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EARLY START

Is Trump Unstoppable?; Clinton Staffer to Testify About Email Server; Video Shows Officer Kicking, Slapping Student; Possible MH370 Wreckage Found. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired March 3, 2016 - 04:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:58] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Taking down Trump. Some Republicans desperate to stop the Republican frontrunner. Candidates taking the debate stage in hours. Now mitt Romney, the last nominee, gets ready to take on the next nominee.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: After pleading the Fifth for months, the staffer who set up Hillary Clinton's private e-mail server prepares to tell all.

BERMAN: Disturbing video of a student being slapped and kicked by a school resource officer. Story behind this video and new reaction this morning.

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

ROMANS: What day of the week is it? Is it Thursday? I think it's Thursday.

I'm Christine Romans. I do know that. Thirty-one minutes past the hour.

Wow, a busy week and this promises to be a surreal day, essentially unprecedented in campaign history. The four current Republican candidates will share on the debate stage and former candidate, in fact, a former nominee will take center stage, trying to shake up this whole process. Four Republican candidates debate for the first time since Donald Trump won seven of 11 Super Tuesday states.

Ben Carson will not be there. He says he sees no political path forward, having not won a single state in the race so far. Donald Trump will be there. Not just battling the candidates on the stage with him, but battling a candidate from the past, because in just hours, Mitt Romney will deliver a speech in Utah where he will, John Berman is told, go after Donald Trump directly and hard.

Trump is already responding on Twitter. This is what he says. "It looks like two-time failed candidate Mitt Romney is going to tell Republicans how to get elected. Not a good messenger. Why can't the leaders of the Republican Party see that I am bringing in new voters by the millions? We are creating a larger, stronger party." CNN's Sara Murray has the latest for us this morning from the Trump campaign in Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

While we know Donald Trump can throw a punch, but today, he might be preparing to take a couple. Of course, we had the debate that's coming up tonight in Detroit, where we are expecting he will be right in the crosshairs of Senator Marco Rubio, as well as Senator Ted Cruz.

But before all that even happens, we are expecting a speech from 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney. In that speech, we are expecting him to knock Donald Trump forcefully and offer some kind comments about the senators who are still in the race.

Of course, all of this after Donald Trump had the huge Super Tuesday win, a string of seven wings there. And now, we are seeing this panic among the Republican establishment as they hope that there is still time to mount a challenge against Donald Trump. So, I think the knives will be out for him on the debate stage later tonight.

Back to you, John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: All right. The Republican establishment anti-Trump panic that Sara just mentioned is not just from the establishment. It's from the conservative wing of the party, too. Now, spreading to the TV airwaves, with new multimillion dollar ad buys, painting Trump as a pro-Obama one time Democrat.

Former presidential candidate Lindsey Graham telling CNN he is hoping Kasich gets the nomination, but he'd get behind Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, anyone he says but Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Donald Trump is not a Republican. I think John Kasich is the most electable by left in the field. Marco will be a close second. I think Cruz and Carson would be third. Trump is not a Republican.

So, what happens if Marco loses Florida?

The bottom line is I think Marco is going to do fine. I'm pulling for John Kasich in Ohio. I'm pulling for Marco Rubio in Florida. But if it got down to it, if Marco had to drop out, I'm anybody but Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: This morning, each non-Trump candidate is calling on other candidates to drop out. Ted Cruz says if he had not won his home state of Texas on Super Tuesday, he would have quit the race. This is clearly Cruz turning the screws on Marco Rubio, pushing Rubio to quit if he loses his home state Florida on March 15th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If last night the voters of Texas had made a different decision, I would have had no choice but to suspend the campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:35:04] BERMAN: Get the hint, Marco Rubio?

Of course, Ted Cruz did win Texas along with Oklahoma and Alaska. This morning, he is searching for a way to pile up more delegates in some states before the winner-take-all primaries begin on March 15th. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, as you heard, they see their biggest problem defeating Trump they think is the rivals who refuse to drop out of the race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Usually when you are the frontrunner, everyone is saying now is please, everyone get together so we can keep this front runner from winning, and destroying the Republican Party.

CRUZ: If we're going to beat Donald Trump, the field can't remain fractured. Donald has I believe a hard ceiling of 35 percent to 40 percent that he can't get above. Now, as long as the field is fractured, that benefits Donald and allows him to win state after state after state because there are multiple opponents dividing the vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: John Kasich is not dropping out either. Like Rubio, Kasich has been in Michigan stumping for votes. Unlike Rubio and Cruz, Kasich has thus far avoided attacking Donald Trump directly and he says he plans to stick to that strategy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe that, you know, attacking Donald Trump or insulting him is not going to peel any voters away from him. Obviously, I would explain to people what my position is as maybe juxtaposed to his, but I don't, I certainly don't intend to move in the direction of personal attacks, because that's not the way I operate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Breaking overnight, the former Clinton staffer who helped set up her private e-mail server has reached an immunity deal with the Justice Department. Last fall, Bryan Pagliano invoked his Fifth Amendment rights, declining to speak to the FBI and congressional investigators as they sorted through thousands of Clinton e-mails looking for classified information. The announcement Pagliano has reached a deal marks new phase in this

probe, determining whether there has been any crime committed.

