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Rosenstein to Meet with Trump; More Flooding After Florence; Steelers Win First Game; Girl Sings National Anthem. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired September 25, 2018 - 06:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:34: 06] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump rejected the idea of statehood for Puerto Rico so longs as his critics in the island -- on the island are in office. This was during a radio interview with Geraldo Rivera. The president went directly after the mayor of San Juan, which he has done frequently, and she, of course, has been very critical of the president's response to Hurricane Maria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With the mayor of San Juan, as bad as she is, and as incompetent as she is, Puerto Rico shouldn't be talking about statehood until they get some people that really know what they're doing. But they do have good leadership, Geraldo.

GERALDO RIVERA: She's running for governor, I hear.

TRUMP: That certainly could be something they talk about. But with people like that involved in Puerto Rico, I would be an absolute no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The president also, once again, claimed the official hurricane death toll, which now stands at nearly 3,000 Americans, was inflated for political reasons. It was not.

CAMEROTA: The Dallas Police Department has fired Amber Guyger. She is the officer charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of her neighbor, Botham Jean. He was killed inside his apartment. Officer Guyger claims that she thought she had entered her own apartment. An internal affairs investigation concluded she engaged in adverse conduct.

[06:35:13] BERMAN: The FBI is joining local authorities in the search for a missing six-year-old autistic boy, Maddox Scott Ritch. He went missing on Saturday after a trip with his father to a park in Gastonia, which is north of Charlotte in North Carolina. Police extended their search on the ground and in the air two miles outside the park using trained dogs to cover part of the terrain. They're looking -- if you have any information on this young boy, please call the FBI or local police. CAMEROTA: All right, John, imagine this. You are taking a ride, a

relaxing ride on the water when your canoe gets stuck on something. Oh, it's a giant alligator's back. A company in St. Petersburg, Florida, called See Through Canoes hosted this video so its Instagram account. The man in the canoe, who happened to be a supervisor at Gator Land -- OK, that's helpful -- says the alligator dragged the canoe several feet before eventually backing away slowly.

BERMAN: I have two comments. One, you're going to need a bigger boat.

CAMEROTA: Yes, for sure.

BERMAN: That's what you always say when you're facing a sea monster like that.

And that -- that's like a huge head.

CAMEROTA: That is a huge head.

BERMAN: That's not a small head.

CAMEROTA: No. And I don't -- I'd like to know what the rules are for when that happens. I mean what exactly --

BERMAN: How loud you're supposed to scream?

CAMEROTA: Well, yes. Our --

BERMAN: Really loud.

CAMEROTA: Because I don't think you're supposed to hit them with your paddle. I don't think that would be a good response, though you might be tempted to. So what are you supposed to do when your boat runs aground on an alligator's head?

BERMAN: I'm still concerned about the size of the head. I think that alligator has some kind of condition, some kind of medical condition. You're not supposed to have a head that big. Is his body -- you know, is it disproportionately large to the rest of his body?

CAMEROTA: I'm not sure, but we'll find out for the viewers.

BERMAN: All right, the fate of the man who oversees the Russia investigation, it remains uncertain this morning. So what will Congress do, if anything, to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller? Stay with us.

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[06:40:58] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The fate of the Mueller investigation into the president's dealings with Russia hangs in the balance. This as the president weighs whether to oust Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein oversees the Russia investigation. And there are serious questions about what happens to it at all if he goes. So what will Congress do, if anything, to protect Mueller if Rosenstein goes? Joining us now, two former members of the Congress, former Democratic

Congresswoman Jane Harmon, she is now the director, president and CEO of the Wilson Center, and former House Intelligence Chair -- Congressman Harmon was an Intelligence chair also -- but Mike Rogers. He is a CNN national security commentator.

We have two former chairs of the Intelligence Committee here. That is more intelligence than we can handle in one place.

Jane, I want to start with you.

On the issue of what you think should happen over the next few days with Rod Rosenstein.

