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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's Fate Up In The Air; Supreme Court Nominee Speak Out: "I'm Not Going Anywhere"; President Trump To Address United National General Assembly; Russia To Send Advanced Missiles To Syria. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired September 25, 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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[05:30:34] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRETT KAVANAUGH, NOMINEE, U.S. SUPREME COURT: I'm not going anywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: The president's Supreme Court nominee with his most forceful defense against sexual assault allegations. President Trump reaffirming his support for Brett Kavanaugh.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Will the president fire the man in charge of the Russia probe? After a chaotic day at the White House, Rod Rosenstein is waiting to find out.

BRIGGS: And, Moscow sending advanced missiles to the Assad regime. Why now and how it could heighten risks from air war over Syria.

ROMANS: And a remarkable rescue. A teen is found alive in a floating fish trap after seven weeks drifting at sea.

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

BRIGGS: Good stuff. I'm Dave Briggs -- 5:31 eastern time.

Less than five hours away from President Trump's U.N. General Assembly address, but we start with all that's happening in Washington.

If Monday was Washington's version of a fire drill, expect Thursday to be even more chaotic. President Trump will sit face-to-face with this man, Rod Rosenstein, who right now is still deputy attorney general in charge of the Russia investigation following a tumultuous day in the capital.

That meeting will happen as Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford both testify on Capitol Hill about her sexual assault allegations against the Supreme Court nominee.

ROMANS: First, on Rosenstein.

A senior official tells us the deputy attorney general overestimated how angry the president would be. Rosenstein expected fury after "The New York Times" reported he suggested secretly recording the president and discussed using the 25th Amendment to remove him from office, but the president seems to be keeping an open mind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are meeting with Rod Rosenstein on Thursday when I get back from all of these meetings. And we'll be meeting at the White House and we'll be determining what's going on.

We want to have transparency, we want to have openness, and I look forward to meeting with Rod at that time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Rosenstein offered his resignation to Chief of Staff John Kelly Friday. The two met yesterday, part of a series of discussions with top officials. So for now, the future of the man in charge of the Russia investigation remains very much up in the air.

ROMANS: The president standing by his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, telling Fox News the president called him on Monday to express support. The judge remaining defiant in the face of a sexual assault allegation that threatens his confirmation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAVANAUGH: I'm not going to let false accusations drive us out of this process. And we're looking for a fair process where I can be heard and defending my integrity and my lifelong record. My lifelong record of promoting dignity and equality for women, starting with the women who knew me when I was 14 years old.

I'm not going anywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: "The Washington Post" reports President Trump called Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on Saturday, demanding he call a vote of Kavanaugh's nomination.

BRIGGS: One White House official tells CNN the president has been pushing for a more offense-oriented approach defending his nominee, especially after a second Kavanaugh accuser surfaced in "The New Yorker" story. The administration views the allegation by Debbie Ramirez as a chance to be more aggressive since the story was thinly sourced.

We're already seeing signs of that from Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, who calls Ramirez's allegations "phony" and is pointing the finger squarely at Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: Well, it's amazing to me that these allegations come out of nowhere at the last minute and that they weren't brought up earlier in the -- in this process. And it's not untypical for our friends on the other side to pull that kind of crap.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAPITOL HILL PROTESTERS: We will not go back! We will not go back!

ROMANS: A number of swing voters are feeling the pressure. Protesters gathered Monday in the hallway leading to Sen. Susan Collins' office. One hundred twenty-eight arrests on Capitol Hill yesterday.

Collins says she won't make up her mind on Kavanaugh until after Thursday's hearing.

There was that scene. There was a scene in the Rotunda. There was another -- I mean, there were -- this was remarkable yesterday -- the fire drill, if you will, on Capitol Hill.

BRIGGS: Building for Thursday.

ROMANS: Let's bring in CNN senior writer and analyst Harry Enten. He's here in New York with us. And in Washington, Rachael Bade, congressional reporter for "Politico."

Good morning to both of you.

On a very remarkable day, an unprecedented display. You had a Supreme Court nominee, still being vetted for the position, going on Fox News with his wife for an interview and talking about his growing up, his integrity, his sex life.

