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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Secretary of State Pompeo: Denuclearization Before Sanctions Relief; President Trump To Be Briefed Today On Clinton E-Mail Report; World Cup 2018 Kicks Off Today In Russia. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired June 14, 2018 - 05:30   ET

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


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[05:31:08] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Verification is central to that. Complete denuclearization certainly encompasses that idea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: You won't read this in the official agreement but the secretary of state says verification is required for North Korea to denuclearize. Mike Pompeo has landed in China to keep up the sales pitch.

ROMANS: The president is briefed today on the FBI's actions before the 2016 election. The Justice Department watchdogs' report goes public today.

BRIGGS: And a possible tornado tears through northeast Pennsylvania. Buildings torn apart, cars overturned, and the power is out for thousands.

But did you know there's no more nuclear threat from North Korea?

ROMANS: Yes, all that --

BRIGGS: Did you sleep well last night?

ROMANS: Those ICBMs and the -- poof, they're just gone.

BRIGGS: I did not sleep well.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Dave Briggs.

ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It is 31 -- almost 32 minutes past the hour.

We begin with the latest on North Korea. The secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, on a nuclear shuttle diplomacy mission, landing this morning in Beijing. He will discuss North Korea with President Xi and other Chinese officials.

Overnight in Seoul, Pompeo underscored the U.S. view that any deal for North Korea to denuclearize must include verification.

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POMPEO: Sanctions relief cannot take place until such time as we have demonstrated that North Korea has been completely denuclearized.

The summit created this enormous historic opportunity for us to move forward together and fundamentally reshape the relationship between the United States and North Korea. A verification is central to that. Complete denuclearization certainly encompasses that idea very clearly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Pompeo pushing back against criticism the joint declaration signed by President Trump and Kim Jong Un did not have the words verifiable and irreversible. Pompeo called questions about the words omission quote, "insulting, ridiculous, and frankly, ludicrous."

For the latest, we turn to CNN's Matt Rivers, live in Beijing.

Matt, the stop in South Korea may be even more difficult than this one. Beijing -- they must be a very receptive and thrilled audience given what transpired.

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. The Chinese certainly not unhappy with the way that first day of the summit went for a number of different reasons, not the least of which would be those military exercises that the United States said that they will be likely suspending.

But going back to South Korea for a minute Dave, what we know is that the South Korean President Moon Jae-in did largely agree with what President Trump has said, saying that the world is a safer place backing away from the threat of nuclear war, at least for now.

We just got a line from the presidential office in South Korea saying that if North Korea delivers on the steps of denuclearization with genuine intention, that we need flexibility on military pressure towards North Korea. So he's talking about the military exercises there and at least not disagreeing with the Trump administration that the idea of them being removed is something to be considered.

That's something the Chinese would certainly agree with here and that's part of the conversation that we expect Secretary of State Pompeo to have not only with Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China, but also later on with President Xi Jinping.

We are expecting a quick press availability here with the secretary of state which CNN will, of course, be attending.

One thing they might not agree on -- sanctions. The Chinese looking for any excuse to roll back sanctions on North Korea. The Americans saying that they're not going to do that unless complete denuclearization happens. That's going to be on the table. But really, regarding those military exercises, there is agreement and we do know that the administration could announce as early as today that large-scale military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea scheduled for August could be now off the table -- Dave.

BRIGGS: All right, Matt Rivers live for us in Beijing. Thank you.

ROMANS: The Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will brief President Trump today on the FBI's handling of the Hillary Clinton e- mail probe prior to the 2016 election. The highly-anticipated and potentially explosive report from the Justice Department's inspector general -- it will be made public later in the day.

[05:35:12] Ahead of its release, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF SESSIONS, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I think it will help us better fix any problem that we have and reassure the American people that some of the concerns that have been raised are not true.

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ROMANS: Let's get more this morning from CNN's Laura Jarrett.

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LAURA JARRETT, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, good morning, Dave and Christine.

This highly-anticipated report from the internal watchdog at the Justice Department is expected to cover all of the key issues leading up to the 2016 election.

Everything from some of the more unusual moves from the former FBI director James Comey -- those public statements on the Clinton e-mail investigation that he made that we all remember so well -- to the tarmac meeting between then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and President Bill Clinton, where she came under fire for as it was in the middle of the Clinton e-mail investigation in 2016.

Now, Donald Trump, both on the campaign trail and as president, has called into question the legitimacy of the Clinton e-mail investigation, suggesting at times that the FBI had it rigged for Clinton. It was somehow biased in her favor.

