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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Kavanaugh Nomination In Jeopardy?; Hurricane Florence Devastates The Carolinas; Chinese Movie Star Vanishes; Officials Call Border Patrol Agent A Serial Killer. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired September 17, 2018 - 05:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:30:20] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: "I fear he may inadvertently kill me" -- the words of a woman accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct decades ago. Now, even some Republicans want this week's committee vote delayed.

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Record flooding in the Carolinas in the wake of Florence. The death toll is climbing. Rising rivers will keep the threat alive well into the week. We're live this morning in North Carolina.

ROMANS: And would you quit your job halfway through the workday? Why one NFL player says he ditched football for good at halftime Sunday.

Jimmy, behind the camera, is shaking his head yes. Apparently, he wants to quit halfway through our show.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BRIGGS: Sometimes we do, too.

I'm Dave Briggs. It's 5:30 eastern time with that story in a moment.

We start with the Supreme Court developments. Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court faces serious new concerns this morning. The woman accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct coming forward and adding explosive new details to her claims in an interview with "The Washington Post."

Now that Christine Blasey Ford's identity is known and with the clock ticking toward a Senate confirmation vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee is trying to arrange staff phone calls with her and Kavanaugh.

ROMANS: Now already, some Republicans are showing signs of concern.

Here's Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R), ALASKA: If there are more questions that need to be asked and answered then I think it would be appropriate to allow for that time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Bob Corker and Jeff Flake, who is on the Senate Judiciary, believe the committee should hear from Ford in person before voting.

Republicans can afford to lose only one vote.

BRIGGS: Several top Democrats are already calling for a delay, including Senators Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein, the senator who Ford first reached out to with her allegations. But, Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley called the timing of the revelations quote "disturbing."

And a Republican source tells CNN the committee's vote on Kavanaugh is still scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

Supreme Court reporter Ariane de Vogue with more on the allegations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARIANE DE VOGUE, CNN SUPREME COURT REPORTER: Christine and Dave, Christine Blasey Ford has publicly come forward in "The Washington Post" and alleged that Brett Kavanaugh assaulted her at a party more than 30 years ago when they were both in high school. Kavanaugh categorically denies her allegations.

She says she attended a party in a suburban Maryland home in 1982. Kavanaugh and a friend were drunk. She was allegedly corralled into a bedroom.

At one point she says he tried to take off her clothes and he put his hand over her mouth. "I thought he might inadvertently kill me," she told the "Post."

She only shared the details years later in 2012 with a therapist and her husband. According to the article, the husband recalled his wife using Kavanaugh's name but the therapist's notes, reviewed by "The Washington Post," do not mention him.

The other man who she alleged was in the room back then told "The Weekly Standard" last week that he never saw Kavanaugh act that way -- Christine, Dave.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right, Ariane de Vogue.

Let's bring in CNN political analyst Rachael Bade, and congressional reporter for "Politico" live in Washington for us this morning. Good morning.

BRIGGS: Morning.

ROMANS: So late last week there was an unnamed accusation, right, 35 years old. Murky, not a lot of details, a lot of rumor. We now have a name and a face to this accusation and some specificity.

Here is the letter -- an excerpt of the letter that this woman, Christine Blasey Ford, sent to Dianne Feinstein.

"Kavanaugh was on top of me while laughing with -- [redacted -- the name was redacted from this letter] -- who periodically jumped onto Kavanaugh. They both laughed as Kavanaugh tried to disrobe me in their highly-inebriated state with Kavanaugh's hand over my mouth. I feared he may inadvertently kill me."

She says things got rough, the two young men tumbled off of the bed, and she ran out of the room and locked herself into a bathroom and then was able to leave the party.

Now that there's a name to this allegation, does it intensify the debate to delay -- to delay the vote?

RACHAEL BADE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, POLITICO: Absolutely. I think the vote is still on.

There's a Judiciary Committee vote this Thursday. That's sort of the first step in terms of confirming Kavanaugh. That's -- I would -- I would predict that that's going to be delayed, if not -- the question is for how long and will it ultimately derail Kavanaugh's confirmation.

