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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Clinton Blasts Trump's Secrecy; Trump: Clinton Has Contempt for Voters; Syria Claims It Shot Down Israeli Warplanes; Police: Florida Mosque Fire Deliberately Set. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired September 13, 2016 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[04:30:26] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Hillary Clinton und fire after this video surfaces, showing her stumbling while leaving a 9/11 service, accused of waiting two days before admitting that she'd been diagnosed with pneumonia. Clinton now speaking out exclusively with CNN.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump insisting that Hillary Clinton apologize. He wants an apology for saying half his supporters fit into a, quote, "basket of deplorables" as a violent scuffle breaks out at his rally.
HOWELL: The Syrian military claiming it shot down Israeli warplanes which Israel denies.
All of this less than 24 hours into the cease-fire and the question now, can this fragile peace last? Certainly, thousands of people hoping it will.
Good morning and welcome back to EARLY START. I'm George Howell.
ROMANS: Nice to have you here, George.
HOWELL: Good to be here.
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It's 31 minutes past the hour.
Breaking overnight: Hillary Clinton doing some damage control while recovering from illness, calling in to Anderson Cooper's show Monday night after taking the day off the campaign trail to rest and recuperate from pneumonia. Clinton addressing significant new concerns about her health, but the lack of transparency in her campaign. The campaign waiting two days to reveal that Secretary Clinton was suffering from pneumonia and only coming clean after this video emerged showing her stumbling, struggling to get into motorcade to leave Sunday's Ground Zero service.
Her husband adding fuel to the fire, telling CBS that something like this has happened more than once before.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT: Rarely, but on more than one occasion over the last many, many years, the same sort of thing happened to her when she just got severely dehydrated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Now, both Clinton and Trump are pledging to release more detailed medical records.
With the very latest, let's turn to CNN's Joe Johns. He is in Chappaqua, New York, for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: George and Christine, it's expected to be another day of rest for Hillary Clinton here in Chappaqua, New York. Her husband, the former president, is expected to fill in at a fund-raiser in the Los Angeles area she was expected to attend tonight. On Monday, she also stayed at home in Chappaqua, recovering from the diagnosis from pneumonia she got on Friday which was only revealed after caught on video stumbling into a van after leaving the 9/11 Memorial Service in New York City early. She said she was overheated.
In a telephone interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, the former secretary of state said she just spoken with Democratic New York Senator Charles Schumer who told her he also was recovering from pneumonia.
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE (via telephone): Well, I just didn't think it was going to be that big a deal. You know, I know Chuck said today he didn't tell anybody. It just a kind of thing that if it happens to you and you are a busy and active person, you keep moving forward. And, you know, it's fair to say, Anderson, that people know more about me than almost anyone in public life.
JOHNS: While former Secretary Clinton continues her recuperation, her husband Bill Clinton is expected to fill in for her at another event in Nevada on Wednesday. She says she wants to get back on the campaign trail in the next couple days -- Christine and George.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Joe Johns, thank you.
Hillary Clinton is also taking on criticism of secrecy surrounding her illness, using it to turn the spotlight on her Republican rival. In that interview with Anderson Cooper, Clinton slammed Donald Trump for failing to not only release his detailed health records, but also failing to release his tax returns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Compare everything you know about me with my opponent. I think it's time he met the same level of disclosure I have for years. You know, you've got a medical report on me that meets the same standard as Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. Donald Trump's doctor said he would be the healthiest president in history. That's just not even serious.
And I've released 40 years of tax returns, he hasn't released one. This is a man with unknown numbers of partners and investors who said he is doing 120 foreign deals. The American people deserve to know what he is up to and what he is hiding. So, if we weren't -- if we weren't fast enough, I talked to my staff, we take responsibility for that. But the information is out there. You can't say the same about Donald Trump.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, "AC360": Brian Fallon said your campaign will release more of your records. You know Donald Trump said he's now had a physical I believe on Friday and that he's going to release that soon.
[04:35:00] Will you be releasing more details about your medical history and do you know, you know, how detailed it's going to be, how far it's going to go back? Is it going to be more about what happened in 2012 when you fell and hit your head?
Do you know how far it will go?
CLINTON: Well, we're going to be releasing more information. And I think it's fair to say we've already met the standard of disclosure of past presidential candidates like Mitt Romney and President Obama. We will add more information. But I've already released information about my health in this campaign as well as nearly 40 years of tax returns.