So one of the key questions for the inspector general to look at will be how did the motives of the FBI impact the actual outcome of that investigation or whether he's more concerned with the process and whether they flouted department norms.

Dave and Christine, back to you.

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BRIGGS: All right. The I.G. report, a birthday present for President Trump. Thank you, Laura.

After Tuesday's primaries, no denying the GOP is now the party of Trump. Corey Stewart, indeed, a prime example. The projected Republican Senate nominee in Virginia winning despite refusing to criticize alt-right marchers after Charlottesville -- instead, attacking Republicans for apologizing too quickly.

Last night on "CUOMO PRIME TIME," Stewart was asked about his past support for openly anti-Semitic commentator Paul Nehlen.

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COREY STEWART (R), VIRGINIA SENATE CANDIDATE: You know, when you're losing the argument you know what you do? You know what the left does? They play the race card. They place the race card.

We have a president -- we have a president that has guided this country to --

CHRIS CUOMO, HOST, CNN "CUOMO PRIME TIME": And you don't think that card applies to the people that you've hung out with, with a confederate flag waving around?

STEWART: You never want to condemn the extremism on your own side of the aisle --

CUOMO: There is none on my side of the aisle. My aisle is the truth.

STEWART: -- and I have condemned that extremism time and time again.

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ROMANS: All right. Senator Cory Gardner heads up the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He tells CNN his committee does not plan to endorse Stewart.

Let's bring in CNN political reporter Tal Kopan, live in Washington. Good morning, again.

Let's talk a little bit -- you know, we've talked about this sort of hostile takeover of the Republican Party but it appears that the Republican Party is now made in the Trump image. I mean, I think there's no question this week.

BRIGGS: No question.

ROMANS: And you look at these polls numbers -- 87 percent of Republicans approve of the president's -- the president's performance here.

Then you hear Sen. Bob Corker. This is what he said yesterday about where his party is going -- listen.

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SEN. BOB CORKER (R), TENNESSEE: We're in a strange place. I mean, it's almost, you know -- I mean, it's becoming a cultish thing, isn't it?

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ROMANS: And he's talking about how it's about the president and the president's personality over policy -- over platform for the party. It's the president over the party.

And this is what Ronna McDaniel, who is the RNC chairwoman, said. "Complacency is our enemy. Anyone that does not embrace the Donald Trump agenda of making America great again will be making a mistake."

And then, Meghan McCain tweeted back, "Is this a threat, Ronna?"

You can see this battle within the establishment -- the middle-of-the- road moderate Republican establishment, I think, right?

BRIGGS: Well, not just that because Mark Sanford and Jeff Flake used to be two --

ROMANS: That's right, that's right.

BRIGGS: -- conservatives for the Republican Party --

ROMANS: That's right.

BRIGGS: -- and they're on their way out.

ROMANS: Tal, what do you make of it?

TAL KOPAN, REPORTER, "CNN POLITICS": Yes. I mean, when you talk about a transformation of the Republican Party that's certainly what we're watching unfold. And the president, when he was running during the campaign and during the primary, was espousing things that were not traditional Republican dogma.

Certainly, there are some key issues along the way that he fits in exactly with the Republican image that we've come to know over time. And remember how important that Supreme Court seat was --

ROMANS: Sure.

KOPAN: -- to a lot of Republicans.

But along the way he espoused these ideas on trade and protectionism that really have not found a home in the Republican Party traditionally, and the voters voted for him.

And so you have a lot of Republican lawmakers who are doing some soul- searching and trying to figure out where can they disagree with the president on policy. What do their voters actually want?

All politics are local to a certain extent and it really sort of depends district-by-district. Are lawmakers putting in the work? Are they actually in touch with what their voters think or do they think they're in touch with what voters think?

[05:40:02] BRIGGS: Yes.

KOPAN: A lot of lawmakers on Capitol Hill are grappling with these questions.

ROMANS: Was it John Kasich, last week, who said that the Republican Party's asleep somewhere? Who was it who said that?

KOPAN: John Boehner -- Boehner, Boehner, Boehner, yes.

ROMANS: That was John Boehner, that's right.

BRIGGS: Boehner, a couple of weeks ago, said there is no Republican Party. It's the party of Trump.

One of the issues that they are divided over, of course, is immigration. And boy, Paul Ryan has his hands full on the way out the door because two paths have emerged in terms of the path forward.

And the first one, a conservative bill that is not expected to pass. And the second, a compromise bill that "Breitbart" calls this morning, "potentially the biggest amnesty in U.S. history."

Where is the House headed on immigration and where is the president?

