Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Kavanaugh And Accuser To Testify On Monday; Hurricane Florence Death Toll Rises To 32; Third North Korea-South Korea Summit Underway; "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" Wins Big At Emmys. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired September 18, 2018 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Brett Kavanaugh and his accuser both expected for a riveting day of testimony next week.
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Expect to pay more for your tech products. The president's latest tariffs on China mean half of the Chinese imports face extra costs. China expected to retaliate.
ROMANS: Water overtaking this highway for miles as water levels and the death toll continue to rise in the Carolinas.
BRIGGS: And a mix of new stars and old favorites take top honors at the 70th Emmy Awards. And let us know at EARLY START how do you feel about public proposals.
Welcome back to EARLY START. We'll show you one in just a moment. I'm Dave Briggs.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It is 30 minutes past the hour this Tuesday morning.
Let's start here with the -- what promises to be one of the most dramatic days in memory on Capitol Hill.
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and his accuser Christine Blasey Ford both set to testify Monday about the decades-old allegations of sexual assault that have been -- have thrown Kavanaugh's nomination into a tailspin.
The stakes for the White House and for lawmakers are enormous here ahead of the midterm elections. The female voters, in particular, galvanized by the #MeToo movement.
BRIGGS: At the eye of the political storm, President Trump showing noticeable restraint here. Instead of going on the attack, the president says he's open to a delay to get Kavanaugh confirmed the right way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would like to see a complete process. I'd like everybody to be very happy. Most importantly, I want the American people to be happy because they're getting somebody that is great. I want him to go in at the absolute highest level and I think to do
that you have to go through this. If it takes a little delay, it will take a little delay. It shouldn't certainly be very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Two key Senate Republicans now say Monday's hearing will be crucial determining how they vote on Kavanaugh's nomination.
Congressional correspondent Phil Mattingly with the latest from Capitol Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now, Christine and Dave, there will be a public hearing. There will not be a committee vote to approve Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination this week. There will be a public hearing next week.
Brett Kavanaugh is expected to testify. His accuser is also expected to testify.
Really, the allegations that have riled both publicly and privately. The U.S. Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans for the better part of a last couple of days, coming to a head with a recognition in a private meeting between Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee that moving forward without airing out the allegations publicly simply wasn't an option.
Why was it not an option? Well, take a look at some of the Republican senators who have very real questions.
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: There are an awful lot of questions, inconsistencies, gaps, and that's why to be fair to both we need -- we need to know what happened. If Judge Kavanaugh has lied about what happened, that would be disqualifying.
SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: We'll have to see as it unfolds. But all I can say is this was -- these are serious allegations and as soon as she came forward she deserved to be heard, so that's what we're doing as a -- as a committee.
MATTINGLY: So guys, obviously, the big question now is what happens at this public hearing and then in the wake of this public hearing if Brett Kavanaugh, who at one point was pretty much on the glide path to confirmation -- can he still get the requisite number of votes? Everything will mostly hinge on who believes who at this public hearing.
Obviously, there are a lot of days before that and we've seen a lot happen over the course of the last 72 to 90 or so hours, but those are the big questions going forward.
I will tell you this. There's one thing to keep a close eye on. The split between committee Republicans and committee Democrats -- not just over the nomination but these allegations -- has become stark. It has become a very deep divide to where both sides are barely even talking to each other.
How that will matter when this actual public hearing comes to be, how the hearing is actually held, the dynamics of that hearing as it happens -- well, it will certainly be one to watch. And as I noted, one with enormous stakes -- Dave and Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right, Phil. Thank you.
BRIGGS: Enormous, indeed. Thank you.
All right, here is senior political analyst Ron Brownstein, senior editor at "The Atlantic" --
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST, SENIOR EDITOR, THE ATLANTIC: Good morning.
BRIGGS: -- to talk about all of this. Good to see you, my friend.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes, good to be here.
ROMANS: Hi, Ron.
BRIGGS: This is going to be an interesting --
BROWNSTEIN: Wow.
BRIGGS: -- moment on Monday.
And, "The Wall Street Journal" has an editorial this morning entitled "The #MeToo Kavanaugh Ambush." In it, they say this.
"Letting an accusation that is this old, this unsubstantiated and this procedurally irregular defeat Mr. Kavanaugh would also mean weaponizing every sexual assault allegation no matter the evidence. It will tarnish the #MeToo cause with the smear of partisanship, and it will unleash even greater polarizing furies."