Look, you have Democrats -- Senate Democrats who are saying we can't have this now. Two top Republicans, Corker and Jeff Flake, saying they want to hear specifically from Ms. Ford about her allegation before they move forward and vote.

And, Flake actually has a lot of weight on this. He sits on the Judiciary Committee. If he joins Democrats, which it sounds like he might if he doesn't hear from Ford before then, then he can ultimately sink the vote in committee, and that would be pretty unprecedented.

[05:35:09] I don't think it's going to come to that. I think that Sen. Grassley -- he knows -- he's a smart politician. We're in the middle of a #MeToo movement.

This is -- it's not just going to -- Republicans can't just turn away from this. They are going to have to look at these allegations. They're going to have to hear from her.

They're going to have to address this. This is very serious and they can't just sort of paper over it.

So I think we're going to see her potentially come to the Hill, talk to senators, and then we're going to have to see how this affects his confirmation going forward. But I think it's at least going to derail -- or delay it. The question is will it derail it.

BRIGGS: Yes, it's not just the context of the #MeToo movement; it's the President of the United States with more than a dozen accusers of inappropriate sexual behavior of one level or another. But right now it is he said-she said. Now, the other guy who was allegedly in that room told "The Weekly Standard" quote, "It's absolutely nuts. I never saw Brett act that way."

So the math and the morality are both very difficult but it's cynical Washington politics.

Do you think if it remains he said-she said that there are enough votes to confirm Brett Kavanaugh right now?

BADE: We're just going to have to watch some of those key voters. I mean, right now the Senate only has 51 Republicans. They can only lose one Republican and they have a number of retiring senators who are not afraid to stand up to the president and say no when he asks them.

We have a number of swings votes -- Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, who we just heard from.

Listen, beyond just the he said-she said, this woman apparently took a polygraph test and passed. So I think that senators are going to have to weigh that as well.

But listen, Republicans -- like I said, they can't ignore this. This is the #MeToo movement. There's a critical midterm election coming up in just a couple of weeks where women are a huge swing vote -- potential swing votes --

ROMANS: Right.

BADE: -- for Republicans. They need women to keep their majorities and they can't just turn a blind eye to this.

ROMANS: And women -- I mean, the whole #MeToo of the past year -- time's up has been the antics of the 80s and 90s at work or prep school frat boys or whatever is not going to be tolerated anymore.

One wonders, what they do or don't do in this case, what message that will send to women in 50 days.

BADE: That's right and a lot of people are sort of likening this to what happened with Clarence Thomas during his confirmation fight with Anita Hill.

BRIGGS: Right.

BADE: But again, times have changed. The #MeToo movement has changed everything and it's not going to be as easy as last time, I think. We could be in for a real battle.

I think we'll have to listen in the next couple of days to see if any more accusers come forward because a lot of times sexual predators are not just one-off. They don't just do this one-off -- it happens a lot. So we'll have to see if anyone else comes forward.

BRIGGS: Boy, it's -- ROMANS: It was a long time ago -- 35 years ago.

BRIGGS: Yes.

ROMANS: If you believe the story --

BRIGGS: Right.

ROMANS: -- it's two wasted prep school kids, right? I mean, how much can anybody really remember about it?

BRIGGS: She did mention it in couple's therapy back in 2012 and mentioned the last name Kavanaugh.

But this is going to be a very complicated week for Senate Republicans and the president.

Rachael Bade from "Politico."

ROMANS: Nice to see you.

BRIGGS: Thanks so much for being here.

BADE: Happy to be here.

ROMANS: I know there's trade -- there's trade this week, too, so you've got this Kavanaugh spectacle --

BRIGGS: Yes, trying to trade quarrel.

ROMANS: -- and this trying to trade quarrel that's really ramping up here. So there's a lot happening this week.

BRIGGS: All right, it's not over yet. Major flooding in the Carolinas from Hurricane Florence and some rivers may not crest for several days. We're live in Wilmington with the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:42:31] ROMANS: Devastation in the Carolinas this morning in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence and authorities say the worst of the catastrophic flooding is yet to come.