[05:35:05] I want to listen a little bit here -- just in his own words -- to Brett Kavanaugh making the case for his character.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAVANAUGH: When I was in high school -- and I went to an all-boys Catholic high school -- a Jesuit high school where I was focused on academics and athletics, going to church every Sunday at Little Flower, working on my service projects, and friendship -- friendship with my fellow classmates and friendship with girls from the local all-girls Catholic schools.

And yes, there were parties and the drinking age was 18. And yes, the seniors were illegal and had beer there. And yes, people might have had too many beers on occasion.

And people, generally, in high school -- I think all of us have probably done things we look back on in high school and regret or cringe a bit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: In another moment in that interview Rachael, he said, "I have never sexually assaulted anyone."

Talk to me a little bit about this moment and where we are here where you have a nominee for the Supreme Court and there's such an interview.

RACHAEL BADE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, POLITICO: Yes, and at one point in that interview there was this astounding moment where Fox News basically asked him about allegations of gang rape, too. And just the sheer optics of the Supreme Court nominee being asked about this --

BRIGGS: Yes.

BADE: -- just totally unfounded.

Listen, this is part of a hit-back strategy by Kavanaugh, the White House, and Republicans on the Hill. There is sort of this feeling up on the Hill that these new allegations coming forward are less credible and so they're trying to use that to help Kavanaugh. To paint this as sort of a smear campaign against this -- against him and say it's sort of overtly political.

But look, that's putting a really positive spin on things before this critical hearing on Thursday where we're going to hear from Ms. Ford in person.

And Democrats are saying these allegations -- these new ones are basically proof of a pattern that Kavanaugh has and they think it actually helps them.

So what we have right now is Republicans wanting to move forward. McConnell said he's going to move forward to a vote soon. But, Democrats say they need to investigate these new allegations.

And then you have some swing Republicans that you really need to watch because if they're convinced by Kavanaugh in his interview last night and this Thursday, then he might advance. But at this point, they're not convinced and they want to hear more about these new allegations.

BRIGGS: In that interview, Kavanaugh also talked about being a virgin throughout high school and quote, "many years thereafter."

Harry, this is a very awkward and emotional situation last night and will be on Thursday, but ultimately this is a calculation. It's 51- 49.

What, to you, could change the calculation that says he has plenty of votes and maybe cushion to get confirmed?

HARRY ENTEN, SENIOR WRITER AND ANALYST, CNN POLITICS: Well obviously, if he comes across as very believable on Thursday and his accuser does not, and then public opinion very much swings to his side, then I think that could be something that truly helps him.

Remember, Brett Kavanaugh is the least-liked Supreme Court nominee in a generation. Not since Robert Bork have we seen a Supreme Court nominee as disliked as he is. And that's why you're seeing a lot of swing senators feeling the pressure back home.

Lisa Murkowski -- Susan Collins, especially, in Maine, which is a swing state -- where she's feeling the pressure from her base that wants her to vote yes, but from swing voters who want her to vote no.

BRIGGS: Is that -- sorry, is that number more reflective of the times -- of the president who selected Kavanaugh or his actual record? I'm guessing if you walked out there in New York City you wouldn't find a single soul who knows much about the background of Brett Kavanaugh.

ENTEN: I will say that Brett Kavanaugh's favorability ratings have dropped during this entire confirmation process. And I will also point out that Neil Gorsuch was significantly better liked than Brett Kavanaugh was. And remember, Donald Trump wasn't exactly popular back then either.

ROMANS: You know, Rachael, we know that the president, from the very beginning, wanted to hit back hard here. He thought that the defenses of Kavanaugh was too weak. And now he thinks he is -- he is justified and wanting to be tougher.

And we've seen -- you talk of a hit-back strategy. We've seen -- Kellyanne Conway told CBS I think this is a vast left-wing conspiracy.

You hear "The Wall Street Journal" saying, "We warned Republicans not to fall for this politics of uncorroborated accusation and perhaps now they understand that they are being played." This is an op-ed in "The Wall Street Journal" guys.

"Women who are abused deserve to be heard, but turning #MeToo into a political weapon undermines" -- there it is -- "undermines that -- undermines that cause."