What's ahead on Monday and how consequential is it? And should this be disqualifying for a Supreme Court nominee?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, I mean, you know, clearly, you've had two Republican senators say that it is disqualifying.
The fact, if it's true, particularly given that he is asserting that it is not, and he'll be testifying under oath that it's not, especially against the backdrop of -- as you know, Democrats have accused him of being untruthful in his testimony, I believe on three other matters either in this hearing or in his two earlier confirmations.
[05:35:04] So by definition, if it -- if enough Republican senators believe this it will be disqualifying.
Look, this will be enormously polarizing over the next week. I mean, on the one hand, you have substantive questions, but you also have a process question.
The substantive questions -- is there any corroboration? Are there any other allegations? I mean, those are the two, I think, big areas.
The process question is what kind of investigation is going to happen between now and then?
There was a feeling with Anita Hill that they were questioning -- during 1992 -- and they were without sufficient preliminary investigation.
I think there's going to be a lot of controversy over the next week about why the White House is not asking the FBI, at this point, to go into this -- reopen the background check and find out what they can find out --
ROMANS: You know --
BRIGGS: That's a lot of questions.
BROWNSTEIN: -- with trained investigators.
BRIGGS: Why Dianne Feinstein didn't ask --
BROWNSTEIN: Waited -- why --
BRIGGS: -- him about this when they talked.
BROWNSTEIN: Well, and of course, she says she was honoring the request for privacy. But you -- it's ended up in this strange position where both sides are angry --
ROMANS: Right.
BROWNSTEIN: -- that it is coming out --
BRIGGS: Right.
BROWNSTEIN: -- so late.
ROMANS: And Democrats are saying slow down the process.
BROWNSTEIN: Right.
ROMANS: What is the rush? I mean, look at how long Merrick Garland was --
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
ROMANS: -- hanging out there. Why are we going so quickly here just -- what, 50 days since Kennedy stepped down?
But, Mitch McConnell is talking about a different kind of timing. He's concerned about the timing of this whole process -- listen. We don't have it.
BROWNSTEIN: No.
ROMANS: Anyway, he said basically, this is an accusation of 36-year- old misconduct dating back to high school. It's been brought forward at the last minute in an irregular manner.
Chuck Grassley has also said he's concerned about the timing of all of this.
What if we know nothing else between now and the midterms? How does this play for voters?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, first of all, for Mitch McConnell to talk about an irregular Supreme Court process --
BRIGGS: This is rich.
BROWNSTEIN: -- after the -- and for "The Wall Street Journal" to talk about weaponizing and polarizing -- I mean, certainly, the idea of not even holding hearings on a nominee of a duly-elected president certainly took that to a -- to a higher level.
Look, the driving force in this midterm election, so far, and the biggest risk to Republicans is the sharp movement away from them, particularly among college-educated white women. Professional white women who will look at the accuser and see someone very much like their own.
You know, in half of the open --
ROMANS: A professor.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
ROMANS: Professor Blasey Ford.
BROWNSTEIN: Right.
In half of the open seats in the House where there's not an incumbent, Democrats have nominated a woman. A woman has won the Democratic nomination -- it's unprecedented. Republicans, it's only a fifth. And that is driving the suburban vulnerability, in particular, for the House Republicans.
The only -- I mean, the great risk to Republicans is that even if they win this, they further inflame the views of those women. I mean, look at those incredible numbers.
BRIGGS: Yes.
BROWNSTEIN: Since 1992, the highest share of college white women that Democrats have won in a midterm election is 52. That poll -- the CNN poll puts them at 67. Now, that's high but even if it gets up to 58- 60, that by itself is -- you know, is a tidal wave.
ROMANS: That's how they say they're going to vote. Are they motivated to vote? BROWNSTEIN: Well --
ROMANS: I mean, are they --
BROWNSTEIN: And they are motivated to vote, yes.
BRIGGS: There is the key word -- motivation.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
BRIGGS: Let's play this out in another direction.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
BRIGGS: Let's say Kavanaugh withdraws his name --
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
BRIGGS: -- and they get a new nominee.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
BRIGGS: Nothing will generate enthusiasm from Republicans voters like if they have to turn out in those Trump states --
BROWNSTEIN: In those Trump state, sure.
