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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
The FBI has now reached out to one of Kavanaugh's former Yale classmates; FLOTUS Takes First Solo Foreign Trip; President Trump crediting his tough trade tactics for that successful renegotiation of NAFTA. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired October 02, 2018 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:00]
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: So, this - this, I think, is good.
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Perhaps back on track. Early Start continues right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want it to be comprehensive. I actually think it's a good thing.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), KENTUCKY: We'll be voting this week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: The Senate leader has made up his mind on Brett Kavanaugh before the FBI has finished its worked. But Kavanaugh's drinking history, and whether he lied about it, could still pose a problem.
ROMANS: The first lady on route to Ghana for her first solo foreign trip. What she will hear following the president's controversial comments at this talk in Eastern (ph) Africa.
BRIGGS: And a Florida teenager is back with her high school baseball team after getting kicked off the team because of her gender. Wait for it. Yes, that's a real swing. I don't care if you're a guy or a girl. She can play. Good morning everyone. Welcome to Early Start. I'm Dave Briggs.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It is Tuesday, October 2. It is 5 a.m. in the east. A shift this morning from the White House, allowing the FBI wider latitude in its Brett Kavanaugh probe, but even if the FBI clears the Supreme Court nominee of sexual misconduct, his youthful drinking and the way he describes it now could prove damaging.
Some senators have said lying to the Judiciary Committee should be disqualifying. The FBI has now reached out to one of Kavanaugh's former Yale classmates, Chad Ludington, who says Kavanaugh was not truthful about his alcohol consumption. Here are Kavanaugh last week and Ludington last night. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRETT KAVANAUGH, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: I drank beer with my friends. Almost everyone did. Sometimes I had too many beers. Sometimes others did. I liked beer. I still like beer. But I did not drink beer to the point of blacking out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He testified that he did drink and wasn't proud of everything?
CHAD LUDINGTON, KAVANAUGH CLASSMATE AT YALE: He did. But he also downplayed to agree the possibility that he could ever not know what was going on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, you're saying there were omissions?
LUDINGTON: I'm saying there were omissions. There were, certainly, many times when he could not remember what was going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Ludington says he witnessed a 1985 bar fight started by the future Supreme Court Nominee. The police report says the victim accused Kavanaugh of throwing ice at him. The brawl ended up with the man being hit in the head with a glass. The police report does not say if anyone was arrested. The White House released statements from two other Kavanaugh friends from Yale who say they never saw him blackout.
ROMANS: After reports over the weekend, the west wing was trying to limit the FBI investigation. President Trump and the White House now saying agents can follow lead (ph) for (INAUDIBLE), so long as they finish by Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I want it to be comprehensive. I actually think it's a good think for Judge Kavanaugh. I think it's actually a good thing, not a bad thing. I think it's a good thing. Now, with that being said, I'd like it to go quickly. I think the FBI should interview anybody that they want within reason.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: That was the temperate Trump, if you will, yesterday talking to reporters in the Rose Garden. But last night at a rally in Tennessee, the President attacked Democrats and defended his nominee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They've been trying to destroy him since the very first second he was announced because they know that Judge Kavanaugh will follow the Constitution as written. That's been his (INAUDIBLE).
(APPLAUSE) And he's a good man, great student, great intellect. Never had a problem, all of a sudden, oh, let's go back to high school. They, maybe, should go before high school.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Three key Republican senators making it clear, they expect a legitimate investigation of Brett Kavanaugh. Jeff Flake, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, will determine the fate of the President's nominee. Flake sent this message to the white house from a conference in Boston.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: We, certainly, want the FBI to do a real investigation and we are working to make sure that that happens. It does no good to have an investigation that just gives us more cover.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: No matter what the FBI finds, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already decided to plow forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), KENTUCKY: Their goal post keeps shifting, but their goal hasn't moved an edge, not an edge. The goal has been the same all along. And so, let me make it very clear. The time for analyst delay and obstruction has come to a close. Judge Kavanaugh's nomination is out of committee. We're considering it here on the floor. And Mr. President, we'll be voting this week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Mark Judge, a witness to the alleged sexual assault involving Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, he has been interviewed by the FBI. Senate Democrats, concerned about the short initial witness list, gave the White House and the FBI the names of 24 witnesses they want interviewed.