We've already met a high standard of transparency. We know the least about Donald Trump of any candidate in recent American history. We know virtually nothing about his business entanglements, his foreign investors. You know, it's really past time for him to be held to the same standards, not just as me, but of everybody else who has sought this job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Hillary Clinton resting, but calling in to CNN last night. And meanwhile, Donald Trump is campaigning in Iowa and Pennsylvania.
Monday, the Republican nominee held rallies in Maryland and North Carolina, where he kept away from the topic of Hillary Clinton's health. Instead, he hammered over her basket of deplorables comment. Remember, she accused supporters of bigotry, half of them. She said. She later clarified.
Trump on Monday turned the table saying it's Clinton who is running a hate-filled campaign. Just moments later, however, one of Trump's supporter undermined his argument by trying to punch an anti-Trump protester.
More now from CNN's Jim Acosta. He is in North Carolina.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: George and Christine, Donald Trump has really latched on Hillary Clinton's basket of deplorables comments at a rally here in Ashville, North Carolina. Trump invited some of his supporters on stage saying they are not deplorable. Then, during his remarks, Trump accused Clinton of running a campaign of hatred.
Here is more of what he had to say.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Our vision of hope stands in stark contrast to my opponent's campaign of hate. Hillary Clinton has been running a hate-filled and negative campaign with no policy, with no solutions and no new ideas. True.
By contrast, I have been going around the country offering very detailed plans for reform and change. All of these reform plans are available on our web site and they are extensive.
ACOSTA: But there was some deplorable conduct on display at this rally. One Trump supporter did rough up a protester during the event. The protester was let out by the authorities but no word on whether that supporter was arrested -- George and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Thank you.
Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence also blasting Hillary Clinton for saying half of Trump supporters belong in that, quote, "basket of deplorables". But in an interview on CNN, Pence declined to categorize Trump backer and one time Ku Klux Klan leader, David Duke, as deplorable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. MIKE PENCE (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not really sure why the media keeps dropping David Duke's name. Donald Trump has denounced David Duke repeatedly. We don't want his support and we don't want the support of people who think like him?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: But you call him deplorable? You would call him that?
PENCE: No, I'm not in the name calling business, Wolf. You know me better than that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: And the Clinton campaign immediately jumped on Pence's response, tweeting this. If you won't say the KKK is deplorable, you have no business running the country.
In the meantime, President Obama will visit Philadelphia today, campaigning for Hillary Clinton and with Clinton recovering from illness, this will be the first time he's done so without her at his side. The president will also be promoting voter registration, with Pennsylvania seen as the criticized in the race for the White House. The latest poll shows Clinton holding a six-point lead in the state over Donald Trump.
ROMANS: Time for an early start on your money. Look like an ugly day for stocks. Dow futures down right now. Look at stock markets in Europe, they are slumping. Shares in Asia finishing mixed overnight. Oil is lower here.
The calm is over on Wall Street, folks. Look at that bounce yesterday. Look at the drop the day before. The Dow jumping 239 points yesterday, 1.3 percent. Snapping a three-day losing streak, where the average fell more than, wow, more than 450 points in three days.
Investors are still grappling with a chance of a rate hike coming soon when the federal reserve meets next week. We are heading into a blackout period. You will not hear from Fed officials for a few days now.
Historically, September, of course, is the worst performing and most volatile months for the stock market. And every word uttered by Fed officials can change everything. Fed Governor Lael Brainard yesterday said the case to raise rates is less compelling and the Fed needs to show some prudence before lifting rates. So, that change the whole tone on the street. Look what that did to the bets when the Fed will act.
Just 24 hours ago, the probability of a September rate hike was 24 percent. Right now, it's just 15 percent. You can see the chances of a move at the November meeting also dropping. The money still on December with 45 percent chance of a rate hike.
[04:40:03] You know, the Fed last raised rates last December. Many people thought that was going to be the beginning of ratcheting up rates. But the Fed has really been cautious here. A lot of folks think higher rates are coming soon.
HOWELL: They're at a tricky spot right now with the election November 8th.
ROMANS: That's right. And Donald Trump has said that, you know, Janet Yellen, the Fed chief, she is trying to protect the president and his legacy by keeping rates low.
HOWELL: That is a big claim.
ROMANS: That is a big claim. The Fed is independent group. They are looking at economic statistics and health of the U.S. economy. Hinting higher rates are coming, election or no.
