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New Day

Clinton and Sanders Clash Over Progressive Label; Trump Accuses Cruz of Stealing Iowa Caucuses; Obama Condemns Anti-Muslim Bigotry. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired February 04, 2016 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:33:19] MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, here we go the five things to know for your new day.

At number one, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders sparring over their progressive credentials last night at the CNN presidential town hall. Sanders putting Clinton on the defensive over her war record and ties to Wall Street.

Donald Trump demanding a do over in Iowa. He claims Ted Cruz lied to steal the election. Cruz dismissing the claim as just another Trumper tantrum.

This morning the president is getting ready to speak at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. It will following his first visit as president to a U.S. mosque Wednesday where he condemned anti-Muslim bigotry.

A bond hearing will be held this morning for Virginia Tech student Natalie Keepers. She's charged as an accessory to the murder of Nicole Lovell. The 13 year-old's funeral will be held later today.

Honda is recalling another 2 million vehicles in the United States over concerns of its Takata airbags. Nine of the 10 deaths attributed to the defective airbags were in vehicles made by Honda.

And you can get more on the five things to know by going to newdaycnn.com for the latest.

All right, where is it, the money, the counting of the coins? It's time for "CNN Money Now." Business correspondent Christine Romans in the Money Center.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm short on cash today.

Stocks set to open lower, reversing a solid day yesterday. Dow futures edging lower. Stock markets in Europe and Asia are mixed. Oil is falling after a brief run above $32 a barrel. When oil falls, stocks fall too.

Two major U.S. airlines addressing the spread of the Zika virus. Staff at Delta and United my now opt out of flights to Latin America and the Caribbean. Many airlines have also already offered refunds to customers who have booked flights to countries affected by the Zika virus.

[08:35:00] A big technical glitch at the IRS this morning, right in the middle of tax season. A hardware failure brought down some IRS systems, including the system that enables people to file your taxes electronically. The IRS, though, does not expect it to delay refunds at this point, but you'll have trouble filing electronically today, Chris, if you were doing your taxes.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good to know, Romans. Good to know. Thank you very much to Christine Romans.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

CUOMO: We're going to take a break. Who's the most progressive? Who is a cheater? Who can consolidate all conservatives? These are the big questions and last night we saw one of them taken on like we haven't before. Sanders and Clinton going at it at the town hall. The state of the race has changed. We will tell you how when we come back.

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CUOMO: The race, my friends, has changed. Cruz went from winner to cheater, at least in the eyes of Donald Trump. The Democrats getting into it at the compelling Democratic presidential town hall here on CNN. Just five days to make their case to New Hampshire voters between - before next week's primary. And, boy, did they get after it last night. Let's show you the big moments and discuss.

[08:40:07] We have CNN Politics executive editor Mark Preston. We have anchor of CNN's "EARLY START" and "AT THIS HOUR," John Berman. And CNN national political reporter, the one, the only, Maeve Reston.

Last night a signature moment, it seemed to me, gentlemen and lady, was Bernie Sanders going after Clinton about being a moderate or a progressive, neither, not enough. Here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Secretary Clinton said some people call me a - well, I'm paraphrasing, some people call me a moderate. And I proudly, you know, say that I am a moderate. That's what she said. So all I say is, you can't go and say you're a moderate on one day and be a progressive on the other day.

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CUOMO: Mark Preston, nit-picking? What is the play here for Bernie Sanders? What is the potential impact on Hillary Clinton?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Well, certainly, in the short-term, Bernie Sanders is trying to rally as much liberal support he can to his candidacy and maintain this really strong lead he has in New Hampshire. At the same time, he's trying to send a message to Democrats in states further down the road, whether they be South Carolina, any of those southern states, out in Nevada, that he is somebody who will fight for their values.

Now, Hillary Clinton is being pushed to the left a little bit. And if she were to win the nomination, she would have to be careful so as not to alienate those independent voters, Chris, that might not agree with these liberal views. But clearly what is happening right here in New Hampshire, it started in Iowa and it's getting dirtier here is this political knife fighting is going on. We saw it happen on stage last night at that town hall.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: John, let's talk about how she's trying to thread the needle, because there are - there is a big chunk of independents in New Hampshire. So why is centrist, where a moderate a bad word?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR, "EARLY START": She needs to be careful on her left flank. Bernie tied her or got very close to beating her in Iowa because he ran very, very hard left. She's nervous going forward that if she gets the nomination, yes, she has to play the middle, but she can't offend the energy of the party. Go to a Bernie Sanders rally, go to a Hillary Clinton event. There is more energy for Bernie Sanders at those events than there is for Hillary Clinton. And if she does get the nomination, she wants that energy on her side. So she can't offend people.

