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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Gun Control Standoff on Capitol Hill; Trump Speech Slams Clinton's Character; Clinton Hits Back at Trump's "Outlandish Lies"; Brexit Voting Begins in U.K. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired June 23, 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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[04:31:29] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is time for a real debate on these issues.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Radical Islam!

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REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: House to be in order. The chair wishes to make an announcement regarding the decorum in the House chamber.

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ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news this morning: an historic takeover of Congress. House Democrats refusing to leave the floor until there is a vote on gun control, a tense standoff with Republicans.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Alison Kosik. Good morning.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Alison. And good morning to you watching. I'm Ryan Nobles. It is 32 minutes past the hour.

And breaking news right now: a dramatic standoff overnight in the House of Representatives. Democrats seizing the floor, demanding a vote on gun control legislation before the House goes on its July 4th break. The tension exploding after 10:00 p.m. with a chant of "no bill, no break."

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CROWD: No break.

No bill.

No break.

No bill.

No break.

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NOBLES: Emotions in the House veering from anger to frustration as protesting lawmakers and constituents take to singing in front of the Capitol.

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CROWD (singing): God bless America, my home --

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NOBLES: The 16-hour House sit-in led by civil rights icon, Representative John Lewis of Georgia. Just over an hour ago, Republican leaders adjourned, and then, minutes later, Lewis and House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer spoke about the need for gun legislation and how they plan to get it passed.

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REP. STENY HOYER (D), DEMOCRATIC WHIP: There is an epidemic of gun violence in America and that we need to pass legislation to make America and Americans safer. In the dead of night with business unfinished.

REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: Little more than 50 years ago, I crossed the bridge. Not just one time, but it took us three times to make it all the way from Selma to Montgomery. We have other bridges to cross and when we come back in July, we will start all over again.

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NOBLES: And in just the last hour, Republican leaders adjourned.

Let's get the latest now and bring in CNN politics reporter Eric Bradner who has been on Capitol Hill during all the theatrics.

So, Eric, just get us up to speed right now. Are there Democrats still sitting on the House floor at the Capitol right now?

ERIC BRADNER, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: There are. There are Democrats still here at the House and still talking about gun control, even though Republicans have adjourned. That means they're leaving town. They're leaving Washington and giving Democrats basically no opposition party to debate, no House floor proceedings to try and interrupt in order to force Republicans hands and get votes on these gun control measures that they're advocating.

So, really right now, what we're seeing is the end of a 16-hour commandeering of the House floor by Democrats. It started Wednesday morning and continued into the wee Thursday morning hours.

Republicans really thought they were going to sort of take back momentum and regain control when they went out of session, essentially meaning the House cameras were turned off, the view that we're used to seeing on C-Span.

[04:35:07] But Democrats had a counter move. They used the video streaming app Periscope to actually start broadcasting themselves, talking about gun control and doing the sit-in. So, that kind of forced Republicans to recalibrate, and the move they came up with was to vote on an unrelated Zika funding bill and then wrap up business and leave town until July 5th, sort of hoping to take the wind out of Democrats sails.

Now, the big question is, what's next for Democrats? There are some still here at about 4:30 a.m. Eastern Time in the House. But what we're expecting is much smaller scale sorts of protests in the coming days as Democrats try to figure out what they can do once the House is back on July 5th.

KOSIK: So, Eric, as this has been going on, we saw Paul Ryan come out and say, look, this is nothing more than a PR stunt. He spoke to our Wolf Blitzer earlier in the day yesterday. Listen to this.

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REP. PAUL RYAN (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: This is nothing morning than a publicity stunt. That's point number one. Point number two is this bill was already defeated in the United States Senate. Number three, we are not going to take away a citizen's due process rights. We are not going to take away a citizen's constitutional rights without due process.

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KOSIK: Was this really the sit-in more smoke and mirrors because the reality is no matter how long they would sit there, even if the Democrats continue sitting while Congress is in recess next week, it wouldn't do anything because these amendments have already been voted down?

BRADNER: Right, right. It is pointed to point out any victory the Democrats claim is a public relations victory. Not a public policy victory.

Republicans had already voted down these measures. In many ways, this is an episode we have seen before. After mass shootings, such as the most recent in Orlando, Democrats advocate gun control measures. Republicans cite Second Amendment concerns argue that the focus should be on combating terrorism, that sort of thing.

These same measures have been voted down before. And while Republicans control the House and Senate, there is not likely an avenue to move forward.

So, what Democrats were really trying to do is play up their position, get a lot of public attention to the issue. So that they can really hit Republicans on it headed into November. Sort of make gun control what's at stake in this year's elections.

We also have seen the Democrats send their supporters several fund raising solicitations pointing out what they did on the House floor and asking their supporters to chip in to defeat Republicans.

So, this is absolutely a public relations move for Democrats. They might have a key talking point headed into November. They don't have any public policy victories at this point.

NOBLES: And, Eric, we're learning a bit about the Democrats now they're united. There was some hand wringing over whether this was the best tactic. It was actually Congressman John Lewis, who was best known for the work he did in the civil rights era and leading the march over the bridge in Selma. It was John Lewis to encourage Democrats to stay a dramatic step.

