North Korea Confirms Nuclear Test; State of the Union Tonight; Interview with Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois
ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN ANCHOR: The blast heard around the world. North Korea claiming another nuclear test.</s>JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Counting down to the State of the Union address, with President Obama set to challenge the Republican Party. A congressional Republican joins us live.</s>SAMBOLIN: And the Catholic Church with a big void to fill. We'll look at who could be on the short list to replace Pope Benedict XVI. Welcome back to EARLY START. Happy to have you with us this morning. I'm Zoraida Sambolin.</s>BERMAN: And I'm John Berman. I'm in Washington, D.C. today for the State of the Union, which is tonight. We will have more on that speech just moments away.</s>SAMBOLIN: All right. Looking forward to that. But, first, we have some developments overnight. North Korea has done it again. The nation's state-run news agency reporting that it has successfully conducted a third underground nuclear test. And reaction is pouring in from around the world. In just a few hours, the U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting and the U.S. is taking this test very seriously. So, let's bring in CNN's Barbara Starr. She is live at the Pentagon. And, obviously, this test is worrisome. There's a lot of public condemnation. But behind the scenes, Barbara, what is the deeper concern.</s>BERMAN: Have you read the "Esquire" story of the SEAL with bin Laden --</s>BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Look, Zoraida, one of the biggest problems right now is whether or not North Korea really has achieved a miniaturized bomb. They say they set off a smaller, more lethal explosive, if you will. Miniaturization is key. That means they could possibly put a small warhead on a missile sooner than expected and deliver it to a target. So, now, the CIA, the Pentagon, all has to look at this to determine what they set off and essentially now work backwards. If it was a miniaturized bomb, what did it take North Korea to get there? Where did they get the technology, the engineering, the expertise, the money to do it? They're going to look at what it would have taken North Korea to achieve what they say they achieved and trying to figure out how they did it and who might have helped them -- Zoraida.</s>SAMBOLIN: And you say that because there's been a lot of skepticism as to where they are in this program right now.</s>STARR: That's exactly right. You know, the U.S. has, you know, behind the scenes, has been very skeptical for years. But, look, in December, they successfully launched a long-range ballistic missile, by all accounts, a successful underground nuclear test. So they are achieving some level of expertise in their technology, and engineering. And that is vital if they are getting the help potentially and we don't know from Iran, from Pakistan. These are key issues that there might be people in those countries helping them. And is North Korea then sharing what it knows, its expertise now, back with countries like Iran?</s>SAMBOLIN: Yes, it raises --</s>STARR: This is --</s>SAMBOLIN: Yes, it raises a lot of questions.</s>STARR: This is a nuclear hub nobody wants to see.</s>SAMBOLIN: You know, I want to get your perspective on something. It's the timing of this, with the State of the Union address. Coincidental?</s>STARR: Well, you know, you got to wonder, don't you? I mean, tonight, we expect President Obama had every intention of announcing additional cuts in the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal. This is something he has been trying to achieve. The incoming Secretary of Defense Hagel wants to see. Now, will the president do it? Zoraida?</s>SAMBOLIN: All right. Barbara Starr, live at the Pentagon, thank you very much. Wondering now if the president will actually address this tonight. John, what do you think?</s>BERMAN: You know, he will talk about foreign policy. Foreign policy will not be the thrust of the speech, we're told. The economy, jobs, other issues. But when he talks about foreign policy, it's a pretty safe bet now that North Korea will be on his mind. Of course, the president set to give that address tonight at 9:00 Eastern Time. Reports, though, indicate that he may do a little bit more finger-pointing this time than reaching across the aisle. Congressman Adam Kinzinger is a Republican from Illinois. Thanks for joining us this morning.</s>REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R), ILLINOIS: Hey. Good to be here. Thanks.</s>BERMAN: So, everyone is talking about the president's tone. There were some Republicans who were not happy with the tone of the inaugural address and we're getting some previews about how the president may sound tonight. And Glenn Thrush at "Politico" says that his sources say the president will pay lip service to bipartisanship, but don't expect anything like the call for peaceful collaboration that defined his first to a joint session of Congress in 2009.