KOPAN: Well, Dave and Christine, I feel like we talk about this all the time. It's always a safe bet to bet against legislation getting passed --

BRIGGS: Yes.

KOPAN: -- with the way our Congress works.

Look, the compromise bill is outlined and it is not written yet. It is in the process of being written. When it gets written down, some of those bullet points may look different when you actually start to see them in legislative language and you may see some people walk away from the table.

And even before when it was just in outline form, no one would guarantee that it has the 218 votes among the Republican Party necessary to pass. Democrats are not expected to help on this piece of legislation.

So, right now, we don't exactly know what's going to happen next week. The fact that they're having a vote is still significant. This is not something anyone anticipated happening right before the midterm elections is to have a vote on one of the most hot-button political issues on the House floor. So just having the vote, in a way, is substantial but we don't know if it's going to pass.

We do know the White House did send Stephen Miller up to the Hill yesterday to endorse the process that is unfolding for the compromise --

ROMANS: Yes.

KOPAN: -- and support it.

Paul Ryan conveyed that he's spoken with the president and he's supportive.

But again, until those details are written down and we see the text, no one's banking on anyone's vote at this moment.

BRIGGS: Yes. Immigration, legislation ahead of the midterms. I don't think we'll hold our breath on that one.

Tal Kopan, thanks for the analysis. Have a great day.

ROMANS: Thanks, Tal.

BRIGGS: All right. Ahead, a possible tornado in northeast Pennsylvania overnight. The storm, stretching up to a mile wide, collapsed buildings, flipped cars, and left several injured.

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[05:47:07] BRIGGS: Breaking overnight, strong storms hammer parts of northeast Pennsylvania causing extensive damage. Several buildings collapsed, cars were overturned, with some people trapped in and around the Wilkes-Barre area. CNN is told six people were hurt.

ROMANS: The storm left behind shattered storefronts and major damage to businesses. There's an ongoing natural gas leak as well.

The storm's path stretched from half a mile to a mile wide in parts. The area was under a tornado warning at the time.

BRIGGS: Republicans versus Democrats on the diamond tonight. The 2018 congressional baseball game at National Stadium in Washington comes a year to the day after Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise was shot and seriously wounded at a Republican team practice.

The coach for the GOP squad, Texas Congressman Roger Williams, telling the A.P. Scalise is expected to be his starting second-baseman tonight. No word if the president will attend.

"NEW DAY" about 10 minutes away. John Berman back from Singapore.

ROMANS: Hello, John.

BRIGGS: How we doing with that jet lag, my friend?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Just flew in and boy, are my arms tired. No, look, it was about 20 hours in the air and about 21 hours to get back from JFK to home. It's complicated.

But look, I mean, the fallout from this meeting still very much going on. The president doing interviews, talking about Kim Jong Un as being very tough -- you know, needs to be very tough in his country -- seems to equivocate on some of the human rights record there.

It will be very interesting to see what the impact of that is here politically in the United States on some of those Republican support. That's one of the things we'll be looking at this morning.

ROMANS: All right.

BRIGGS: Humanizing a murderous dictator and demonizing the American media. It's just another day in 2018 --

ROMANS: Yes.

BRIGGS: -- John Berman.

BERMAN: It's Thursday. It's Thursday.

ROMANS: It's Thursday.

BRIGGS: We'll see you in a little bit. Thank you.

ROMANS: Everybody let us -- let us know @JohnBerman what do you think of his dad -- bad dad jokes, too. Bad dad jokes, every day.

Let's get a check on "CNN Money" this morning.

Global stocks falling overnight. Wall Street closed lower after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates and hinted that faster hikes are on the way.

Fed chair Jerome Powell now plans to hold news conferences after every meeting instead of every other. Investors think this means the Fed may raise rates more frequently in 2019. And, you know, higher borrowing costs could eat into corporate profits.

Also a concern, trade. The Trump administration may hit China with $50 billion in tariffs as early as tomorrow, adding another front to America's trade war.

A federal judge approved AT&T's purchase of Time Warner, parent of CNN.

So now, Comcast is officially crashing Disney's bid for Fox. In December, Fox agreed to sell Disney its entertainment companies for $52 billion. But now, Comcast is formally offering a higher all-cash bid of $65 billion.

That sets the stakes in a bidding war which was great for Fox shares. Look at that. The stock price jumped eight percent yesterday to a record high.

Apple is making it harder for law enforcement to break into iPhones. Apple introduced a new feature that blocks third-party hacking tools from gaining access. It disables data transfers through the port, the popular method for law enforcement.