Cheapening #MeToo -- is that a -- is that a good defense here?

BADE: Listen, it's too early to say that people are turning this #MeToo moment into a political weapon. Republicans still haven't investigated a lot of these claims and I think that that's what certain Senate Republicans now.

I know Chairman Grassley, who is basically head of this whole process in the Senate Judiciary Committee -- the president apparently is unhappy with him and thinks he's been too accommodating to Ms. Ford in terms of bringing her forward and trying to work with her lawyer to make her comfortable to testify.

But look, they have got to do this. If they would have hit back from the beginning and sort of said this is totally uncredible, then women across the country would absolutely be up in arms right now. They've got to give her a fair shake.

[05:40:00] And look, the midterm elections are coming up in a couple of weeks -- I think six weeks now -- and Republicans are in trouble. The House is in trouble and the House majority runs right to the suburbs with educated women who, let's be honest --

BRIGGS: Yes.

BADE: -- don't like Trump and do not trust this president. BRIGGS: And no one studies these numbers closer than you, Harry. How do the midterms loom over everything that may happen on Thursday? In particular, the optics of Republicans pressing someone who was, in her words, sexually assaulted.

ENTEN: You know, I'm going to go against the conventional wisdom here and I think that Republicans should be tough. And I would argue also that they should vote to confirm Kavanaugh.

If you look at the polling from swing congressional districts -- granted, this is a Senate thing but if you look at the congressional districts you do, in fact, see that Kavanaugh's numbers are higher than they are nationally.

And more than that -- remember, go back to the tax bill last year. Remember, it was very unpopular. Everyone should say there's no way they should vote for it. But when they did, in fact, vote it through we saw that Trump's numbers went up and Republican numbers went up as well.

ROMANS: Interesting.

ENTEN: It was a rallying of the base and that's something that Republicans need in this midterm election. This base to come out and confirming the Supreme Court nominee could be exactly that.

ROMANS: Hey guys, yesterday -- Rachael, I wanted to ask you about -- you were there in Washington. Oh my gosh, is he going to have his job or not have his job, did he fire him -- did he -- that was an unbelievable wacky few hours there in D.C.

We have from Sen. Susan Collins -- I'm talking about Rod Rosenstein. Did he resign, is he fired? We're not going to know until Thursday apparently.

She says this. "I'm very concerned by reports that Deputy A.G. Rosenstein will either be fired or forced to resign." She's sending a message to the president -- don't do it, as some of his friends on Fox News have said, too.

BRIGGS: Yes, Sean Hannity and "The Wall Street Journal" editorial board.

ROMANS: I wonder if the president, Rachael, has made up his mind yet or if he's enjoying this reality T.V. moment?

BADE: It was like a ping-pong -- watching a ping-pong match.

We were just like -- no, no, a totally confusing day upon the Hill. Nobody knew what was going on. They had the Kavanaugh drama unfolding at the same time.

I don't think we know what the president is going to do at this time.

ROMANS: Yes. BADE: Frankly, over the weekend, at lot of his top defenders who have been gunning for Rod Rosenstein's head for a long time -- we thought they were going to come out and say impeach him, fire him, after this "New York Times" report that he wanted to secretly record the president and potentially talked to people about ousting him.

But then they said no, that's a trap. Don't do it.

However, when this was unraveling yesterday, a lot of those people were silent. They weren't saying to the president publicly don't do this or do this.

So who knows what's going to happen. It's just too impossible to predict.

BRIGGS: Yes.

BADE: I do think that Rosenstein's position is very tenuous. Clearly, there's a lot of tension with the White House and this --

ROMANS: Yes.

BADE: -- whole thing just really blew everything up. So I don't know how much longer he'll be there. I just think it's a question of when -- before or after the midterms -- and who knows what's going to happen.

ROMANS: The long lenses through the bushes to find out if he's coming or going.

BRIGGS: Yes.

ROMANS: Is he smiling? Is John Kelly smiling?

BRIGGS: It's brewing cable news drama. That Ben Folds "Mister Peepers" song could use a rewrite.

ROMANS: Oh, yes.