I want to play a sound byte from Lewis earlier in the day, in the midst of all of this protest.

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LEWIS: We are calling on the leadership in the House to bring common sense gun control legislation to the House floor. Give us a vote. Let us vote. We came here to do our job. We came here to work.

The American people demand action. Do we have the courage? Do we have raw courage to make at least a down payment on any gun violence in America?

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NOBLES: John Lewis not a young man, Eric, but he was there all night as well. How important was his leadership in this moment? Would it have happened if Lewis wasn't so passionate about encouraging his colleagues to take this step?

BRADNER: It's a great question because John Lewis was absolutely essentially. He is a moral compass as sorts for House Democrats. They followed him to the sit-in. They likely would not if anyone else organized it. He has been at forefront huddling with Democrats to talk strategy on the House floor throughout the evening and talk about next steps. He stepped to the podium here just after 3:00 a.m. Eastern Time to talk about what would come next to insist he plans to keep this up.

But John Lewis's status as a civil rights icon definitely gives him a moral standing with House Democrats that can unify them around him and this cause. Sort of led them to back an effort that is not unprecedented, but highly unusual. We can only think of about three of these sorts of sit-ins in recent decades. So, it was highly unusual move and Lewis's leadership was absolutely key.

NOBLES: We can see how many Democrats wanted to make sure they had their picture taken with the Congressman Lewis. KOSIK: Cameras off. No problem. We've got our cell phones.

All right. Eric Bradner, thanks very much.

BRADNER: Thank you.

KOSIK: Breaking overnight. Donald Trump answering Republican concerns about his anemic fund raising by pulling in $11 million in less than two days. Republicans say Trump and his joint fundraising with the RNC hauled in $5 million online since Tuesday morning. Add that to the $6 million brought in by high dollar fund raising event in New York on Tuesday night. This after the Trump campaign reported ending May with just $1.3 million cash on hand.

On Wednesday, Trump tried to seize control of another aspect of the political narrative with the scorching attack on Hillary Clinton's character. Trump blasting Clinton as a, quote, "world class liar" and a tool of big business.

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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: The other candidate in this race has spent her entire life making money for special interests and I will tell you, she's made plenty of money for them and she's been taking plenty of money out for herself. Hillary Clinton has perfected the politics of personal profit and even theft.

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KOSIK: Let's get more now from CNN's Jim Acosta here in New York.

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JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Alison and Ryan, Donald Trump's speech which may as well be dubbed operation pivot to the general election is receiving positive reviews inside the GOP. Aided by teleprompter, Trump stayed on script and delivered a blistering attack on Hillary Clinton, the kind of address his party has been craving for months.

Trump did make a number of false statements in the speech, such as claiming he opposed the Iraq war even though he was caught on tape supporting the invasion. But party insiders are cheering how he is framing the battle against Hillary Clinton.

Here's what he had to say.

TRUMP: She believes she is entitled to the office. Her campaign slogan is "I'm with her". You know what my response is to that? I'm with you, the American people.

ACOSTA: Trump later turned that line "I'm with you" into a hashtag on Twitter. Another sign of his campaign stepped up communication efforts that became evident almost immediately after the firing of campaign manager Corey Lewandowski -- Alison and Ryan.

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NOBLES: Jim, thank you.

Hillary Clinton firing back at Trump in a scathing speech of her own, slamming his, quote, "outlandish lies" and conspiracy theories. Clinton also using Wednesday's speech in Raleigh to lay out key parts of her economic agenda -- a five-point blueprint to bring back a booming economy, including plans for infrastructure, debt free college and higher wages for working Americans.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: First, let's break through the dysfunction in Washington.

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To make the biggest investment in new good-paying jobs since World War II. Let's make college debt-free for all.

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Let's rewrite the rules. Some more companies share profits with their employees and fewer shipped profits and jobs overseas.

Every American willing to work hard should be able to find a job that pays enough to support a family.

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NOBLES: More now from senior correspondent Brianna Keilar, traveling with the Clinton campaign.

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BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Ryan and Alison, this speech was much more about Hillary Clinton's economic policy proposals than her scathing speech about Donald Trump on Tuesday.

She talked about increasing the minimum wage, paid family medical leave, college affordability. But she did take some time to hit Donald Trump.

CLINTON: He has no strategy for creating jobs, just a string of empty promises. Maybe we shouldn't expect better from someone whose famous words are "you're fired".

Well, here's what I want you to know -- I do have a jobs program and as president, I'm going to make sure that you hear, "You're hired."

KEILAR: The CNN reality check team took a look at Clinton's remarks. They found some of it checked out, for instance her claim that the U.S. is the only developed nation that does not have paid family medical leave.

[04:45:00] But one thing in particular really stood out, and that was her claim that in the '90s, the earnings gap between white Americans and black Americans narrowed. That, of course, is when her husband was in the White House. The reality check time finding that is not true. While overall Americans did earn more in the '90s, that gap has been persistent for decades -- Ryan and Alison.

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KOSIK: All right, Brianna. Thanks for that.