BRIGGS: -- where Democrats are in some really tight battles.
BROWNSTEIN: That's right, that's right.
And look, I mean, if you look at the Senate -- I mean, you have -- first of all, you have this divergence between the House battlefield and the Senate battlefield. The House is mostly going to be decided in white-collar, suburban seats in the major metro areas where Trump is unquestionably weakening the party.
I was in Orange County last weekend where Ronald Reagan said good Republicans go to die. Democrats have a chance to win four Republican-held House seats there, largely because well-educated white-collar white voters are pulling away from the party and its growing more diverse.
On the other hand, if you look at -- if you look at the Senate, Democrats are defending 10 seats in states that Trump won. About half of them -- they are at a high level of vulnerability in and those tend to be blue-collar, older, evangelical, more rural-tilting seats.
And you are exactly right where if this is hanging over past the election it becomes a tremendous motivator for Republican voters.
ROMANS: You know, looking at the president's performance yesterday --
BROWNSTEIN: But also the Democrats, too. I think --
ROMANS: The president was very restrained yesterday. BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
ROMANS: Did you -- did you see how restrained he was? This really matters to him. The legacy-building of the Supreme Court is something that really matters to him.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Look, he is the worst possible advocate for Judge Kavanaugh in this case, given his own history. And what's the legal phrase -- fruit of a poison tree?
I mean, you're talking about a nomination that is shadowed from the beginning by the allegations, I think -- the allegations against him, the gender polarization against him, and in particular, this movement among the well-educated white women.
So, I -- you know, it makes sense often -- but it often makes sense for him to be less visible and this is a rare occasion where it is.
[05:40:01] They are talking about a very narrow audience. You know, possibly three or four Republican senators will hold this in their hand after these hearings.
And I think in the week between now and then, I think you're going to see a lot of anxiety among Republican consultants that if this is seen as being bulldozed through by a GOP caucus on the Senate Judiciary Committee, that we should note is all male, that you will compound this problem --
BRIGGS: All male, yes.
BROWNSTEIN: -- with college-educated white women and maybe also further erode their position with the blue-collar white women who are already facing cavernous deficits with African-American women.
BRIGGS: They have to be very careful.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
BRIGGS: You say three or four -- Collins, Murkowski, Graham, Flake -- maybe Corker?
BROWNSTEIN: Yes, I mean, how about Capito? I mean, why --
BRIGGS: Sure, sure.
BROWNSTEIN: -- aren't any of the other Republican women senators -- I mean, they're all going -- Joni Ernst. I mean, they all have to decide whether they can go ahead with this nomination after the testimony and whether they feel it is credible.
I do think they'll be --
BRIGGS: But you can't just include women in that.
BROWNSTEIN: No, that's right.
BRIGGS: I think you have to give Lindsey Graham and Flake --
BROWNSTEIN: I think Lindsey Graham -- I think was signaled yesterday -- we want to have the hearing on Monday, we want to vote on Wednesday.
BRIGGS: Yes.
BROWNSTEIN: I mean, where he is -- I think Lindsey Graham is a -- has moved kind of out of the maverick status.
But I think for -- look, for -- as you point out, if this is hanging out through November, tough on people like Joe Manchin --
BRIGGS: Yes.
BROWNSTEIN: -- and Jon Tester and --
BRIGGS: Right.
BROWNSTEIN: -- some of these Democrats defending Trump seats in states that Trump won.
But if this is forced through at a backdrop where Democrats have a record number of women candidates --
BRIGGS: Yes.
BROWNSTEIN: -- where Democrats are already on a path for their biggest margin ever among well-educated white women, where African- American women have shown signs in certain races like Virginia, particularly Alabama -- of being unusually energized, and where there is even some erosion among the blue-collar white women who are I think the critical variable on how far this Democratic wave goes.
Wow -- I mean, you're dropping a match into a very volatile situation.
ROMANS: Yes.
BRIGGS: A lot at stake.
Ron Brownstein, good to have you here.
ROMANS: Nice to see you, Ron.
BROWNSTEIN: Good to be here.
ROMANS: Thank you.
BRIGGS: All right.