</s>KINZINGER: This is more of the same. I mean, and this is what's sad. I think this is an opportunity. The president has an amazing opportunity to say big things, to call Republicans and Democrats together, to say, look, both sides are going to have to accept things they don't want in order to solve the huge problems in this country and, frankly, for future generations. I mean, that's what's missing, the discussion of what happens next with the next generation of Americans and, unfortunately, you know, to descend back to partisan rhetoric when you have such an amazing opportunity here. I sat, you know, 30 yards from the president in the inauguration and I really did expect him to talk about those big opportunities, something large, and didn't hear it. I just heard some rhetoric. And, again, tonight, I hope if his goal is right now to do this partisan speech, I hope he changes his mind today and rewrites the speech and comes to work with the Republicans.</s>BERMAN: There are issues on both sides of the aisle.</s>KINZINGER: Sure.</s>BERMAN: You look what's happening with the audience tonight, with the Republican congressman from Texas bringing Ted Nugent, a rocker and gun rights advocate who's had some really harsh things to say about the president. Does that set the right tone?</s>KINZINGER: Well, look, I mean, that's -- you know, each congressman gets to bring one person with them. I'm bringing my sister tonight. In my mind, it's that we have really big issues. A $16.5 trillion debt that youth have to pay for, we've got an energy crisis in this country. We have a jobs crisis in the country. There's a lot that needs to be done. There's a real opportunity to come together. And trust me, the tone out here has to change. The personal has to go away and we have to work together.</s>BERMAN: But don't you think bringing Ted Nugent could be seen as a little provocative.</s>KINZINGER: Well, look, bringing -- again, he has his choice. I'm not going to criticize him on the air, but I will say, in the big picture, this is a huge deal tonight, a huge opportunity for both sides to come together. I'm a member of a group called No Labels, which brings Republicans and Democrats together to say let's find common-ground solutions, because, frankly, our kids and grandkids, which I don't have yet, but I will someday, I hope, are relying on this --</s>BERMAN: How is the No Labels thing going so far? Are you encouraged, discouraged? It's been going on for a few months now.</s>KINZINGER: No, I'm very encouraged. It's an opportunity again for both sides to come together and have these discussions that need to happen. And so, no budget, no pay. This is an idea out of No Labels, and I think this is the beginning of shifting the tone in Washington from the personal to actually getting some things done.</s>BERMAN: You are on the foreign affairs economy.</s>KINZINGER: I am.</s>BERMAN: Overnight, we had news that there's explosion in North Korea, some kind of nuclear test we suspect. What are your feelings about that?</s>KINZINGER: That's scary. You know, once again, at a point in the sequester of hollowing out our military. We have to have a real discussion tonight with how to avert that, but have real cuts, and this is pretty scary. So --</s>BERMAN: It's interesting. You know, Congressman Matt Cartwright brought up the sequester also on the issue of North Korea.</s>KINZINGER: Yes. I think this is important. It's important for us to work together to avert the cuts to the military, but have real cuts because right now, our spending cut is out of control.</s>BERMAN: All right. Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Republican, thank you for joining us.</s>KINZINGER: Great to be here. Thanks.</s>BERMAN: Have fun tonight.</s>KINZINGER: Yes.</s>BERMAN: You can watch the president's State of the Union address tonight live on CNN. Our coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Catch all the highlights, all the best bits of analysis tomorrow morning on EARLY START, live here from Washington, beginning at 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time -- Zoraida.</s>SAMBOLIN: All right. Thank you. And taking a look at top some of the CNN trends, the first of two tug boats reached the Carnival cruise ship that was drifting in the Gulf of Mexico Monday night, or is drifting, I should say. It will begin towing the ship and the more than 4,200 people that are on board to a port in Alabama. It is expected to arrive sometime Thursday. A spokesman for Carnival cruise line says it was an engine fire that has left that ship stranded since Sunday. So, also, turning. Take a look at this folks. That's lightning strike. It's a sign from above perhaps? This happens just hours after Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation. Lightning actually struck the Vatican. I was looking online to see if it's ever good news, if it's ever to get struck by lightning. But I think the answer is no. Thirty-eight minutes past the hour. It's a test of patience this morning for the people still stuck at home in 40 inches of snow after the Northeast blizzard. A live look just ahead.