BRIGGS: Rachael Bade, thank you. And the man with the fattest wallet in all of politics today.

ENTEN: (INAUDIBLE).

BRIGGS: Look at this thing. It's the fattest wallet.

ROMANS: That is Harry's wallet. That is Harry's wallet.

BRIGGS: You may not be rich but you have a fat wallet.

ENTEN: I have to keep all of my political data in here so when anyone ever asks me a question on the street I'll be able to answer who, in fact, won the 1948 Senate election in, say, Montana -- if there was one.

BADE: Can I get some of those -- can I get some of those credit cards to go shopping? Buy some more clothes, maybe?

ROMANS: There's plenty in there.

BRIGGS: Yes, a Subway punch card and his high school I.D. as well.

ENTEN: And my college I.D., I should point out.

ROMANS: Harry, we love you.

BRIGGS: Thank you, guys.

ROMANS: We don't understand you but we love you, Harry. Thank you.

Thanks, Rachael.

BRIGGS: Ahead, the FBI joining the search for a boy with autism missing in North Carolina. The search zone now expanding.

ROMANS: And a popular brand of nuts recalled over a possible E. coli concern.

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[05:47:53] ROMANS: Lost in all the noise in Washington is the president's appearance at the United Nations. He addresses the General Assembly in New York at 10:15 eastern time this morning.

The focus yesterday was Mr. Trump's meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. President Trump signaling plans to meet with Kim Jong Un again, and he addressed efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I see tremendous enthusiasm on behalf of Chairman Kim toward making a deal and I think that that's something that's very good. We are in no rush. There's no hurry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Let's talk to CNN's Will Ripley. He joins us live from Hong Kong this morning and he's become something of an expert on the Korean Peninsula, having gone to North Korea so many times.

I think two headlines out of that appearance from the president. One, that he is open to or planning a second meeting with Chairman Kim, as he calls him. And two, there was a South Korean trade deal. So the president thinks he's making progress on this front.

What has -- what has the North done to deserve a second meeting?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're still developing nuclear weapons -- according to U.S. intelligence -- they're just doing it much more quietly. They're not parading the missiles out. You know, when we were in North Korea a couple of weeks ago they had a

military parade minus intercontinental ballistic missiles, which President Trump then heaped praise on Kim Jong Un. Not getting rid of the missiles, mind you, just not putting them out on display.

So, for President Trump, it's all about optics. It's all about lavishing him with praise.

And that's what President Moon did, reiterating expressions of trust from Kim Jong Un to President Trump, saying that he is the only person who can solve this problem. It's that kind of language that President Trump likes to hear.

But when you look at actual steps toward denuclearization at this point, there has been none. North Korea has a full arsenal. They haven't been transparent with the United States about what they possess -- where they're producing weapons.

They are making offers to start to dismantle certain facilities if the United States takes reciprocal steps Christine, but we don't even know what those steps are. That is certainly going to be the hard work that President Trump will face if and when he sits down once again with Kim Jong Un.

ROMANS: All right, Will Ripley. Thank you so much, sir.

[05:50:00] BRIGGS: Russia now further aligning itself with Syria. In the next two weeks, the Kremlin says it will arm the Assad regime with sophisticated air defense systems. That move could heighten risks of air war over Syria.

Last week, the Syrians accidentally shot down a Russian military plane, killing 15 Russian troops. The Kremlin blaming Israel for the incident.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen joining us live from Moscow amidst this blame game, Fred. John Bolton calls this a "significant escalation by the Russians" -- what they're doing there. Good morning.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning.

He said that he blames the Iranians for all of this, just to put another sort of country in the mix in all of this. And the reason why John Bolton said that is because the Israeli war planes that were in that area were targeting pro-Iranian places down there in that part of Syria, which is also where that Russian air base is.

Now, he says that because the Israelis were targeting those pro- Iranian targets that, therefore, Iran is responsible for everything that happened next, including the downing of that Russian plane.

Now, the Russians, of course, for their part, not having any of that. They blame the Israelis for it. They say one of the Israeli planes maneuvered in a way putting the Russian plane in the line of fire. And that's also the reason why the Russians say that they're putting

these sophisticated anti-aircraft systems. They say that these anti- aircraft systems will help the Syrians identify friendly or unfriendly airplanes in the skies a lot better than they have in the past, making it safer for Russian planes.