The Clinton spokesperson says the campaign is pleased that Pagliano is now cooperating. Spokesperson said, "As we have said since last summer, Secretary Clinton has been cooperating with the Department of Justice's security inquiry, including offering in August to meet with them to assist their efforts if needed."

Out on the campaign trail, Hillary Clinton was not about this. She was talking about Super Tuesday and her seven wins out of 11 states, taking something of a victor.

CNN's Brianna Keilar has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, Hillary Clinton rallied a largely union crowd here in New York City that featured New York politicians like Mayor de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo. And she emphasized her new, more positive message and pivoted towards the general election.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The stakes have never been higher and the rhetoric from the other side has never been lower. So, we've got work to do, my friends, but not to make America great again. America never stopped being great.

We have to make America whole. Instead of building walls, we need to break down barriers that are holding back families and our country.

KEILAR: And Hillary Clinton wrapped up her night with a fund-raiser featuring Katy Perry and Elton John as she tries to continue to fill her campaign coffers. She raised $30 million in February, a big number. But Bernie Sanders raised $42 million -- Christine and John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right, Brianna. Thanks for that. Bernie Sanders is looking for votes in Lincoln, Nebraska today. There will be a Clinton close behind him. Bill Clinton plans to visit Lincoln and Omaha on Friday, campaigning for Hillary.

Sanders on campaign the trail in Michigan on Wednesday, 10,000 people turning out for a rally at Michigan State University, many of them students. The Vermont senator assuring the presidential bid is on the right path.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Super Tuesday, we won landslide victories in Minnesota and in Colorado. We won by 70 points in my own state of Vermont. If you come out to vote here in Michigan on primary day, we're going to win here in Michigan.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMANS: All right. The next week is March Madness right here on CNN. OK, get ready. Put this in your calendar. It begins Sunday with the next Democratic debate in Flint, Michigan, followed by the premiere of the CNN series, "RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE." Next Tuesday is the next Super Tuesday.

BERMAN: Michigan votes next Tuesday. That's a big deal.

ROMANS: Super Michigan, super Michigan night.

Wednesday brings another Democratic debate in Miami. Thursday, a Republican debate in Miami. A week of political events, all right here on CNN.

BERMAN: That is bonkers. That is a lot going on.

ROMANS: All of this are game changers, potential game changers. That's what I think is so exciting.

BERMAN: Five of them. So, the game could change five times in one week.

ROMANS: Or not game changers, cement the lead game changers. That doesn't make any sense.

BERMAN: Which is almost as sketchy.

A federal appeals court judge in Iowa reportedly being vetted by the White House as a potential Supreme Court nominee.

[04:40:01] According to "The New York Times", 51-year-old Jane Kelly, an appellate judge for the eighth circuit, is under consideration to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

President Obama is expected to announce the selection in the next couple weeks. He faces strong opposition from the Senate Republicans. They are determined to block any nomination. She was --

ROMANS: Cedar Rapid, Iowa.

BERMAN: Yes, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

ROMANS: She's been praised by Chuck Grassley, Senator Chuck Grassley before.

BERMAN: Confirmed for the appellate court. Virtually no chance to get on the Supreme Court at least this year.

ROMANS: Interesting.

ROMANS: All right. Defense Secretary Ash Carter coming out against the so-called back door that would give the government access to encryption protection data. Carter told an audience of computer security experts, he wants to seek common ground with privacy advocates who support Apple's fight over the FBI over access to an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino terror suspects. The defense secretary says building a so-called back door into devices is just not a realistic option.

BERMAN: The president visits Milwaukee today to congratulate the city for winning an Obamacare enrollment contest. Milwaukee beat out 20 other communities across the country.

But not everyone, though, is celebrating. Wisconsin is one of six states suing over the Affordable Care Act. Governor Scott Walker claims the act is anything but affordable to too many people in his state.

ROMANS: An oil tycoon ties in a fiery car wreck just one day after being indicted by a federal grand jury. Here he is. Aubrey McClendon was the founder of Chesapeake Energy. This guy is a pioneer in America's shale oil boom. He may also have invested and is part owner of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder.

McClendon was driving alone and traveling fast when his car drove into an overpass wall. This is according to the Oklahoma City Police Department which pointed out he did nothing to slow the car and had plenty of chances to do that. His 2013 Chevy Tahoe was immediately engulfed in flames. Police say again, he had time to get back on the road and avoid the crash. He did not.

