Clinton Campaigns in Iowa, Rubio Joins the Race; Iraqi PM to Visit Washington Today
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, the 2016 presidential race, oh, man, is it on. Dot your "i"s with America right there. Now part of the growing Republican field. What about the Democratic field? Hillary Clinton. She's just like all of us. Really. She eats at Chipotle unrecognized. We will break down the political significance of all of it ahead. Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm John Berman.</s>CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Christine Romans. I like the flourish of the map of the United States.</s>BERMAN: Its better than dotting your is with hearts. Dot it with America.</s>ROMANS: 31 minutes past the hour this morning, Tuesday morning.</s>BERMAN: Florida Senator Marco Rubio, he is in. He is in the Republican race for president. He held a rally last night in Miami, casting himself as a forward-looking candidate and telling his personal story as the son of Cuban immigrants.</s>ROMANS: So how does the freshman senator size up compared to the rest of the potential GOP contenders? Here to weigh in, our own contender, CNN political - politics executive editor, Mark Preston. A lot happened the last couple of days. Marco Rubio in it, talking about how yesterday is over, today is the day, and also with this generational divide he's talking about. Time for a new generation.</s>MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Yes, no doubt, Christine. He - it was interesting. We saw the Hillary Clinton announcement on Sunday and a lot of people thought that would overshadow Marco Rubio's announcement on Monday night. However, Marco Rubio used that to his advantage and he talked about the old and how there needs to be a cast forward to the new. Now, Marco Rubio is 43 years old. He turns 44 years old next month. Makes me feel a little bit bad about where my station in life is because I am his age. But I got to tell you what, Marco Rubio certainly not doing fantastic in the national polling right now, but certainly is a contender for the Republican nomination.</s>BERMAN: We'll get to where he ranks in the polls right now because he's not first, not second, not third, not fourth. He's deep down inside there. But I want to play one sound bite from his announcement yesterday. He's talking about Hillary Clinton. He says yesterday is over. But couldn't you replace the name Hillary Clinton with the name Jeb Bush every time he says it? Let's listen.</s>SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Just yesterday, a leader from yesterday began a campaign for president by promising to take us back to yesterday. Yesterday is over.</s>BERMAN: Now, that was a powerful part of his speech. He was specifically talking about the former Secretary of State. He says Jeb Bush is his friend, Mark Preston, but isn't that a potent avenue for attack from Marco Rubio in the Republican primary?</s>PRESTON: No question, John. Not only is Jeb Bush his friend, in many ways he was his mentor when Bush was the governor of Florida, Marco Rubio was the house speaker. But you're right, you could just take out Hillary Clinton -- references to Hillary Clinton and put in Jeb Bush. Marco Rubio trying to cast himself as a leader for a new America with new ideas. Jeb Bush, the son of the former president, the brother of a former president, somebody who's certainly got a few more years on him than Marco Rubio does. But, yes, Marco Rubio trying to set himself up as somebody who's young, fresh ideas, something that this country needs.</s>ROMANS: So John Berman, we just showed the GOP choice for nominee. And John Berman was just saying that his sources are saying, look, Marco Rubio has good ideas, he's a good leader of the party.</s>PRESTON: He's got real serious people backing him, big money people. You know, experienced staff.</s>ROMANS: So why is he only at 7 percent on this list?</s>PRESTON: You know, it is still very early on. We have a very diverse field right now. And it is name recognition in national polling. When you look at state polls, he does a little bit better. But Marco Rubio is probably well positioned right now. He really skyrocketed on the scene when he won the Senate seat several years ago down in Florida. He was a long shot to win it. He ended up taking out Governor Charlie Crist to win that seat. However, Marco Rubio has positioned himself in the Senate as a conservative. But unlike the likes of Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, he's also a little bit more mainstream and can play to those types of voters.</s>BERMAN: So he's got to split the difference there, which isn't always easy. Let's talk about the other race. The one Hillary Clinton is in with herself right now and seemingly no one else, and perhaps people who serve food at Chipotle where she went unrecognized yesterday in Ohio. President Obama did some interviews yesterday and he was asked about whether or not he is going to endorse his former Secretary of State. Let's listen to his answer.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, it's a little early for endorsements and she just announced yesterday. But here's what I can say. She is talented, tenacious, was a great Secretary of State. She is a friend of mine and I think she would be an excellent president.</s>BERMAN: That's about as close to an endorsement you can get without making an endorsement, which no president would really do at this stage of the game. The secretary gives her first official campaign event in Iowa today. Low key, we keep hearing. Mark Preston, what does that mean?