But, of course, that would also make unsafer, for instance, for American planes and Israeli planes operating in those areas. And, of course, much easier, for instance, for Syrian air defenses to hit them.

Now, we know from our own Barbara Starr's reporting that the U.S. is evaluating this move. Apparently, the U.S. military believes that its planes can stay out of the way of this air defense system. But, of course, should they fly over Syria it could make things a little more difficult than it was before in a very complicated situation, Dave.

BRIGGS: Yes, and a complicated situation getting more complex by the day.

All right, Fred Pleitgen live for us in Moscow -- thanks.

All right. Nearly a week after a fire that gutted his apartment complex, a 74-year-old man found alive and no one realized he was missing. Why?

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[05:56:38] ROMANS: The founders of Instagram are resigning with little explanation. It could spell more trouble for Facebook.

Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger founded the popular photo sharing app back in 2010. They sold it, remember, to Facebook for a billion bucks in 2012.

The two say they are taking some time off to "explore our curiosity and creativity again" but "Bloomberg" reports the two left because of tensions with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the future of Instagram. Facebook and Instagram declined to comment further.

Instagram, of course, is Facebook's fastest-growing moneymaker and increasingly important as Facebook's core platform faces a series of crises.

BRIGGS: Authorities in North Carolina expanding their search for 6- year-old Maddox Scott Ritch who went missing on Saturday. Police say the boy has autism.

Maddox was last seen at Rankin Lake Park in Gastonia, North Carolina, near Charlotte. Police have extended their search on the ground and through the air to two miles outside the park.

ROMANS: Mauna Loa macadamia nut products have been recalled because of possible E. coli contamination. Health inspectors found E. coli in the well water and distribution system at the company's facility in Hawaii. The affected products were made there between September sixth and the 21st. No illnesses have been reported so far.

BRIGGS: A 74-year-old man found alive in a senior apartment complex in Washington five days after it caught fire. Washington's mayor says no one knew the man was missing. He was found by crews assessing the damage.

Some of the doors had swelled because of the heat and workers had to use crowbars to pry them open.

Right after the fire, emergency responders said they'd rescued more than 100 residents and thought everyone was accounted for. The man is expected to be OK.

ROMANS: And this amazing rescue. An Indonesian teenager plucked from the sea after drifting for 49 days. Nineteen-year-old Aldi Novel Adilang was working on a fishing trap off the coast of North Sulawesi in Indonesia.

He told CNN Indonesia that in mid-July strong waves caused the trap's anchor rope to break. The platform drifted all the way to the waters of Guam, more than 1,500 miles.

He says many ships passed right by him. Finally, he was able to attract the attention of one of them -- a cargo ship.

Adilang was treated, then examined by the Japanese Coast Guard, and returned home to Indonesia.

Apparently, he filtered the seawater through his clothes to try to get enough freshwater to survive.

BRIGGS: Remarkable survival skills.

ROMAN: Thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.

BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. And it's National Voter Registration Day.

ROMANS: Is it?

BRIGGS: Get your butt out there and register.

"NEW DAY" starts right now. We'll see you tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm meeting with Rod Rosenstein on Thursday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Rod Rosenstein is fired, the president will be, in effect, obstructing justice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are people inside the Trump administration actively working against the president. The deputy attorney general should not be one of them.

KAVANAUGH: I've never sexually assaulted anyone. I want a fair process.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe both of their stories are credible, unlike his.

HATCH: That these allegations come of out nowhere, that's not untypical for our friends on the other side to pull that kind of crap.

(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 Tuesday, September 25th, 6:00 here in New York.

Great to be back with you.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Washington could not handle your absence. You go away for like one day -- it was like an hour. It was an hour and the whole thing falls apart.

CAMEROTA: But I was watching it from home yesterday, like, hmm, this interesting.

BERMAN: I better get back to work.

CAMEROTA: I've got to get back.

So, the White House is battling duel crises this morning in what is promising to be a consequential --