Hundreds remain trapped right now. Eighteen storm-related deaths now confirmed. The latest fatality, a 3-month-old baby killed by a tree that fell on his family's mobile home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAMMY GILL, MOTHER OF BABY KILLED IN HURRICANE FLORENCE: They've been doing CPR for the last 30 minutes and they just wanted permission to stop. I said no at first but after another 30 minutes he wasn't coming back.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BRIGGS: Overnight, new mandatory evacuation orders for Hoke County, North Carolina where there are concerns about a possible dam breach. In Lumberton, North Carolina, residents are bracing for disaster as the Lumber River seeps through a patched-up gap in the levee system.

The river now close to 25 feet and rising. If it gets to 26 feet it could overtop the permanent levee. If that happens an official says all bets are off.

ROMANS: Over 532,000 customers without power in North Carolina. The state attorney general's office has received more than 500 complaints now of price gouging for hotel rooms, gas, and water. And more than 15,000 people are in shelters statewide.

Transportation officials are telling people not to travel anywhere in North Carolina. Don't go anywhere in North Carolina.

Flooding has already cut off the coastal city of Wilmington from the rest of that state and that's where we find CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam.

That's something when you hear officials say don't get in your car.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

ROMANS: Don't be driving around North Carolina. We've got more flooding coming and it's a deadly situation.

VAN DAM: Christine, there's 30-foot wide sinkholes on Interstate 40 north of the city. You can imagine why it's virtually cut off from everything around it.

You know, just driving around -- we had the fortune yesterday to actually have access to a 5-ton Army truck so we were able to navigate a lot of the flooded roadways, but even our vehicle became stuck.

We did see a lot of people with fear and a lot of desperation in their eyes. We would come across people standing at the edges of flooded roadways just staring blankly out into the road that was impassable, knowing that they had friends and family on the other side of the water waiting to be rescued.

There were over 1,000 rescues -- high-water rescues by authorities and the Cajun Navy just in North Carolina alone since the flooding began.

And as we talked to some of the residents at the evacuation centers, they were fearing that the worst was yet to come. And if the forecast holds right and the river crests come later this week, they know that even though the sun has come out, the floodwaters will still rise here in Wilmington.

[05:45:11] People were so desperate to even get their animals off of their property and get them to high shelter as well. We came across a very surreal kind of ethereal scene when we were going through some of the more rural parts of Pender County, just to the north of New Hanover yesterday and there were literally donkeys, and goats and horses being herded to higher ground by some of the farmers that were located in that area.

So a lot of desperate people trying to find dry ground. They're anticipating the worst and bracing themselves for it as the floodwaters rise -- Christine, Dave.

ROMANS: All right. We know there's so much agriculture activity, too. You know, hog farms and poultry farms.

VAN DAM: Yes.

ROMANS: There are a lot -- a lot of --

VAN DAM: That's right.

ROMANS: -- a lot of work to do here to make sure that this is -- this is contained. Still in the early hours of this.

Thank you so much, Derek.

BRIGGS: Florence will dump more rain on parts of North Carolina in the next few days and river levels will keep rising for most of the week.

Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri in the Weather Center with the latest.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, good morning, guys.

Let's talk about what's happening here with this system. Still, plenty of moisture to go around. Still watching quite a bit of thunderstorm activity from Raleigh to points just to the south here as moisture lingers and pushes off from the Atlantic right towards the Carolinas.

The center of the system is right around the western portion of North Carolina-eastern Tennessee and we expect it to pick up some forward motion here and really pick up speed as it moves up toward the Ohio Valley by this afternoon.

But certainly, needless to say, the damage has already been done where almost 34 inches was recorded in one observation point, shattering the previous record of 24 inches from Hurricane Floyd. That was back in 1999.

And even if the water stops -- we know, of course, the water table itself has risen quite a bit the last couple of days with all the flooding that's taken place, but additional flooding is expected just because of what's happening farther upstream.

In fact, when you take a look at the forecast and you go up toward the Appalachians, all of that water wants to eventually end up back into the Atlantic, of course. And as it comes from higher elevations down toward sea level, all of the rivers -- all of the tributaries of these rivers and streams will begin to see an increase in the flood levels, at least over the next couple of days.

