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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Political Upheaval In Mexico; Collins Won't Support Nominee Hostile To Roe v. Wade; Lebron A Laker; The Future Of ICE; What President Trump Wants In SCOTUS Nominee; Summer Scorcher. Aired 04- 04:30a ET
Aired July 02, 2018 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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DAVE BRIGGS, EARLY START SHOW CO-HOST: Breaking news overnight. A major leadership shift in Mexico. Voters sweep a populous into the presidency is already sending warning signals to President Trump.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would not support a nominee who demonstrated hostility to Roe v. Wade.
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CHRISTINE ROMANS, EARLY START SHOW CO-HOST: A warning shot from one of the Republicans critical to confirming the next Supreme Court Justice. Susan Collins wants precedence perspective for a woman's right to choose.
BRIGGS: And Lebron goes Hollywood. The NBA superstar signs a four- year deal with the Lakers. I expect Lebron to be its own sign there next to the Hollywood sign. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to "Early Start." 1:00 a.m. in Los Angeles. Congrats to all the Lakers fan, I am Dave Briggs.
ROMANS: Lebron land.
BRIGGS: Yes, a parade for Lebron's arrival in L.A.
ROMANS: And I am Christine Romans. It is Monday, July 2nd, it is holiday week folks, and it is 4:00 a.m. in the East. Let's begin with this.
Breaking overnight political upheaval in Mexico. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador winning the Mexican presidency in a landslide, and he will be the country's first leftist President. The former Mexico City mayor triumphed against opponents from two parties that have ruled Mexico City for nearly a century.
BRIGGS: All of the candidates opposed President Trump immigration and trade policy and anti-Mexican rhetoric, after the victory Lopez Obrador vowed to seek friendship in cooperation with the United States with the relationship quote always rooted in mutual respect and in defense of our migrant countrymen who work and live honestly in that country. The president tweeting his congratulations to AM Lopez, he is known. CNN's Patrick Oppmann in Mexico City for us.
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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What many are calling a revolution for this country? You see people pouring into the square behind me to celebrate an event they never thought would take place, the election of a leftist populous candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. He is been running for President now for over a decade. This is his third attempt at the office. Previous attempts he said kept him from gaining office, because of corruption. Not right now, though.
He has more than defeated the opposition. That is because more of Mexican society many feel over the years, but this election he managed to reach out. And so many people were struck by his anti-Trump message, his message against the violence that is rocking this country, but now the harder questions will begin to emerge. How will he govern? How will he, for example, confront Donald Trump issues that are so unpopular, like the wall, like the trade war? So those questions still remain, but Mexicans are outright now celebrating this very unlikely victory. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Mexico City.
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BRIGGS: All right. Patrick, quite a scene there in Mexico City. Democrats meanwhile find themselves in in a critical crossroads this morning over the faith of ICE. Calls to abolish the Immigration Agency have always come from the far left recesses of the party, but now the future of ICE is front and center in the Democratic main stream. Senator Kirsten Gellibrand, New York Mayor, Bill de Blasio and Congressional nominee, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez all calling for abolishing ICE
ROMANS: That was a rallying cry, demonstrations across the country this weekend, thousands of protesters railing against President Trump's immigration policies. Several prominent Democrats weighed in on ICE this weekend.
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SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN, (D), MASSACHUSETTS: We need to rebuild our immigration system from top to bottom. Starting by replacing ICE with something that reflects our morality.
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SEN TAMMY DUCKWORTH, (D) ILLINOIS: If you abolish ICE now you still have the same President with the same failed policies. Whatever you replace it with it is just going to still reflect what this President wants to do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, no, you don't support abolishing ICE?
DUCKWORTH: You know, I think there is a lot of other things we can do before we get to that point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The Daily Beast reports the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is rejecting calls to do away with ICE. They want lawmakers to focus instead on broader immigration reforms. President Trump tweeting the liberal left also known as Democrats want to get rid of ICE, who do a fantastic job and want open borders. Crime would be rampage and uncontrollable, make America great again.