Neither can. I mean this is - while they're talking about each other and they're saying things like establishment and progressive and can't get things done, it's not particularly nasty because they both have very high favorabilities and they're nervous about getting things done. And the independent voter in New Hampshire - to answer your question directly.

CAMEROTA: Yes, thank you. Thank you.

BERMAN: I'm avoiding like a politician.

CUOMO: About time.

CAMEROTA: I'm ready.

BERMAN: They're fickle. They're fickle. And so you just don't know how they're going to go. And you have to be very careful playing to them. I mean how, if you're Hillary Clinton, are you going to pull a Donald Trump voter, right? And their - the independent New Hampshire is just as likely maybe to go for Donald Trump as Hillary Clinton. So you have to be careful you're not upsetting your base going after someone who may not be there to begin with.

CUOMO: All right, so let's pivot from have it both ways Berman to you, Maeve Reston, and let me ask you this. Is this an example of where head versus heart may eventually play out in favor of Clinton. That she's saying, look, you've got to figure out how to get it done, to David Axelrod's point, that with presidential elections people look for a remedy to what's going on now, right now, not the replica. So the remedy would be someone who can get things done in Washington. Could this work for her? MAEVE RESTON, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: Yes, it's a really good

point, Chris. Yesterday, when I was with Hillary Clinton in Dover, she made exactly that argument. She said, I keep hearing that this is, you know, a battle between people thinking about their heart or their head. I want you to use both. And she was really speaking directly to young voters who are attracted to Bernie Sanders' idealism, you know, his progressive values saying, I am the pragmatic candidate here with the record of getting things done. You need to think about my long legislative record and the fact that many of his ideas, as she would argue, just cannot be achieved, in her view.

And so she's really driving that argument in the final days. Her surrogates are as well. And I think a lot of young voters out there, particularly though do really feel like their heart is with Bernie Sanders. And Hillary Clinton has a lot of work to do in the next couple of days to generate the kind of excitement that would bring her up when he's got something like a 20 point lead here.

CAMEROTA: Mark, let's talk about the other side of the aisle and the Republicans. Is - are - is the suggestion that Donald Trump is planting, that the results from the Iowa caucuses are somehow illegitimate, is that getting any traction?

PRESTON: Well, look, it's getting traction because we're following what Donald Trump says because whenever he says something, the media seems to just grab on to it. I think it's actually a bad political play by Donald Trump. You know, a few weeks ago I was here in New Hampshire. I talked to a lot of people who are running the campaigns for his rivals. And they said, listen, if Trump comes out of Iowa number two, but he comes out gracefully, that will be a big plus for him. If he comes out and he looks like he's a sore loser, then that's going to work against him.

[08:45:14] When - when he found out that he had come in second place, he was very graceful. But he couldn't hold himself back. And 24 hours later, Alisyn, to your point, he comes out and seems like he is a sore sport about it. He's got to be very careful to be doing that. Probably what he should be doing right now is focusing on saying how he's going to make America great again because that's worked for him so long and see where that carries him.

CUOMO: His conclusion may be wrong, but his rationale is pretty strong. Which is what the Cruz campaign did qualifies as dirty tactics. The mailer, the deceptive nature of what they were doing on the group, they can come on and qualify it all they like. They have to own it or they are going to keep hearing it.

CAMEROTA: Panel, thank you for discussing all of that. We appreciate getting your insight. Next week we're taking the show on the road again for the New Hampshire primary. NEW DAY will be live next Monday and Tuesday from the Waterworks Cafe in Manchester. If you are in the area, be sure to stop by for a breakfast burrito on us.

CUOMO: Very tasty. Very tasty.

BERMAN: Wait, really? CAMEROTA: Yeah. I am. I'm saying -- oh I mean Chris. By that I mean Chris. Yes.

CUOMO: That stings.

CAMEROTA: In just minutes President Obama will speak at the National Prayer Breakfast. His address comes one day after making his first visit to a U.S. mosque. How will this shape his legacy?

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[08:50:24] CAMEROTA: President Obama set to address the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., in just a few minutes. These are some live pictures of the event. If we can take them, we'll show those to you right now. His speech coming just a day after he made history when he spoke for the very first time at a U.S. mosque telling members of the Islamic Society of Baltimore that they belong in America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you are ever wondering whether you fit in here, let me say it as clear as I can as president of the United States. You fit in here. Right here. You are right where you belong. You are part of America too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: All right. Joining us to discuss all of this is our CNN political commentators, Van Jones and Donna Brazile. Great to have you guys onset with us.

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good to be here.

DONNA BRAZILE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Always a pleasure.

CAMEROTA: Donna, let's talk about the timing of this visit. Let's start with the mosque yesterday. Because some people online felt it was a too little too late and that maybe around San Bernardino, maybe years ago he should have visited a mosque and said these things.