Coming up on the show, we'll have the latest on the flooding in the Carolinas. Also, SpaceX has its first lunar tourist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YUSAKU MAEZAWA, FIRST SPACEX LUNAR TOURIST: I choose to go to the moon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: A Japanese billionaire will take a trip around the moon. "CNN Money" has it, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:46:20] ROMANS: Forty-six minutes past the hour.
Florence has finally made its exit from the Carolinas but the death toll and the floodwaters keep rising. The former hurricane is being blamed now for 32 deaths. Virginia reporting its first storm-related fatality after a tornado from the system's outer bands collapsed a building near Richmond.
BRIGGS: With more raining coming, officials are bracing for catastrophic and historic river flooding across the Carolinas. Take a look at Interstate 40 in Pender County. Water as far as you can see, overflowing from the Cape Fear River. That river will start rising again today so conditions could get even worse.
ROMANS: Later this morning, residents of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, where Florence made landfall -- they will be allowed to return home.
About 350,000 customers in North and South Carolina still without power and at least 2,600 people have been rescued from floodwaters.
BRIGGS: This morning, a third Korean summit is underway. South Korean President Moon Jae-in landing overnight in Pyongyang, greeted by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. The meeting comes as North Korea takes a fresh shot at the U.S. over denuclearization and the process here.
Joining us live from Seoul, Paula Hancocks.
Paula, we're talking about more gangster-like accusations from the North.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Dave, yes.
It was a very warm welcome for the South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
But at the same time, on the front page of the state-run newspaper, there was an article saying that the U.S. is totally to blame for the deadlock in the U.S.-North Korean relations.
So really, an opening gambit for President Moon to realize that it's not going to be as easy as he may think it will be to bring the Washington and Pyongyang opinions closer together.
Now we also note that they have had a first summit meeting. It lasted two hours this afternoon. Some comments from the North Korean leader just afterward saying that
he's met President Moon three times, saying they have become really close and they have made a big achievement. Also saying that inter- Korean relations and North Korea-U.S. relations have improved. No further details of what exactly he means by that.
But clearly, we are seeing that the relationship between these two leaders is going well. But as you say, at the same time is having that article slamming the U.S. Important, though, that it didn't actually mention the U.S. President Donald Trump, just conservative politicians -- Dave.
BRIGGS: Paula Hancocks live for us in Seoul. Thank you.
ROMANS: All right.
The Trump administration announcing a new round of tariffs on China. This time, on $200 billion worth of good. These new tariffs, as promised, go into effect later this month. They start at 10 percent and jump to 25 percent at the end of this year.
Combined with tariffs enacted earlier this year, roughly half of all products China sells to the United States will now be subject to American tariffs. That means you, the consumer, will likely pay a little bit more for a number of things. New items include a wide array of tech products like routers, circuit boards, and other I.T. equipment.
That's bad news for companies like Facebook and Google which rely on Chinese electronics for their cloud computing in their data centers.
Apple caught a slight break. The Apple watch and other Bluetooth devices are exempt for now.
Overnight, China announced it will be forced to take countermeasures, but no specific numbers yet.
The Dow, the Nasdaq, and the S&P 500 all closed lower yesterday on these renewed trade tensions, but futures, right now, are looking up.
For the first time in more than a decade, companies are spending more money on stock buybacks than on job-creating investments.
During the first half of 2018, S&P 500 companies gave shareholders $384 billion worth of stock buybacks. That's up 48 percent from last year. Investors can thank the strong economy and Trump's tax cuts.
Now, that doesn't mean businesses aren't spending or investing. Actually, business spending is up 19 percent. But you can see there the buybacks are growing much faster. In fact, Goldman Sachs predicts 2018 will be the first year in which shareholders receive over $1 trillion in stock buybacks.
[05:50:13] BRIGGS: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announcing the company's first space tourist. He's Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. He'll take flight aboard the company's Big Falcon Rocket as soon as 2023. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAEZAWA: Ever since I was a kid I have loved the moon. The stars and the moon filled my imagination. It's always there and has continued to inspire humanity. That is why I could not pass up this opportunity to see the moon up close.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: SpaceX says the lunar getaway will last four or five days, although Maezawa won't land on the moon.
The price tag -- well, Musk declined to say how much he paid but described the amount as non-trivial. Would you say seven-eight figures -- more?
ROMANS: I have no idea how much a trip to the moon would cost. Would you do it?
BRIGGS: I would not do it for free. You'd have to pay me eight figures.