HOWELL: We are following a breaking news story this morning. Syria claiming to have shot down an Israeli war plane. Israel denying that report. But Syria is now less than 24 hours into the cease-fire and the question now, can peace last? We'll have that story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [04:45:00] HOWELL: Breaking news we're following this morning. The Syrian military claiming it shot down an Israeli warplane and drone near the Syrian border with the Golan Heights overnight. Israel denying any aircraft were hit. All of this as the fragile cease-fire in Syria appears to be taking hold for now. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov brokered that deal. Kerry says things look good so far, although it's too early to draw conclusions.
A lot of things happening when many are skeptical whether peace can hold in the region. CNN'S Jomana Karadsheh live in Amman, Jordan, following developments this morning.
Jomana, good to have you with us.
Let's talk more first of all about the breaking news. Syria's claimed that it shot down a war plane and a drone. What more do we know?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, George, in the last hour, we have heard from the Syrian military through the state news agency saying they claim that they have shot down an Israeli warplane and Israeli over the Golan Heights. They say this happened after the Israeli air force targeted Syrian army positions.
Now, Israel for its part, the IDF is denying this, saying it is completely false. They say they did carry out strikes against Syrian artillery positions and two surface-to-air missiles were launched from inside Syria. But their aircraft at no point were compromised by that.
This comes after we've seen intensified fighting in that area of corner and southern Syria. And in recent days, some projectiles have landed on the Israeli occupied land Golan Heights. So, it really shows you the complexity of the Syrian complex, with so many parties involved, and so many regional countries really dragged into this conflict.
Of course, as you mentioned, this comes at a time where we're seeing the first hours of this U.S. and Russian brokered truce, taking effect in Syria. We've had reports of some sporadic violence in the first few hours. But no major incident so far reported. Violence and also monitoring group says in the first 15 hours of this truce, there have been no reported deaths as a result of the violence.
Now, all parties in this conflict so far, the Syrian regime and moderate rebel groups saying they will abide by this truce, but we will have to see if that really happens and how long for, George.
HOWELL: And, also, just the sense on the ground, Jomana, given the fact that, again, this is a deal the secretary of state says that is less than perfect. Is there a sense that this will hold given what we've already seen this claim from Syria and also the continued violence that is happening there?
KARADSHEH: There is a lot of skepticism, George, especially if you talk to people in rebel held parts of Syria, especially in Aleppo, that have seen some of the worst of the violence. We have been speaking to people there in the past few days and they're really skeptical. They say they have seen truces in the past that have come into effect, but they break down after sometime.
There is a lot here that could go wrong. You are looking at so many parties involved. And we've even heard from the moderate opposition that does sound like they are agreeing to the deal. Under a lot of pressure from the United States and other allies that provide them with the backing and support. They provide the list, George, a long list pretty much of reservations they have about this deal and they seem to feel that it benefits the regime in this case, George.
HOWELL: Eleven-forty-eight there in Amman, Jordan. Jomana, thank you for your reporting today.
ROMANS: All right. Forty-eight minutes past the hour.
A big name Silicon Valley executive says he will donate 5 million bucks to charity if Donald Trump does one simple thing. I'll tell you what it is when we get an early start on your money, next.
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[04:53:00] HOWELL: Welcome back to EARLY START.
In Florida, police release surveillance video of a suspect who deliberately set fire to the mosque where the Pulse nightclub shooter Omar Mateen once worshipped. The fire broke out early Monday morning at the Islamic Center of Ft. Pierce. The extent of the damage is still being determined, but no one was inside at the time.
Now, police are hoping someone will recognize the suspect who local Muslims say committed a hate crime.
We get more now from CNN's Boris Sanchez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine and George, officials tonight have too many details of the suspect's background. They are actually putting this video out there hoping that someone in the public will recognize them and lead them to the suspect. What we know, so far, is that he is Hispanic or a white man and he showed up here at the mosque at about 11:30 last night at a Harley Davidson style motorcycle.
He is wearing a bandana to cover his face, and he's a wearing a hat. So, it was difficult to really get detail of his face. He was wearing a button downed shirt and embroidered jeans. He was carrying something what looked like a glass full of liquid and paper. At one point during the surveillance video that was captured, you see a white flash and then you see that man flee.
Officials have yet to publicly speculate whether or not this is a hate crime, but speaking to officials here at mosque and local Muslim leaders, they tell us there is no doubt in their mind that this was a hate crime. One of the people here at the mosque that I spoke with said that this is part of a trend, the continuing trend of escalating attacks against Muslims in this country. He says a big part of it has to do with the political climate.