[05:50:07] This will likely reignite tensions between Apple and the U.S. government. Law enforcement wants tech companies to include backdoors on their devices for when they're fighting crime. Tech companies object. They are citing privacy concerns.

Privacy versus crime.

BRIGGS: Likely, we have not heard the end of that -- OK.

ROMANS: No, we haven't.

BRIGGS: I.Q. scores are falling and new research says genetics are not the reason.

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[05:55:08] BRIGGS: One day after the U.S., Mexico, and Canada were chosen as combined hosts for the 2026 World Cup, the 2018 tournament kicks off today. Host Russia plays Saudi Arabia in the opening match. Over the next month, you've got 64 matches in 12 venues.

Let's bring in CNN's Alex Thomas live in Moscow.

So, we've got just a couple of hours until that 11:00 a.m. match but you say this is not exactly the best of the best the World Cup has to offer, huh?

ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: No, Russia and Saudi Arabia are the two lowest-ranked teams in the tournament -- 70th in the world for the host, 67th in the rankings for Saudi Arabia. Nonetheless, the atmosphere and the occasion should lift that beyond what otherwise would be maybe a match that soccer aficionados would choose to forget.

And along with the game itself, the general atmosphere here in Russia has definitely improved over the last few days. On Saturday when I arrived, you couldn't even tell that the biggest event of the world's most popular sport was happening here in Russia. Now, you certainly can.

All morning outside of Red Square here vuvuzelas and fans chanting, really adding to the carnival nature. As far as Russian organizers are concerned that's what they're hoping for. They're hoping the politics and global situation are forgotten and people can just enjoy it for sport.

Host Russia trying to avoid an unwanted record of becoming the first host country to lose their opening game. I don't think the expectations of the locals are very high.

Before the soccer gets underway we're going to have an opening ceremony featuring international pop star Robbie Williams and also, a local Russian opera singer, too.

And they're hoping -- well, they're calling it a musical extravaganza. I'll leave it up to you whether or not you agree with them. But certainly, they're trying to put on a good show for the world here.

BRIGGS: I agree, my friend. I've got Spain -- they play Friday. You've got Argentina -- they play Saturday. So today not great, but some great action on the way.

Thank you, Alex. ROMANS: All right. This one's a real troubling story here, I.Q. scores. I.Q. scores have been declining steadily for decades and a new study says environmental factors are to blame, not genetics.

Researchers analyzed the I.Q. scores of Norwegian men born between 1962 and 1991. Findings show scores fell for those born after 1975. Similar studies in Denmark, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Finland, and Estonia showed similar trends.

Researchers have long used genes to explain variations in intelligence but the new study points to possible environmental factors like changes in the education system, in the media environment, nutrition, reading less, and being online more.

BRIGGS: OK.

A giant dust storm on Mars threatening NASA's Opportunity rover. Over just a few days, Martian skies have darkened considerably. June seventh on the left, June 10th on the right.

Opportunity operates on solar energy, so with the light blocked the rover has put itself to sleep. It hasn't been heard from since Sunday.

The storm itself is huge, covering an area the size of North America and Russia combined. But, Opportunity is pretty hearty, designed for a 90-day mission but has lasted 15 years.

ROMANS: OK, my favorite story; Dave's favorite story, too. The raccoon that climbed 25 stories on a Minnesota skyscraper and set social media on fire --

BRIGGS: Look at that guy.

ROMANS: -- is back in her natural habitat.

BRIGGS: Girl.

ROMANS: Officials say #mprraccoon was captured in a trap on the roof of the high-rise, baited with delicious soft cat food. She was taken to a private residential property in the Twin Cities suburbs for release. Finally, she ran off into the woods.

Although I think they have like a 60-mile radius, so she could come back.

BRIGGS: I hope so. Make another effort. I want to see the UBS raccoon, as I prefer to call her.

OK. Dodger Stadium the scene of a good old-fashioned basebrawl last night. The Dodgers' Matt Kemp trying to score but goes right through the Rangers' catcher there. You're not supposed to block the plate. You're not supposed to run over the catcher according to the new rules. But hey --

ROMANS: You're not supposed to do any of that, either. BRIGGS: -- you're not supposed to clear the benches as both teams did. No punches were thrown. Both Robinson Chirinos and Matt Kemp were ejected from the game.

I'm not sure anyone did anything wrong there. The throw took him into the path and you can't slide under that tag. That's good old- fashioned baseball -- love it.

ROMANS: All right. Thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.

BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. "NEW DAY" starts right now. We'll see you tomorrow.