So we do have about 35 million from the southeast, even up towards the north, that are underneath floodwaters at this point before conditions begin to gradually improve the next couple of days.

ROMANS: All right, Pedram. Thank you.

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

Most Asian stock markets slid as U.S.-China trade tensions weighed on investors. "The Wall Street Journal" reported this weekend that the president plans to impose new tariffs on Chinese imports despite proposed trade talks later this week.

European stocks also opened lower amid these fears of escalating trade tensions between the world's largest economies. U.S. futures, right now, mixed.

BMW unveiling its vision for a self-driving electric car. The concept for the BMW Vision iNext was presented at JFK Airport in New York.

BMW's executives displayed working versions of some of the technologies being considered, including touch-sensitive fabrics and interactive projections.

The front end features a new version of the trademark kidney grill with two rounded rectangles connected by a broad center section. A major reason for the center section is to cover the front-mounted camera -- see that -- and the sensors that make this thing able to drive itself.

Showroom arrival is set for 2021.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon says he is done with politics after saying last week that he thought he could beat President Donald Trump during an election.

On ABC's "THIS WEEK" Dimon also said he understands why some Americans think it was unfair for banks to get bailed out during the financial crisis 10 years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIE DIMON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, JPMORGAN CHASE: Some caused the problem and I understand that the American public looks at it and it's unfair, and it was, OK? They look at it like the elite Washington banks -- a bunch of them kind of got bailed out and they suffered, and there's some truth to that. And that didn't see Old Testament justice.

So I understand why there's a lot of anger out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Dimon also said President Trump does deserve some credit for the nation's strong economy. When I talked to him in July he warned, though, that a trade war could undo that Trump momentum.

But he gives the president credit for where we are and said a switch -- a confidence switch was flipped when this president came in because of cutting regulations and cutting taxes.

BRIGGS: It'd be fascinating to see him run, wouldn't it?

ROMANS: It would be. The reason why he keeps talking about it is because people keep asking him.

BRIGGS: Yes.

ROMANS: People keep asking him but he says no, he's done with politics for now.

BRIGGS: All right, we'll see.

The first deadly shark attack in Massachusetts in more than 80 years. Why there could be more sharks in the water off of Cape Code, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:54:00] BRIGGS: One of China's most famous actresses has vanished without a trace amid an uproar over tax evasion by wealthy celebrities. Fan Bingbing, one of China's highest-paid and most bankable stars -- she's appeared in both Chinese and Western films, including the "X-Men" franchise -- but the film star has not been seen in public since early June.

Let's go live to Beijing and bring in Matt Rivers.

Matt, how big a star is she there?

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We really can't overstate how famous she is here in China. I mean, she is an A+ list celebrity here. You could argue she's the most famous person in the whole country. You could actually make that argument.

And so the fact that she hasn't been seen in public since June is obviously a big deal. It has a major impact here in China. Millions of people are talking about it.

This all goes back to a tax avoidance scheme that she was accused of being a part of, basically signing fake contracts in order to avoid paying taxes on her very sizable income. Basically, she was accused publicly in May. She categorically denied it.

[05:55:01] The government said it would launch an investigation more broadly into this fake contracts in the Chinese entertainment industry, but Fan Bingbing denied it.

She posted one time on social media in June and she hasn't been seen or heard from since.

We have reached out to multiple government ministries -- the tax regulators, the media regulators, even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. All of them said they had no comment. We've obviously tried to reach out to Fan Bingbing herself and weren't able to get in touch.

The only clue to her current status that we have is from an article posted on a state-run media Website back on September sixth that said, in part, that Fan Bingbing had been quote "brought under control and about to receive legal judgment." Exactly what that means, we're not sure. The article was very swiftly deleted shortly thereafter.

And if you talk about this online on Chinese Internet -- on social media in China -- chances are the government is going to censor it. So they don't want people talking about it but exactly what happened to this actress and where she is right now, we just don't know.