[05:05:00]
BRIGGS: A large group of women and men marching, yesterday, from Madison Square Park in New York City to protest Kavanaugh's nomination. Senator Lindsey Graham, meanwhile, asked what should happen if Kavanaugh falls short of confirmation? Graham pulling a page from Republican leader Mitch McConnell's playbook, let the voters have a say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I would re-nominate him, and I would take this case to the American people. And I'd ask voters in Indiana, and Missouri, and North Dakota, and other places where Trump won, saying who he would nominate if he got to be President. And see if the voters want to appeal the verdict of their senator.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Even if the FBI comes up with nothing new on Brett Kavanaugh, Republican John Kennedy of Louisiana believes every senate Democrat will still oppose him. And he's making the point as only he can.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BRETT KAVANAUGH (R), LOUISIANA: If you think this a search for the truth, you probably ought to put down the bong. It's not a search for the truth. My Democratic colleagues have accused Judge Kavanaugh of being a rich, drunk, lying, sexual predator. And the six FBI investigation that he's been through did - did not support that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Senator Kennedy certainly has a way with words doesn't he? He's been accused of many things, but the President got a few laughs in the Rose Garden after admitting he does not share Brett Kavanaugh's love of beer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I'm not a drinker. I can honestly say I've never had a beer in my life, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
TRUMP: It's one of my only good traits. I don't drink.
(LAUGHTER)
Whenever they're looking for something then I say I never had a glass of alcohol. I've never had alcohol. I'm just - you know, for whatever reason. Can you image if I had? What a mess I'd be? Would I bet - I'd be the world's worst.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: About a year ago, the President opened up about his older brother Fred's lifelong battle with alcohol. Fred Trump Jr. died in 1981 at the age of 43. Self-deprecating humor can be a powerful weapon. You rarely hear it from this president though.
ROMANS: You're right.
BRIGGS: He got a lot of laughs...
ROMANS: He did.
BRIGGS: ...in the Rose Garden.
ROMANS: But then.
BRIGGS: Not just a little. ROMANS: And then there's this moment to just oppose, right?
BRIGGS: Yes.
ROMANS: The President getting a little combative with a pair of female reporters during that Rose Garden press conference. Listen to these exchanges with ABC's Cecilia Vega, and CNN's Kaitlan Collins.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CECILIA VEGA, ABC WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And now that you've answered several questions on trade, I'd like to turn...
TRUMP: Don't - don't - don't...
VEGA: ...to Judge Kavanaugh.
TRUMP: ...don't do that. Don't do - do you have - do you have...
VEGA: Mr. President.
TRUMP: ...excuse me. Do you have a question on trade?
VEGA: We just.
TRUMP: We'll do one or two more questions on trade.
VEGA: You answered several questions on trade.
TRUMP: OK, don't do that. That's not nice. Go ahead, please - please.
VEGA: Just to wrap up. Can you promise...
TRUMP: You know what? You've really had enough.
VEGA: ...to release the FBI's report?
TRUMP: Hey, you've had enough. She's shocked that I picked her. She's like in a state of shock.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm not. Thank you, Mr. President.
TRUMP: That's OK. I know you're not thinking. You never do.
COLLINS: I'm sorry?
TRUMP: No, go ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: She said I'm not. Thank you, Mr. President. And he said - it sounds like he said I know you're not thinking. The White House transcript says, I know you're not thanking. Mr. Trump later referred to the press as loco, and said he used that word because of his new trade agreement with Mexico.
BRIGGS: Meanwhile, Melania Trump on her way to Africa. This is her first solo international trip she's taken as First Lady. First stop, Ghana, followed by Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt. Let's go live to Johannesburg and bring in CNN's David McKenzie, David, good morning. What's on the agenda for the First Lady?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Dave. Yes, just in a, reasonably, short time, the First Lady will be landing - landing in Ghana. On the agenda is, she's taking her BE BEST campaign internationally and teaming up with USAID, the chief development agency of the U.S. government.
Now, she'll be in Ghana, Malawi, Egypt, Kenya, all friendly nations to the U.S. You'd expect that. It's, kind of, a charm offensive also, possibly trying to undo some of the ill feelings towards President Trump that have been generated by some of his more controversial comments about the continent.
You know, just a few days ago, President Trump in New York at the UNGA saying that they are looking to only give foreign aid to those who respect us, quite frankly, who are our friends. Now, that got a bipartisan pushback from Congress which has refused to enact the major cuts that President Trump has tried to put in on foreign aid.
Now, one of the most controversial aspects has been President Trump's signing of an expanded Mexico City policy, what critics call a gag rule which stops funding for charities across Africa and elsewhere that also give services relating to abortion, very controversial and something that's impacted Malawi and Kenya, particularly, on the First Lady's trip. So, she'll look to push the U.S. agenda on this first major - or the first foreign trip of the First Lady solo. Dave.
BRIGGS: Good for her. It should be an intriguing and fascinating trip. David McKenzie live for us in Johannesburg. Thank you.
