMAN: All right, thanks.

KOSIK: Thanks, Alisyn. A stock that's been a sweet buy for investors this year is plunging in premarket trading. We're going to tell you why the mood turned sour when we get an EARLY START on your money, next.

[05:49:55] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: President Obama will discuss the fight against ISIS when he meets with the Turkish leader Recep Erdogan on the sidelines of the group of 20 meetings in China. The meeting comes as the United States tries to cool the open battle between Turkey and another U.S. ally in the war on ISIS, Syrian Kurdish troops whom the Turks view as terrorists.

Joining us with the latest now from Turkey, senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh. Of course, the U.S. interest in here is battling ISIS. They've bet a lot on the Syrian Kurds but to a certain extent this was a predictable outcome.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We always knew at some point, yes, they would run into the animosity of their NATO fellow member, Turkey, who consider those Syrian Kurds to be terrorists.

The Syrian Kurds have been very effective in taking ISIS of territory. The problem has been when they take that territory back it falls into Syrian Kurdish hands and that's now a large stretch of northern Syria in the hands of a group that Turkey consider to be terrorists, right along the Turkish border. [05:55:00] Here we are at a real crux point, John. The Turkish intervention into Jarablus was sparked by an ISIS suicide bombing here in the city of Gaza. They killed over 50. They knew they had to move in to stop the Syrian Kurds from increasing the amount of territory along the border that they control.

They've moved in using Syrian rebels that they sponsor on the ground as the main ground force, but since they've moved south they've run into these Syrian Kurds. And now America has stepped in, seeing an airstrike which killed apparently 20 people. May have been militants some say. Activists say civilians.

Washington have stepped in and said to the Turkish and the Syrian rebels, stop moving south. And to the Syrian Kurds, we've always told you, you have to stay behind the natural boundary of the Euphrates River. Move east of that.

Now, at this stage the Turkish appear still to be firing artillery strikes at 21 targets to the south of Jarablus and moving in the last 24 hours, alone. And the Syrian Kurds -- well, they're saying they're still around Manbij and they're fighting ISIS. They're saying we're still in the battle against ISIS. Where are you, Turkey?

America's trying to calm it down but they're allies are still very much facing off -- John.

BERMAN: Whatever gains they are making on the ground, and they are making gains against ISIS, there are problems to be left in the aftermath. Nick Paton Walsh, thanks so much.

KOSIK: All right, let's get an EARLY START on your money. Dow futures pointing just slightly higher this morning. That follows solid gains yesterday. All three averages are one big rally away from record highs. Stock markets in Europe and Asia posting gains. We're seeing oil steady around $47 a barrel.

Now, one stock we are watching today, Hershey's. Shares are down more than 11 percent in premarket trading. It surged this year after Cadbury owner Mondelez offered to buy the company. Well, guess what? Those talks have now fallen apart. Mondelez says there is no path forward for a deal.

The EpiPen outrage drawing the attention of Congress. The Health Committee on Oversight and Government Reform sent a letter to Mylan CEO Heather Bresch, and it asks for documents and communications that are related to the surging price of the medicine.

All this, as Bresch earned almost $19 million in total compensation last year. The lawmakers want to see sales data. They want to see manufacturing costs and federal subsidies and other documents following all the public fallout over the price hike. Mylan is offering a $300 savings card.

And yesterday it announced plans to make a generic version of the drug for half the price but critics say hmm. That's only because a rival pharmaceutical firm is preparing to launch a generic competitor as early as next year and this move could give Mylan valuable market share when that happens. What's really frustrating is the Epinephrine, the actual medicine, only costs about $2.

BERMAN: It's just so interesting when you look at it as a company. If they had the foresight at the beginning of the summer to think that the moves they were going to make were going to cause this uproar --

KOSIK: Right.

BERMAN: -- you think they should have known -- they could have known that this was going to happen.

KOSIK: You'd think. Well, I think they know now.

BERMAN: Yes, indeed. All right, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump -- they are now swapping attacks, accusing each other of racism and negligence. "NEW DAY" picks up right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It can't get any worse. African-American, Hispanics vote for Donald Trump.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Trump is trying to rebrand himself, but don't be fooled.

SEN. TIM KAINE (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ku Klux Klan values, David Duke values, Donald Trump values, are not American values.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: These accusations and these conspiracies, that doesn't make any sense.

TRUMP: He's a sick puppy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anthony Weiner caught in yet another sexting scandal.

TRUMP: Huma Abedin has access to classified information. Much of this information Anthony Weiner would know about.

GENE WILDER, ACTOR: I have no complaints about life. I'm a very lucky guy.

BERMAN: The world mourning the loss of the great Gene Wilder. (Song from "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" playing)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.

CAMEROTA: Oh my gosh, I could watch the Gene Wilder old stuff forever.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: And it will be a good reminder for people in all the things that you don't know about him. All the things he was involved with, the reach of his humanity. I mean, a really special guy is gone.

CAMEROTA: We'll talk about all of that on the program this morning. Welcome, everyone, to your NEW DAY. It is Tuesday, August 30th, 6:00 in the East.

Up first, a prominent Trump supporter tweeting out a cartoon of Hillary Clinton in blackface. This, as former KKK leader David Duke records robocalls to vote for Trump.

CUOMO: All right, and then, in a bizarre, or lets' say even more bizarre twist, Trump, who has been under constant fire for the ethics challenge advisers he's selected, is going after Clinton on the latest Anthony Weiner sexting scandal, questioning Clinton's judgment. How, why? We have it covered for you.

Let's begin with Jason Carroll. Jason, what a morning to be on the job.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And what a morning. Good morning to you, Chris. You know, that blackface cartoon of Hillary Clinton is sure to complicate Trump's attempt to court African-American voters, some of whom are still uncomfortable with the rhetoric in the campaign.