WINFREDO RUIZ, COUNCIL ON AMERICAN ISLAMIC RELATIONS: We are in an election year when we have political candidates fueling the hate, fueling the divisions among Americans and exulting anything that diminishes Islam or Muslim. That doesn't help and that does that create this kind of environment unfortunately.
SANCHEZ: Another interesting note from Mr. Ruiz. He told that if this happened at a church on Christmas, the reaction would be much different.
[04:55:05] We've heard from local leaders that they expected a much bigger public outcry from state and local government officials, one of them saying that the silence from them is deafening -- Christine and George.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: All right. Boris, thank you for that.
The NCAA is the latest organization to punish North Carolina for a state law that does away with discrimination protections for LGBT people. It has decided to pull seven championship events from North Carolina, including the first and second rounds of the 2017 men's basketball championship. The NCAA president says the anti-LGBT legislation makes the state an unacceptable venue. Previously, the NBA decided to move the 2017 all-star game out of Charlotte.
HOWELL: A lot of people talking about what happened on "Dancing with the Stars" overnight. Protesters crashed Ryan Lochte's performance on stage. It happened as the routine was critiqued by one of the judges. Two men then tried to rush the stage. The actual incident was not caught on camera, but take a look at how it played out on live TV.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excuse me. Back off! Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me -- off. Off. Excuse me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow. OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll tell you what. All right. We'll take a break and get the rest of the judges' comments and take a deep breath.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Lochte obviously up staged by the protesters. After returning from commercial, the host Tom Bergeron told the home audience there was a little incident. He thanked the show's security team and got Lochte's reaction to it all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RYAN LOCHTE, OLYMPIC SWIMMER: So many feelings are going through my head right now. A little hurt. I came out here. I want to do something I'm completely not comfortable with and I did. And I came out here with the big smile and I have the best dance partner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: The police say the two protesters who wearing anti-Lochte shirts, were arrested for trespassing.
ROMANS: But how is the dancing? How did he do? I have a lot of respect for people who get up there and try to dance with no dance experience.
HOWELL: Rick Perry out there, too. I want to see.
ROMANS: Yes, we'll look at the break.
HOWELL: Yes.
ROMANS: Let's get an early start on your money right now. We're watching Dow futures right now. They are lower. The market rallied yesterday start the week because the Federal Reserve governor said the Fed should not rush into raising interest rates.
Today, though, investors aren't so upbeat. Stock markets in Europe and Asia are mixed. A big drop in oil prices. So, watch this space.
The co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn says he will donate 5 million bucks to veterans charities if Donald Trump releases his tax returns before the final presidential debate, 5 million bucks to see the taxes. In a medium post, Reid Hoffman says, quote, "The people deserve to know what's on Trump's tax returns and Trump must show that he truly embraces accountability and transparency and understands what it means to work on behalf of the public interest," end quote.
Hoffman endorsed Clinton for president in June. He was inspired by a crowdfunding campaign starting by a marine. That group is hoping to raise a million dollars for vets if Donald Trump releases his tax documents.
All right. So, CEOs of big U.S. companies have lower expectations for sales, unchanged plans for hiring, and nearly flat capital spending plan. That's the sentiment from the Business Roundtable's latest survey of chief executives.
CEO outlook index fell from last quarter and remains below its historical average. That means, translation, the U.S. will likely continue to experience lackluster growth for the rest of the year. But it's also a sign that the U.S. election is looming over the economy.
How can Washington spark faster growth? Caterpillar CEO says a mix of tax reform, trade expansion and smarter regulation.
That's what CEOs, George, would like to see, and said they are watching an election season play out.
HOWELL: And we'll see what happens come November.
EARLY START continues right now.
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HOWELL: Hillary Clinton trying to explain why she waited two days to disclose that she had pneumonia, calling in to CNN last night to say she didn't think it would be that big of a deal. A CNN exclusive.
ROMANS: Donald Trump blasting Clinton, accusing her of running a hate-filled campaign. He demands an apology for depecting his supporters as a basket of deplorable, as a violent scuffle breaks out at his rally.
HOWELL: And a breaking story we're following from overnight. Syrian military claiming it shot down Israeli war planes which Israel denies. All of this less than 24 hours into Syria's cease-fire and the question now, will peace last there?
Good morning and welcome back to EARLY START. I'm George Howell.
ROMANS: Nice to see you today, George.
I'm Christine Romans. It is Tuesday, September 13th. It is exactly 5:00 a.m. in the East.
Breaking overnight: Hillary Clinton doing some damage control while recovering from illness, taking a day off the campaign trail, but calling in to Anderson Cooper last night after resting for most of the day.