JANE HARMAN, DIRECTOR, PRESIDENT AND CEO, WILSON CENTER: Well, I think he should stay. I think President Trump should figure out what's in his personal, legal interest, which, according to Sean Hannity, and I agree, is for Rosenstein to stay. But if for some reason he doesn't, he either resigns or -- well, if he resigns, it's trickier for Congress. But if he's fired, I think that those in Congress, including many Republicans, like Lindsey Graham, should follow through on their view that they want to protect him. And they can reconstitute the inquiry as an inquiry for Congress. I think getting that through right now is tricky. But I don't think this sideshow is helpful in the elections at all. And I frankly think that there is redundant information from the Mueller probe in grand juries and elsewhere. And the probe is not going to die. I think it just puts Trump at serious legal jeopardy if he tries to kill it.

BERMAN: So, Mr. Chairman, you heard what Madam Chairman said just there, she wants Congress to step in with some kind of legislation to protect the Mueller investigation. You don't believe that's necessary.

MIKE ROGERS, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY COMMENTATOR: I don't. I think Congress has a couple of options here. And I think that the Mueller probe should be allowed to proceed. I think firing Rosenstein would be a terrible decision and I'm hoping that some external pressure here would allow the president to see through what I think is impulsive on his desire to do this.

Congress will have other options. They could do a 9/11 kind of commission if that were to happen. They could do a special committee, like a Watergate committee, that they've done before. They could also pass a law that says that the appeals court would nominate a special counsel to finish the investigation.

And so I think I would let that play out before I'd get into the big drama of trying to preempt something that we do not know for sure would happen.

BERMAN: And whatever happens, Jane, you think it should happen quickly because of the message it's sending to the intelligence community, everyone involved in all the different investigations?

HARMAN: Well, I'd love the Mueller probe to conclude quickly. I think he has enormous information and I think having it over but, you know, completed is in everybody's interest, including the president's interest and the country's interest. We have so many crucial things to think about, including what's going to happen here at UNGA, the U.N. General Assembly, which is why I'm here. And, frankly, this Kavanaugh thing also needs to play out on the same day in a manner that is fair to the women who have claimed what they've claimed and, I don't know if it's plural, women, but it might be, I guess it is now, but also fair to him.

BERMAN: I will note that we have spoken to people involved in the U.N. General Assembly and they are all watching what's going on here in the United States. They know what's going on with the Kavanaugh confirmation process and the Rod Rosenstein matter.

Mike, I do want to ask you about world affairs right now, specifically North Korea, because the president -- the difference between last year and this year is just staggering between little rocket man, as he was speaking to the United Nations one year ago, and this year when he's going in saying glowing things about North Korea.

What do you think needs to happen if the president is going to sit down for another meeting with Kim Jong-un?

ROGERS: Well, I think we need some real concessions. You know, listen, if you told me last year that this year we would have had freed prisoners, no nuclear test detonation and no missile tests, I would have said, well, probably not likely. So there was some movement. But that, too, is all optics. We need something concrete.

[06:45:16] We do believe, and I believe the intelligence services when they say they believe that he is, Kim Jong-un, is still engaged in developing a nuclear weapon program. We need something more concrete. Remember, we gave up a lot to get where we are. We gave up those military exercises and really didn't get anything in return. Not having missiles in a parade is not a concrete step toward denuclearization. We need -- I just hope the president doesn't decide he's going to go in and charm Kim Jong-un in a fairly unprepared way. We need to say, if you are going to have this second summit, you need to show us what you're doing, including giving up that one nuclear site for sure would be a great start and probably more than that.

HARMAN: Strongly agree. I usually do agree with Mike and we worked together closely on the Intelligence Committee.

ROGERS: We do. We do.

HARMAN: Let me add two more things, though.

First of all, declaring an end to the Korean War would then put our 28,000 troops on the border at risk of being sent home. I think that's a really bad idea. That's an insurance policy against North Korea's activities, not just in South Korea but in the region. And should we ever need to do something, we need those troops.

The other bad idea is moving THAD, our high altitude missile interceptor system that's in South Korea, to Portland, Oregon, which apparently appeared in the Woodward book as a Trump idea. And we have to worry about how Japan sees this. I don't think that

Moon's agenda, South Korea -- the South Korean president, is the same as our agenda. He wants reconciliation on the peninsula. That's good for him. But we want serious, real denuclearization.

BERMAN: Madam Chairman, Mr. Chairman, Jane, Mike, great to have you with us this morning. Really appreciate the discussion.

HARMAN: Thank you.

ROGERS: Thank you.