McClendon was indicted Tuesday on chargers of conspiring to rig the price of oil and natural gas leases in Oklahoma. Back in 2013, he was ousted from Chesapeake Energy after acquisitions he was bankrolling his lifestyle with more than $1 billion in loans backed by a personal stake in the company's wealth. He recently tried to stage a comeback, but crashing oil prices had really been foiling that.

Aubrey McClendon was 56 years old. This is, I got to tell you, the most talked about business story this morning. Everybody knew this guy.

BERMAN: And connected to the sports world.

ROMANS: And connected to the sports world, too.

BERMAN: All right. A warm homecoming for astronaut Scott Kelly after his year in space mission. Early this morning, Kelly touched down in Houston on a NASA plane. Look at him walking there. You don't like he's been in space for a year.

He reunited with his family, including his twin brother Mark Kelly. Now, NASA studied the differences between the identical twins after more than a year in space for Scott. Obviously, such different environments. They wanted to see the impact on the body is. NASA says Scott Kelly grew two inches over the last year during his time in zero gravity.

ROMANS: That is really cool. I know as a parent of twins, you love this story.

BERMAN: I do. I do. If I grew two inches in space, I'd be 6'4". That would be awesome. I love that.

(LAUGHTER)

ROMANS: I'm not going to go there.

All right. Forty-three minutes past the hour.

Caught on camera. A student kicked and slapped by a school officer. What investigators are revealing about the stunning video, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:47:06] BERMAN: A top police official in the Baltimore school system and two other officers have been placed on administrative leave after a release of a video showing one of the officers slapping and kicking a young man. This happened Tuesday at the Reach Partnership School in Baltimore.

This is a video which is tough to watch, and the reaction from Baltimore's mayor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(EXPLETIVES DELETED)

STEPHANIE RAWLINGS-BLAKE, BALTIMORE MAYOR: As a parent of a Baltimore City school student, I was appalled by what I saw. That behavior that was demonstrated on the video is certainly something you never want to see anyone treated like that, but certainly not a school officer acting in this way, particularly with a young person. I know the school is investigating it. I know that it surfaced late yesterday and the investigation is ongoing. I support that investigation because I never want to see anything like that happen again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: So, drama unfolding in the Erin Andrews lawsuit against the Nashville Marriott. The executive with the hotel's parent company admitting nude video of Andrews taken by a stalker through a hotel peephole was shown at a dinner the night before he was set to take the stand. This as the hotel security expert testified that Andrews' stalker was solely at fault for secretly recording here, calling the man a criminal and a terrorist. Andrews is suing Marriott for $75 million.

BERMAN: He will not get the death penalty, but Jesse Matthew will spend the rest of his life in prison, with no chance of parole, as part of a plea deal in the deaths of two University of Virginia students. Matthew pleaded guilty to the murders of Hannah Graham in 2014, and Morgan Harrington five years earlier. In exchange, prosecutors withdrew a capital murder charge. The families of both victims say they support this deal, they are grateful not to have to endure a trial.

ROMANS: A white Alabama police officer is under arrest and charged with murder in the shooting death of a black man, 58-year-old Gregory Gunn last week. Officials initially said that Gunn was carrying a stick or another object that could have been perceived as a weapon to the officer. That officer, Aaron Smith. Investigators are not saying what led them to charge Smith with murder, but his attorney calls it political and claims it was done to prevent civil unrest in Montgomery.

BERMAN: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will lead team of congressional Democrats in a trip to Flint, Michigan, this week. They plan to hold a town hall with residents to discuss the city's ongoing water contamination crisis. The visit comes ahead of the Democratic debate in Flint, a CNN debate, which is Sunday night.

ROMANS: Sunday night.

All right. A snow storm on its way to the Northeast. Now, let's get to meteorologist Derek Van Dam.

[04:50:00] DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, John and Christine.

Winter trying to hold on just a few more days across the Upper Midwest. Chicago, Indianapolis and Cincinnati, light dusting of snowfall anticipated for your Thursday morning commute.

This is a very fast moving storm system, mainly rain from Nashville to Atlanta. But as it moves to the mid-Atlantic, we'll see a few inches of fresh snow, perhaps for the nation's capital and north into the New York City area and Philadelphia.

You can see nothing more than one to two inches generally across this area, with some higher elevations, snowfall, equaling three or perhaps four inches of snow. That will be a different story over the western half of the U.S. through the course of the weekend. They will be measuring snowfall in feet for the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and to California. Heavy rainfall expected for the coastal areas of California as well.

Look at the warm up for the central U.S. this weekend. At least today, 67 into Denver. It warms up from there. But look at New York City's temperature forecast over the next seven days. We start to warm up, maybe breaking 70 degrees by the middle of next week. Enjoy.