Ahead, how do you feel about live, on-camera marriage proposals in front of more than 10 million viewers? A man rolled the dice at the Emmys. We'll show you how it ended.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:55:43] BRIGGS: Fewer refugees will be allowed into the U.S. next year at any time since the resettlement program started nearly 40 years ago. Only 30,000 will be allowed in 2019. That's a 33 percent cut from this year's low of 45,000.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claims the drastically reduced numbers should not be sole barometer of the administration's commitment to humanitarian efforts.
Refugee settlements, agencies, and immigrant rights groups want more people allowed into the country, citing the rising number of refugees who need help around the world.
ROMANS: Moscow now confirms a Russian military plane was shot down by Syrian defenses, killing 15 of its servicemen. A U.S. official says Syrians were attempting to stop a barrage of Israeli missiles when the Russian plane was hit.
The Russian military is blaming Israel, saying they were only notified about the planned operation a minute in advance.
Julie Chen is stepping down as co-host of the CBS daytime series "THE TALK." It comes a week after her husband, former CBS chairman and CEO Les Moonves, was forced out under a cloud of sexual misconduct allegations.
Chen is expected to address her decision in a taped message on today's episode. A source tells CNN she has decided her focus needs to be clearing her
husband's name.
Chen will continue to host the CBS reality show "BIG BROTHER."
BRIGGS: OK.
A new darling of comedy cleaning up the 70th Emmy Awards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Outstanding Comedy Series goes to "THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: The Amazon series, "THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL," was the biggest winner, taking home five Emmy's, including Best Comedy Series.
ROMANS: On the drama side, HBO's "GAME OF THRONES" was once again king, winning a Best Drama Series for a third time.
The show as hosted by "SNL WEEKEND UPDATE" duo Colin Jost and Michael Che. The pair addressed the #MeToo movement in their monologue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL CHE, CO-HOST, EMMY AWARDS: I'm Michael Che. It is an honor to be here sharing this night with the many, many talented and creative people in Hollywood who haven't been caught yet.
COLIN JOST, CO-HOST, EMMY AWARDS: This year -- this year, the audience is allowed to drink in their seats. I hope you're excited about that. Yes, because the one thing Hollywood needs right now is people losing their inhibitions at a work function.
Netflix, of course, has the most nominations tonight -- that's right, that's right. And if you're a network executive, that's the scariest thing you can possibly hear, except maybe -- sir, Ronan Farrow is on line one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Well played, well played.
BRIGGS: That's the joke of the night, indeed.
Also a big night for veteran actor Henry Winkler, who got a standing ovation after winning his first-ever Emmy for his supporting role in the HBO series "BARRY."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY WINKLER, ACTOR, EMMY WINNER: I only have 37 seconds. I wrote this 43 years ago. OK, can I just say Skip Brittenham said to me a long time ago, if you stay at the table long enough the chips come to you. And tonight, I got to clear the table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: One of the night's surprise moments, a marriage proposal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLENN WEISS, PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, EMMY WINNER: -- this ring, that my mom wore, on your finger in front of all these people and in front of my mom and your parents watching from above. Will you marry me?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: After winning an Emmy for directing the Oscars, Glenn Weiss proposed to his girlfriend on the Emmy stage.
BRIGGS: Imagine if they'd have hit the music to get them off state, you know. Thankfully, that guy saved his job.
ROMANS: All right, thanks for joining us.
BRIGGS: A bold move there.
ROMANS: They're playing the music on us.
BRIGGS: Yes, they are.
ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans.
BRIGGS: Cue it. I'm Dave Briggs. "NEW DAY" starts right now. We'll see you tomorrow before they cut us off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: I believe her. Many, many women in America certainly believe her.
SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: I talked to him on the phone. He wasn't at the party. So clearly, somebody's mixed up.
TRUMP: I'd like to see a complete process. If it takes a little delay, it will take a little delay.
COLLINS: If Judge Kavanaugh lied, that would be disqualifying.
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D), CONNECTICUT: This hearing should take place only after the FBI investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's no way to go back 35 years and prove it or disprove it. We're going to have a circus on Monday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Tuesday, September 18th, 6:00 here in New York.
In less than one week from today, a professor could sit before the Senate and the country and say she was sexually assaulted by a Supreme Court nominee.