BERMAN: Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: All right, John, she is a pint-sized powerhouse. A seven- year-old stuns the crowd with her rendition of the national anthem. It's all in the "Bleacher Report," next.

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[06:51:27] CAMEROTA: No relief in sight for South Carolina. Rivers continue to rise, prompting more flooding concerns after Hurricane Florence. Look at all the video on your screen.

CNN meteorologist Chad Myers has our forecast.

What do you see there, Chad?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: More rain. More rain in the forecast, not from a named storm, but by a low that's just off the coast of North Carolina headed back that way.

This weather is brought to you by Purina, your pet our passion.

So here comes the rain. One to two more inches of rain in places that certainly don't need it. There's a potential for it to get a name, but right now it's only 50/50 and it should go away rather quickly. But, still, with this on-shore flow, Wilmington, Morehead City, the places that had so much rain, you will get more from this system. And there are still rivers that are rising. Not the Piedmont, but certainly the coastal plain. That's where the water has been running downhill, and it's still going to be flooding in Georgetown, still flooding in Conway, in these areas that are right along the coast right now, right in the places that will see the rainfall, like Conway, like Georgetown, at least a 50/50 shot of rain today and many areas will pick up one to two inches.

Now, if you're traveling today out of the northeast, make sure you take a book with you because this could be a very, very slow day out in the -- all the northeast airports, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, D.C., all with very heavy rainfall. That will slow down planes and slow down your day.

John.

BERMAN: Who wants to see that? Chad Myers, thanks very much.

The Steelers survive a trip to Tampa, beating the Bucks for their first win of the season. Andy Scholes has more in the "Bleacher Report."

Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, John.

You know, it's not been a great start to the season in Pittsburgh. Their star running back, Le'Veon Bell, is still sitting out. There's been all kinds of drama going on behind the scenes. But what helped solve all that, winning.

First quarter, Ben Roethlisberger to tight end Vance McDonald and he just throws Chris Conte to the ground. One of the most disrespectful plays in NFL history. And just look at the reaction from his Steelers teammates on the sidelines. They couldn't believe what just happened. That went for a 75-yard touchdown. Pittsburgh built a big lead in this game thanks to Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing three interceptions in the second quarter. The Bucs tried to rally late, but it just wasn't enough. The Steelers win this one 30-27.

Seven-year-old Malea Emma has become an Internet sensation after she performed one of the most impressive national anthems ever before Sunday's L.A. Galaxy game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MALEA EMMA: O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Just crushed it.

Malea Emma's dad says she's been singing since she was a one-year-old. Now Malea Emma also acts, she has an agent, her dream, guys, to one day sing with her idol Christina Aguilera. I'm going to go ahead and say, big things are ahead for her.

BERMAN: Well, I'm sure Christina Aguilera would be luck to sing with her. Actually, maybe Aguilera is saying, I don't want to do that. I'm not going to -- I'm not going to go up against that.

CAMEROTA: She has a great range also. But I can't believe that little girl. I mean she put -- it was Whitney Houston, right, who sang the national anthem so beautifully and was sort of the standard. And I think that she gives her, you know, obviously a run for her money for that performance. And how could she have this range in that little body? It's just incredible.

SCHOLES: Yes, 3'9", 40 pounds, but, man, what a voice.

BERMAN: Pound for pound, that's more range than any singer ever. What she did with "home of the brave" there was astounding. Wow. [06:55:05] CAMEROTA: OK, I predict we will see her with Christina Aguilera before the year is out.

BERMAN: Make that happen.

Andy Scholes, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

SCHOLES: All right, have a good one.

CAMEROTA: All right, President Trump faces another critical week in his presidency. The fate of his Supreme Court nominee and the man who oversees the Russia investigation both hang in the balance. It all comes to a head on Thursday, so we have it all covered for you, next.

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REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D), CALIFORNIA: Rod Rosenstein should say, I'm going to protect the investigation. If you need to fire me, you fire me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he did something like that, it would (INAUDIBLE), but I don't think we need right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really important that there be a step back taken here. Basically a timeout on this inquiry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bob Mueller is really in a race against time.

[07:00:03] BRETT KAVANAUGH, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: I'm not going to let false accusations drive us out of this process. I'm not going anywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If he's willing to talk to Fox News, I don't understand why he's unwilling to talk to the FBI.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: People that come out of the woodwork