Rebounding from tragedy. Pulse owners hoping to show the Orlando gay community is alive and well. That's next.

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KOSIK: Welcome back.

The owner of the Pulse nightclub says that she and her staff plan to hold a Latin night street party tonight to show the heartbeat of Orlando is still strong, even after the devastating attack. The party is going to take place a couple of miles away from Pulse, which is still close. Meantime, a group of people traveled from Hawaii to Orlando bringing with them a mile-long lei of love to honor the 49 shooting victims.

[04:50:06] NOBLES: Baltimore police bracing for possible protests after a judge delivers his verdict this morning in the latest Freddie Gray trial. Officer Caesar Goodson who drove the police van is accused of second-degree murder, the most serious charge faced by any of the six Baltimore cops in the arrest and death of Gray. Officer Edward Nero was acquitted last month. The first trial ended in a hung jury.

Florida wildlife officials say they are sure the alligator that fatally attacked the toddler at a Disney World resort has been killed. They say the gator was euthanized. Two-year-old Lane Graves was wading in the lagoon when the alligator pulled him into the water. Searchers found the boy's body the next day.

KOSIK: Time for an early start on your money. Markets are mixed around the world. Asian markets closed higher. European stocks slightly higher. Stock futures in the green.

We are keeping an eye on the voting in the United Kingdom on the question whether to exit the European Union. Will the U.K. stay or leave the E.U.? And Wall Street is trading cautiously until that vote comes in.

Yesterday, the Dow lost 49 points yesterday. The NASDAQ ended lower.

Also a pretty bad day for Tesla, closing nearly 11 percent lower after Elon Musk's electric car company proposed buying the company SolarCity. We are keeping an eye on stocks today, especially tomorrow. The vote expected to come in before the opening bell tomorrow. Rumor has it if there is a vote to leave the E.U., investors are expecting a selloff.

NOBLES: So, that's why even though you might not live in Britain, your 4(k) could be affected in a big way.

KOSIK: Yes.

NOBLES: All right.

KOSIK: Brand new report out. The Social Security fund will be tapped dry by 2034. What does that mean for your benefits? That's next.

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[04:56:07] NOBLES: Polls are open in the United Kingdom and turnout for the Brexit vote is expected to be high as Brits decide to leave the European Union or remain. A vote to exit the E.U. would be historic, profoundly reshaping Europe, while impacting global markets.

So, let's go live now to London and bring in senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir.

Nima, weather is always a key whenever there is voting. What is the weather like in London today?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the weather definitely is not playing along. Forecasters are saying we should expect a few months worth of rainfall just within the next few hours. We have seen a pretty drastic impact on transport links. People say they're unable to leave their homes.

It was actually difficult for us to get in north London this morning. It is really causing both sides of the debate to bite down on their fingernails, because pollsters who have been vocal about the fact they really don't have a sense of which way this will go say at the least, they do know they expect this to be close and really every vote in this counts.

It has gotten down to the wire to the extent that people are looking at maps of the projected voting patterns and looking at what the weather is going to be like in those areas. So, down here in London in the Southeast, it's going to be very rainy and very difficult to get out of the house. This is an area that was projected to be pro staying in the European Union.

Up in the northern territories, the weather is looking much better. That is giving those in the remain camp pause for concern. This is, as you said, about Britain staying within Europe but fundamentally Britain's place in the world.

That is the message we have been getting not just publicly from President Obama, but privately from those within the security agencies within the U.S. we have seen the impact financially that this could have. We really don't have a sense of what impact this will have on international cooperation, on terror, on security, on the mass movement of people. What is a Europe and what is the world going to look like without Britain's place at Europe's top table? Here this is such a fraught debate with rhetoric coming out of both sides.

And so, many people disagreeing within their families are telling us, Ryan, they just want to get today over and done with r d find out what tomorrow will bring for this country -- Ryan.

NOBLES: Even a country that is used to rain being impacted by the weather there on this crucial vote.

Nima, thank you for that report.

KOSIK: Such big geopolitical and economic considerations there.

All right. Let's get an early start on your money. Markets are mixed around the world. Asian markets closed mostly higher. European stocks are slightly higher, and so are U.S. stock futures.

Voting, as you heard, is under way in the U.K. on this question of membership in the E.U. Will the U.K. stay or leave the European Union? Wall Street very cautiously until that vote comes in.

Now, there is some economic data coming up out later today. We're going to be getting numbers on initial jobless claims, and new home sales and BlackBerry reporting before the markets open.

Social Security trust fund will be tapped dry in about 18 years. That's according to a brand new report by the Social Security and Medicare trustees. So, what does that mean?

At that point, the fund will only have enough revenue coming in to pay 79 percent of promised benefits. So, that means if you are expected to get a $2,000 check per month, the program will only pay about $1,500.

What would it take to make Social Security solvent? Well, increasing the Social Security payroll tax, cutting benefits or some combination between the two.

The Cavaliers big win meant big business for the NBA's online store. Monday was the store's best shopping day ever. The team's home city hadn't won a major championship in more than 50 years. And fans wasted no time buying commemorative memorabilia. Cavs fans broke last year's sales numbers in just nine hours after the team won.