Back to you.

ROMANS: All right, Derek. Thank you so much for that.

As stocks are posting a hot start to March. Why one important number could make or break the rally. We're going to get an early start on your money, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: A piece of airplane debris that officials believe could be part of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that vanished almost two years ago, the piece will soon be sent to Australia for closer examination. The wreckage was found by an American tourist in the coast of Mozambique.

CNN's Saima Mohsin following the latest developments for us from Kuala Lumpur.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Christine, let's talk about that piece of debris that's been found first of all in Mozambique. It's not a huge piece. It's around a meter long and crucially, it has the words "no step" on it. Now, that has what led experts believe that this could well be from a plane, perhaps a 777.

[04:55:02] Now, one U.S. official says that it looks like a part that's known as a horizontal stabilizer. That's actually the tail end of the plane. It's like that, it sticks out triangular formation on the end of the plane.

Now, this could well be from a 777. Of course, we know MH370 is the only 777 plane missing in the world right now. However, another expert has told us, it could well be from another type of plane. So, everyone is urging people to err on the side of caution, including Malaysia's transport minister.

Now, this was found washed ashore by an aviation enthusiast that has been following the MH370 story as long as I have, really. Now, why Mozambique, well, crucially, this is in line with the drift model. The oceanic experts have come up with where the search is being carried out, deep inside the Indian Ocean by -- led by Australian authorities, given the currents, this is where it could end up in terms of debris.

Now, that is why we found that flaperon, of course, on Reunion Island. And now, not so far, in Mozambique, this piece has been found, experts are now traveling to Australia to give us their final analysis -- John, Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Saima Mohsin, thank you for that.

In the face of global condemnation, North Korea is making a show of defiance. South Korean officials say the North fired a barrage of short-range missiles into the sea just hours after the United Nations Security Council imposed toughest sanctions to date on Pyongyang. The resolution was approved unanimously. Punishment for North Korea's fourth, fourth nuclear test in January, and the satellite rocket launch last month.

BERMAN: And migrant crisis in Greece growing more desperate by the hour, with more Balkan states restricting or closing their borders. Thirty thousand new refugees are now stranded in Greece. European Union announced plans to send three quarters of a billion dollars in emergency aids to Athens. But member states still have to approve the package, which would cover three years of expenses for shelter, food, clothing and medical care.

ROMANS: All right. Fifty-seven minutes past the hour. Time for an early start on your money.

Stock futures flat this morning. Oil steady, about $34 a barrel.

Let's look at stock markets in Europe, down slightly. Solid gains, though, in Asian stock markets overnight. Investors in a holding pattern, ahead of tomorrow's monthly jobs report. Strong job gains could up the chances of a Federal Reserve rate hike, but the recent market turmoil may keep that from happening until later this year, and I can assure that whatever happens in the job market, you will hear about it on the campaign trail this weekend.

Gas prices are ticking higher, higher, but drivers will save hundreds of dollars. AAA says the national average for a gallon of regular now $1.80. Today marks the ninth straight day of rising prices, back above levels from last month, down 63 cents from a year ago. But a lot of people talking about the reasons for the jump, rebound in oil prices and this seasonal switch to the summer blend of gasoline. Even with the recent increase, drivers should save about 330 bucks each this year due to this prolonged slump in gas prices.

ROMANS: All right. Google says searches for Zika virus have increased 3,000 percent this year. Now, the company is stepping in the help to fight the outbreak. Google is donating $1 million to UNICEF to help raise awareness. It's also using its mapping technology to help doctors and scientists with prevention initiatives. It's added information on Zika to its search results in 16 different languages.

When you think about how -- you know, what do you do when you feel ill, right? You go, and you're like Google the symptoms. It's amazing how Google can track where that's happening and how people are feeling and how they can help see others track and map viruses.

BERMAN: That kind of data, for epidemiology. I mean, there are fields of medicine which would love to have this kind of data at their fingertips.

EARLY START continues right now.

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BERMAN: Taking down Donald Trump, some conservative Republicans, establishment Republicans, desperate to keep him from winning the nomination. New attacks being launched. This and Mitt Romney gets ready to give a speech where he will go after Donald Trump.

ROMANS: After months of refusing to testify, the staffer who set up Hillary Clinton's private e-mail server will now tell all. So, what's changed?

BERMAN: Stunning video showing school officer, you see it there, slapping a young man. What was behind this video? New details ahead.

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

ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It is Thursday, March 3rd. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East. And this promises to be a surreal day, essentially unprecedented in campaign history. The four current Republican candidates will share a debate stage and a former candidate, in fact, a former nominee, will take center stage, trying to shake up this whole process.

Four Republican candidates debate for the first time since Donald Trump won seven of eleven Super Tuesday states.