BRIGGS: New court filings reveal the Trump administration will try to comply with an order to reunite migrant families and detain them together rather than just released them. The Justice Department appears to be trying to force the court to clarify two competing orders. One to reunite more than 2,000 families split up at the border and an older settlement that limits minors to 20 days in custody after crossing the border.
[04:05:05] ROMANS: Right, the President this morning, President Trump is just a week away from naming his choice replacing Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. Two key Republican Senators raising warning flags on a critical topic, Roe v. Wade. Susan Collins and Lindsey Graham both suggesting any nomination respect precedent including the landmark case guaranteeing women's rights to abortion. Here is Senator Graham, yesterday.
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SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: One that concepts that really means a lot on America is starting to sizes that means, you don't overturn the President unless there's a good reason, and I would tell my pro-life friends you can be pro-life and conservative, but you can also believe in story decises, Roe v. Wade and many different ways has been affirmed over the years.
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BRIGGS: Senator Collins met with the President to discuss his prospects for the court. She says she encouraged him to broaden his list beyond the 25 candidates announced by the White House. Now, remember, the President said during the campaign he would only pick anti-abortion jurists for the high court.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you're opposed to abortion. How important is that issue to you now when President Trump picks Supreme Court justices? Would that be a litmus test?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is. It is.
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BRIGGS: Now the President is edging back from that commitment. More from White House correspondent, Boris Sanchez.
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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN NEWSROOM HOST: Christine and Dave. The White House would only confirm that President Trump spend the weekend speaking to key allies and advisers, notably White House counsel Don Megan over the nomination process in general. One of the topics we know will not be discussed are these potential nominee's stance on abortion in Roe versus Wade. President Trump saying specifically that he would not be asking these nominees about that. We do know, however, that is on the minds of certain lawmakers including Susan Collins, the Senator from Maine who told Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" that she would not support a potential nominee if they stood to overturn Roe versus Wade. Listen to this.
SEN SUSAN COLLINS, (D) MAINE: I would not support a nominee who demonstrated hostility to Roe v. Wade, because that would mean to me that their judicial philosophy did not include a respect for established decisions, established law. And I believe that that is a very important fundamental tenant of our judicial system, which as Chief Justice Roberts says, helps to promote stability and even handedness.
SANCHEZ: And Susan Collins is not alone. There are other Republicans out there like Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who tend to favor of abortion rights and securing their vote the nominee that may tend to overturn Roe v. Wade would likely be not be something that they would support. Keep in mind, the margin of error is razor thin for Republicans. They need every single vote that they can get. Dave and Christine.
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ROMANS: All right, Boris, thanks for that. "The Washington Post" reports the President has told advisers he is looking for three main attributes in a nominee. An ivy league educated judge, with a quote, portfolio of solid academic writing, though an advisor acknowledges the President does not want to read it, he just wants to know there is a body of academic writing, someone who is not weak, who has independent judgment and a courage to buck the political and social fashions of the day and someone who will interpret the constitution the way the framers meant it to be. The President will also be looking for personal chemistry, central casting looks and relatable life stories.
All right. President Trump may abandon basic rules. The World Trade Organization, the WTO, just as a key ally makes good on a trade threat. A White House official told CNN, the administration drafted a bill allowing the President to introduce tariffs as he sees fit ignoring the collective rules of the WTO. The source says this doesn't mean the U.S. is abandoning the WTO, but if introduced would likely escalate the retaliatory trade moves already hitting the U.S.
Last week new E.U. tariffs forced Harley Davidson to shift some production overseas to avoid big tariffs and yesterday Canada slapped tariffs on $13 billion in U.S. goods, including 25 percent tariffs on 40 U.S. steel products and 10 percent on items like maple syrup, coffee beans and strawberry jam. Tariffs from Canada and the E.U. in response to tariffs, Trump's tariff on foreign steel and aluminum. They're also raising costs for U.S. businesses. In fact, 20,000 companies have asked the Commerce Department for an exemption. U.S. companies pay tariffs when they import steel or aluminum. That is why Trump's possible next trade move, tariffs on car imports could hurt general Motors.