BRIGGS: What a bizarre tale. Matt Rivers, keep us up-to-date on this one. Thank you, sir.

ROMANS: All right.

Authorities in Texas describing a supervisor -- a U.S. border patrol agent in their custody as a serial killer. Charging documents say Juan David Ortiz, who is also a Navy veteran, has confessed to killing four people whose bodies were discovered over the past two weeks. Authorities say all of the victims worked as prostitutes.

Officials say the case broke Friday after a woman escaped Ortiz and ran to a nearby gas station where she found a state trooper.

A Customs and Border Patrol spokesman says the agency if fully cooperating with state investigators. It's not clear yet whether Ortiz has a lawyer.

BRIGGS: OK. Echoes of "Jaws" now. The death of a swimmer at a Cape Cod beach this weekend is believed to be the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts in more than 80 years.

Witnesses tried to carry 26-year-old Arthur Medici to get medical help. He and another man were boogie boarding some 30 yards off Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet Saturday when the shark attacked.

A statement from Bunker Hill Community College says Medici, an engineering major, was enrolled as a part-time student in the spring.

There was another shark attack off the Cape last month. No one was killed.

The presence of great whites has increased with the seal population there on the Cape.

ROMANS: All right.

A major study finds risks may outweigh the benefits of a daily regimen of low-dose aspirin. Millions of healthy people take small doses of aspiring regularly and are told they will prevent heart attacks and strokes.

But researchers from the University of Melbourne say the regimen has no real benefit for healthy older adults and may pose significant health risks. It actually increases the risk of internal bleeding.

The researchers do not say whether healthy older people who have been taking aspiring should stop. I would say ask your doctor.

BRIGGS: Yes.

All right, television's best in show will be on display tonight at the 70th Emmy Awards. It features a battle of two reigning champs for T.V.'s best drama. "THE HANDMAID'S TALE" won the Emmy last year when 2016 winner "GAME OF THRONES" was not eligible.

ROMANS: On the comedy side, with reigning winner "VEEP" on the sidelines, "ATLANTA" and the "MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL" are the leading comedy contenders.

Netflix has the most Emmy nominations overall this year, surpassing the long-dominant HBO.

BRIGGS: I have got to catch up on today's television.

All right.

It's not the way Vontae Davis, a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, drew it up. The Buffalo Bills defensive back retiring at halftime of Sunday's game against the L.A. Chargers in Buffalo and just left the stadium. The 10-year NFL vet with a statement saying he meant no disrespect to his teammate and coaches.

Davis said after multiple surgeries and playing through injuries, quote, "Today on the field it really hit me fast and hard. I shouldn't be out there anymore."

Davis played for the Dolphins and Colts before signing a 1-year, $5 million Bills deal in February.

That's walking away from a lot of money. It's a violent game. When you know you're done, you are cooked.

ROMANS: It caught a lot of guys by surprise --

BRIGGS: Yes.

ROMANS: -- and they just said all this --

BRIGGS: You've got to stick it out through the rest of the game but look, it's a violent, brutal game.

ROMANS: All right. When you're done, you're done.

BRIGGS: Yes.

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.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA), MEMBER, SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: If the Judiciary Committee goes forward with this vote it would be an insult to every woman in this country.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: I was very surprised. I'm going to be talking with my colleagues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Judge Kavanaugh has categorically denied the allegations. I think we'll confirm him before October.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're seeing epic flooding in North Carolina.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what people are dealing with. A dire situation for people here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have not seen the worst of the flooding. People need to heed the warning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is one for the record books.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Monday, September 17th, 6:00 here in New York.

Great to have you back here on terra firma with us.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It is great to be back and man, is there a lot of news all of the sudden this morning.

CAMEROTA: There sure is, including North Carolina, of course.

But first, this morning, the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh has been thrown into uncertainty. There are calls to delay Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation vote after a woman comes forward claiming that he sexually assaulted her more than three decades ago. She describes details of the alleged assault when the two were teenagers in high school.

Christine Blasey Ford says she feared for her life. "The Washington Post" reports, quote, "While his friend watched, she said Kavanaugh pinned her --