[05:10:00]
ROMANS: All right, another campaign promise kept, the president's new trade deal done. Now comes his favorite part, getting it through Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But anything you submit to Congress is trouble, no matter what.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The deal sets up a big showdown with China, too. We'll explain why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: All right, President Trump crediting his tough trade tactics for that successful renegotiation of NAFTA. The U.S., Canada and Mexico agreed to replace the 24 year old trade deal with the USMCA, United States Mexico Canada Agreement, just rolls off the tongue.
Negotiations came down to the wire, Trump says a deal would have never happened without his trade threats.
[05:15:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: By the way, without tariffs, we would not be talking about a deal. Just for the babies out there, that keep talking about tariffs. That includes Congress. Oh, please don't charge tariffs. Without tariffs, we would not be standing here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Babies in Congress. Trump plans to keep using tariffs to force other trade deals like with China. The president calls USMCA a brand new deal but it's really seen as a NAFTA modernization addressing issues that have emerged since 1994 like digital businesses and biotech that didn't even exist with NAFTA was written. Other big changes, more access to Canada's protected dairy market; a relatively small part of U.S. - Canada trade, but a Trump campaign promise.
The whole thing expires also in 16 years unless it's renegotiated. And there are higher labor, wage, and environmental standards. That's good news for American workers especially auto workers to stay duty free, 2/5 of a car sold in North America must now be made by workers making $16 an hour; 75 percent of car parts must be made in North America to avoid a tariff or a duty. In theory that means higher wages and more domestic production but the deal doesn't kill those steel and aluminum tariffs that mean higher costs for U.S. auto makers. And the next step is Congress; does the president think the deal will pass?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think so, but you know if it doesn't we have lots of other alternatives. But I do think so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: He did not specify what those alternatives are.
BRIGGS: There is nothing the president likes more than rebranding.
ROMANS: Yes.
BRIGGS: Even as a real estate guy.
ROMANS: Yes.
BRIGGS: Is this rebranding that...
ROMANS: Even in TPP which was an international trade deal that the president despised and got out of, TPP would have modernized NAFTA and these categories very similarly.
BRIGGS: OK. Donald Trump, Jr. says the political climate makes him more concerned for his sons than for his daughters. The president's eldest son has five children, three boys and two girls. In the interview with the "Daily Mail" TV, he seemed concerns his sons might one day face false accusations of sexual misconduct.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, JR., SON OF DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I got boys and I got girls. And when I see what's going on right now, it's scary for all things. I mean I wouldn't want my ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who are you scared mostly for, your sons or your daughters?
TRUMP, JR.: I mean right now, I would say my sons. The other problem is that for the people who are real victims of these things, when it is so obviously political and cases like this, it really diminishes the real claims.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Trump, Jr., has been very vocal of the debates over allegations of sexual misconduct. Just weeks ago, he posted a meme on social media appearing to mock Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused Judge Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in high school.
ROMANS: One year after the Las Vegas massacre, last night the lights on the Vegas strip were dimmed to mark the anniversary of the massacre. Fifty-eight people were killed. Names of the victims also read at a ceremony last night. President Trump on Monday suggested bump fire stocks should be banned in the next couple weeks. The devices used in the Vegas attack allowed semi-auto weapons to fire at the rate of automatic rifles. Last week the Justice Department formally submitted its proposed final rule starting a 90-day review period.
BRIGGS: A teen baseball star in Florida now back on the team after being told she could play with the girls, or should play with the girls, excuse me. Fourteen year old Violet Mendez was booted from her middle school baseball team last week even though she'd played with the boys for the last two years. A parent complained and Mendez's principal after her first game last week and Mendez believes that parent is likely the same person who's called her a freak of nature and various anti-gay slurs. Officials originally penned the decision on a paperwork problem which has now been ironed out.
ROMANS: So you played baseball when you were a kid?
BRIGGS: I did indeed.
ROMANS: Tell me...
BRIGGS: That's a great swing. I don't care if you are a guy or girl, outstanding. Good to hear back on the team.
The Broncos, we're talking to football now. Looked like they were going to hand the Chiefs their first loss of the season but Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes had other ideas. Andy Sholes here to ruin my morning in "The Bleacher Report" next.
[05:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRIGGS: 5:23 on Tuesday morning. A rough day for Denver sports fans like myself. The Rockies lose and the Broncos blow a lead on "Monday Night Football". Andy Scholes is here to pour salt on my wounds. Hi, Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS HOST: Dave, I was thinking about you yesterday when your teams were losing. You always will have John Elway with the Super Bowl.
BRIGGS: Thanks, buddy.
(SPORTS)
[05:25:00]
ROMANS: Well, that's -- I already know how to do that. We deal with (ph) that every day. All right, Briggs (ph). 26 minutes after the hour, Brett Kavanaugh is not the only person to drink in college to drink, of course, but if he lied about it, could that keep him off the Supreme Court? One person who says Kavanaugh lied is talking to the FBI.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:30:00]