BRIGGS: GM imports some car parts so it warns tariffs could lead to smaller GM forcing it cut jobs or raise prices by thousands of dollars.
[04:10:00] The biggest star in basketball is headed to Hollywood. Lebron James signing a four-year $154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. The deal was announced today after the Lakers President Magic Johnson met Lebron. It's the second time in eight years Lebron is leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lebron sending a message to his hometown fans and an Instagram story saying thank you North East Ohio, for an incredible four seasons. This will always be home. And Cavs owner Dan Gilbert who famously slam Lebron when he left Cleveland for Miami in 2010, with a starkly different tone this time, recalling the Cavs 2016 title, quote, Lebron, you came home and delivered the ultimate goal. Nothing, but appreciation and gratitude for everything you put into every moment you spent in a Cavaliers uniform. And we look forward to a retirement of the famous number 23 Cavs jersey one day down the line.
By the way overnight, JaVale McGee and Lance Stephenson also agreeing to join the Lakers and the question is now, can the Lakers put something else around Lebron James because they're still not first, second, maybe not even third best in their conference. Long way to go, but he made a family decision here, you know, his wife wants to be there, his kids seem like they want to be there and a business decision as well.
ROMANS: So, were you surprised?
BRIGGS: I was stunned in the manner in which he rolled it out. It was so low key that they didn't get a prize for the agent before he landed there. Everyone thought he'd go there, but the manner in which he did it was surprising. I will let us know what you think.
Coming up, the U.S. and North Korea with the first face-to-face talk with the Singapore summit, but a new report suggesting Pyongyang is not being forthcoming. Will Ripley is live for us in Beijing next.
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AMB. JOHN BOLTON, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: We have developed a program, had to dismantle all of their WMD and ballistic missile programs in a year. If they have the strategic decision already made to do that and they're cooperative we can move very quickly.
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ROMANS: Again, that is if the North Koreans decide to cooperate. National Security Adviser, John Bolton revealing the U.S. has a denuclearization plan, but has not yet been put into action. And Bolton would not address "The Washington Post" report that U.S. Intelligence Agencies have concluded North Korea has no intention of fully dismantling its nuclear stockpile. For the very latest CNN's Will Ripley joins us this morning from Beijing. Will, the path towards denuclearization in the peninsula is just rife with two steps forward, three steps back. Where are we now?
WILL RIPLEY, INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: And we were saying that, you know, repeatedly Christine in the lead up to the summit in Singapore that there need to be specifics, there need to be transparency on the part of the North Koreans. Any deal would not needs to be able be verified. They would need unprecedented levels of access in to North Korea by inspectors to these highly sensitive sites. And at least right now, there's nothing on paper that requires North Korea to do that.
Yes. They sign a broadly worded plead saying, you know, complete denuclearization, but they didn't talk about dismantling their missile facilities. And now there are these new satellite images that show dramatic expansion at a missile production facility. There is leak intelligence from a number of intelligence officials in the United States, indicating that there may be secret nuclear facilities as well enriching plutonium and uranium.
The materials in North Korea uses to produce nuclear weapons. "The New York Times" saying there might even be a new nuclear reactor under construction that would dramatically increase North Korea's ability to make these kinds of nuclear weapons, but they have vowed to get rid of.
So this is going to be the real challenge facing Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo when he is expected to meet with his North Korean counterpart possibly North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un very soon we are told. And in fact there was a meeting between the North Koreans and the Americans just yesterday where they basically laid the groundwork for these upcoming talks, because the United States needs to get specific here or else North Korea will be able to continue what they're doing and really, haven't sign any agreement saying that they are not going to do this things, Christine.