</s>PRESTON: Hillary Clinton is trying to get rid of the idea that she is going to be coronated, that this is her Democratic nomination to just put in her back pocket and head into the general election in 2016. But Hillary Clinton is trying to change the persona around her. These are small events. We won't see these huge campaign rallies, certainly not for another month or so. She wants to try to reconnect with voters. I have to tell you, I've been talking to Clinton campaign aides all weekend about this. That's what they're emphasizing over and over and over again, John, is that she knows that she has to earn their vote. Especially in Iowa, where she came in third back in 2008.</s>ROMANS: I mean, it was Iowa that pretty much anointed Barack Obama has the candidate. And how does she change -- we've been talking to people in Iowa. Democrats in Iowa, are they excited by her, are they energized by her, or waiting to see who else is in the field?</s>PRESTON: Well, Christine, your home state of Iowa, you know how fickle the voters are out there and how there's an expectation of voters out there that they get to talk to the candidates not once, twice, three times, four times, personally. I was out there a few weeks ago talking to Democrats. They were very frustrated that Hillary Clinton was being very coy about running for president. They wanted her out there. They said that it was about time that she got into the race. And I'm going to tell you, Democrats did not have a competitive primary in 2012 with Barack Obama's nomination in 2012. They want a fight this time. If anything, to try to help push out Democratic ideals. That's why you're seeing such a ground swell of support, certainly from liberals, for the likes of Elizabeth Warren.</s>BERMAN: Mark Preston, we're happy to have you here on EARLY START talking about 2016 though it is only April of 2015. We expect to see you again very soon. Thanks, Mark.</s>PRESTON: Thanks, guys.</s>BERMAN: All right, 37 minutes after the hour. Secretary of State John Kerry is appealing to Congress to give him a little space so he can finish negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran. Now, Congress could hold votes as soon as today on a possible measure which would let them review this nuclear deal with Iran. The secretary met with House members last night, urging them not to derail the se talks. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will brief lawmakers today on the scientific, diplomatic, and economic elements of the emerging deal with Iran.</s>ROMANS: Finalizing that nuclear deal just got a little more difficult now that the Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved the delivery of an elaborate $800 million air defense missile system to Iran. That is straining ties between Moscow and Washington, threatens to undermine the nuclear talks because that very missile system could make it more difficult for the U.S. or Israel to attack Iran's nuclear infrastructure if the Iranians violated any agreement in the future.</s>BERMAN: The prime minister of Iraq is in Washington this morning, making his first official visit to the United States since taking office. Prime Minister Haider al Abadi will meet with President Obama at the White House this morning, then holds a closed-door session with Secretary of State John Kerry tonight. Abadi no doubt looking for help from the White House, from the U.S., in the battle against ISIS. Let's bring in senior international correspondent Arwa Damon live in Baghdad this morning. Good morning, Arwa.</s>ARW DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. And al Abadi has one key aim in all of this, and that is to get more weapons, more equipment, more military support, and more coalition-led air strikes. At least that is what he is going to be asking for. Whether or not he's going to get it might be dependent largely on whether or not he can help alleviate some of America's concerns when it comes to Iran's influence in Iraq and in the battlefield. Iran has been a vital entity when it comes to helping Iraq battle, fight against ISIS, taking action fairly quickly shortly after ISIS first swept through large portions of northern Iraq last summer. And there has been a fair amount of criticism towards the United States, saying that America has not done enough. Now, before boarding his plane, al Abadi did say that in recent weeks they had been seeing an increase in support from the United States, but again the bottom line is they want more. They cannot do this on their own. And al Abadi feels as if the U.S. or other nations have that a problem with a country like Iran need to leave those problems outside of the Iraqi arena. This country has long been a proxy battleground for various nations, various competing interesting. And a lot of people are really hoping that that, at the very least, is going to come to an end. And when we talk about the battle against ISIS, even though, yes, the Iraqi government had success when it comes to Tikrit, ISIS is striking back and striking back hard. Over the weekend, breaching the perimeter of the country's largest oil refinery in Baiji. Clashes there still ongoing in this vital piece of infrastructure. ISIS also making advances in al Anbar Province, taking over three villages, forcing residents to flee on foot. And then there is the violence in Baghdad, for which ISIS is not necessarily taking responsibility, but it goes to the daily struggles that Iraqis face on a regular basis. Yesterday, a car bomb exploding outside of a restaurant. And earlier today, a car bomb placed in, of all places, the parking lot of a hospital. So it's against this complicated backdrop that the prime minister makes his trip to Washington, is hoping to press his case for more American support for Iraq's fight against ISIS, and of course the many challenges his country is going to be facing moving forward. John.</s>BERMAN: Arwa Damon for us in Baghdad this morning. Thanks, Arwa.</s>ROMANS: New developments this morning in the police shooting of unarmed black man Walter Scott. The passenger in his car now when the deadly chase began, he is breaking his silence.