BRAZILE: Given the political tone that we've seen and heard over the past few months, the demonizing of Muslims, the criticism of people of different faith, I thought this was a great speech. I thought his message was overall one of unity, one of respect for the Constitution, but also the respect of every man and woman in this country to worship freely.

CAMEROTA: But you are okay with the timing? You don't think he should have done it sooner?

JONES: If he had gone earlier, they would have said he's going in there, he's trying to politicize things. Whenever he does anything people are going to criticize it. But here is what I know. This woman named Nancy Loveland, she creates something called the Crisis Text Line for teenagers who type in when they think they're going to commit suicide, hurt themselves. She says that the Muslim students, children, young people, are calling in by the droves now because they feel like they don't belong in America anymore. These are American kids whose, you know, dads are professors, their shop owners -- They have been here. They're Americans, but they don't feel like they belong. So he needed to do this now.

CUOMO: Well, okay. But -- That's true. It's been true for awhile. To make it not so gentle a suggestion, where has the president been for seven years visiting a mosque? Why wouldn't he go right away? Van says well they would say he was politicizing. Who cares what they say? This is about leadership. If it matters so much, why hasn't it mattered earlier?

BRAZILE: This is a president who, I believe, he doesn't politicize his faith. He doesn't try to drive wedges or divisions based on one's belief. I think it was a perfect moment for the president as he spends his last year. You heard him during the State of the Union. He said I want to help in my last year to change the tenor, to change the conversation. He said that was his one regret. And the fact that he's doing it now in this political environment, I thought it was perfect timing.

CAMEROTA: There is a hashtag though. Let me just get you to respond to this. #TooLateObama is the hashtag. And on Twitter there were people who were criticizing the timing. This is from someone who describes herself on Twitter as a journalist, writer, Japanese- American secret Muslim. Here is what she says. "Telling 'thank you' to Muslim Americans isn't just enough. We are still targets of state violence."

Next tweet. This is someone who's the founder of the Muslim American Women's Policy Forum. She says, "This entire speech was paternalistic to Muslims. It belittled our pain, the collective punishment we face."

To your point, I mean, there is punishment out there, there is retribution. So --

JONES: I have two responses. One is no good deed goes unpunished in American life. No matter what you do you're going to be punished. But my other response is, you know what, let's keep this conversation going. There may be deeper and deeper levels of pain and there maybe other things that the president can do -- but not just the president -- all of us can do.

Let's not forget. We act like Muslims are people from Mars. People we've never heard of before. Shop owners, your dentist, the guy that fixes your IT in your office. There's Muslims -- There's 6 million Muslims in our country and I guarantee you most of them when they go to bed at night they worry about whether their children fit in or belong. Could the president do more? Yes. Should we all be doing more? We should all be doing a lot more. It's taken the whole country too long to respond to this demonization.

CUOMO: All right. So let's pivot to what will come next for the country. That's what's going on in the election. You got a good look at your candidates last night. We would suggest the best kind of look, which is this town hall -- where they're not just playing off pro's questions. They're talking to actual voters and point out contrast.

What is the suggestion? Is Bernie Sanders right that he's saying Hillary Clinton is not the kind of progressive that the left demands? Or by pushing that point, Donna, is he making the case for why he can't move to the general election?

[08:55:00] BRAZILE: So as you know, Chris, I have spent my life working to elect Democrats up and down the ballot. And some of them have been conservative. A lot of moderates and a hell of a lot of liberal. I will not sit here today and tell Joe Manchin or Claire McCaskill that they have no place at the Democratic table because they are too moderate or perhaps they are not progressive enough.

We are a (inaudible) party. We've allowed people of all backgrounds to come in our party. I'm proud of this party that it's opened its doors to women and minorities and people of color, gays and lesbians, and the notion that we're going to start demonizing or pushing people away from the table simply because they don't fit some litmus test, that is not how we're going to conduct ourselves as Democrats and I said it and I approve my message.

(LAUGHTER)

JONES: Well, you know -- Hallelujah and amen. But I see it slightly differently in the following respect. It is, in fact, the case that Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton came onto the national scene not as liberals. The whole point was we are not Dukakis. We are not Jesse Jackson. We are not a part of the rainbow coalition. We are part of the DLC. So that is just a part of the historical record. Bernie Sanders was a progressive when they were saying they were moderates. For her to now say I've been a progressive the whole time, it's like --

CUOMO: Well why is she saying that then?

JONES: It's like John Travolta saying I never did disco. We saw the movie.

(CROSSTALK)

BRAZILE: Because of her values. The same values that Bernie Sanders articulated last night. Our values are rooted in helping people. That's who we are.

CAMEROTA: Donna, Van, great to have you here. Thanks for the "Saturday Night Fever" reference. We always like that.

"NEWSROOM" with Carol Costello starts right after this break. We'll see you tomorrow.

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