ROMANS: It's such a high profile summit now, you know, where's the guts, where is the mechanics of moving forward. That is what we need to see. Will Ripley in Beijing. Thanks Will.
BRIGGS: All right. Pay attention this is a wild story. One of France's most notorious criminals has escaped from prison again. Redoine Faid, broke out Sunday with the help of two or three heavily armed men who hijacked a helicopter and forced the pilot to fly to a prison where he was being held. Faid was then picked up and flown to a location near Paris and whisked away in an unidentified vehicle. The first time he escaped from prison five years ago he blasted his way out with explosive. Faid was serving 25 years for his role in a failed 2010 robbery that resulted to a death of a French police officer. He also sentenced to ten more years for his 2013 prison escape. That movie will be fantastic in 2021 starring George Clooney. ROMANS: Certainly that family of that police women was just out raged
that he would get out again.
All right. High temperatures in New York falling today, thankfully from 96 to 95. How long the scorching heat will last, next.
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ROMANS: Nine people are in the hospital including six children ages 3 to 12 after a stabbing attack at a child's birthday party in Idaho. Authorities say four victims have life threatening injuries. Police say a resident of the apartment complex where this all happened was allowing the suspect, Timmy Kenner to stay there, but they say Kenner's host had recently kicked him out.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Due to his behavior he'd been asked to leave. Kenny had done so. He returned last night to exact vengeance not just on those who had been with at the apartment, but to any target which was available.
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ROMANS: He is been charged with nine counts of aggravated battery and six counts of injury to a child.
BRIGGS: Another day of dangerous heat in the eastern U.S. for more than 30 million people under a heat advisory. Our Meteorologist Ivan Cabrera has the latest forecast.
IVAN CABRERA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey Christine, Dave, good morning. The heat is going to continue and it's not going to end anytime soon. In fact, we're going to have to wait until the end of the week. Although doing a little bit better today. If we can call 100 to 110, well, it is better than yesterday. But still looking at the heat advisory that is continuing all the way to Carolinas into New England. And there you would see the pink, those are heat warnings. That is where things are real serious and that is where we are expecting temperatures, at least it feels like temperature to be about 110.
The actual temperature in the shed under a tree in the mid upper 90's and by the way it recommend that a lot of water too, because it is going to be brutal out there. There the heat indices today triple digit heat in the nation's capital. And again as I mentioned this continues until the end of the week and by then we will finally see temperatures finally getting back closer to average.
[04:25:01] Look at that, 86 is going to feel fantastic by Wednesday and into Thursday. And in fact, I'll show you the extended Saturday forecast, if that is not cold enough for you. Look at this, by a lot of part of the weekend and into early next week, how about highs around 80 with overnight temperatures in the 60s. Just think about that while we bake in the 110 degree temperature later this afternoon. Guys?
ROMANS: Yesterday was just brutal.
BRIGGS: It was oppressing.
ROMANS: I mean if you walk outside, you will walk right back inside, you know?
BRIGGS: Good day for a movie.
All right. Ahead there's a new contender for most forgettable first pitch, but not for the reason you might think. Take a look at St. Louis, Cardinals, grounds crew member, Lucas Hackmann, finishing up hi work behind home plate man, caught right on the (inaudible). Behind the first pitch. He was fine, laughed the whole thing off, because he may just be the toughest grounds keeper ever.
ROMANS: I could have hit him in the head if I try.
BRIGGS: No, you probably could not, Hackmann, the same guy who ran out onto the field last year to retrieve the rally cat and the cat took a bite out of Lucas. He is a good sport. Look, at least that pitcher, though he was wild had no velocity, so that pitch was not going to hurt anyone. If there is any velocity there, that might can be a dangerous situation there.
ROMANS: All right. With growing strife between the U.S. and Mexico, a sweeping change of power across the border, a populous elected President. He is promising change and already calling out President Trump's immigration policies.
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