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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Pompeo Meets with Turkey's President; Trump Taunts Stormy Daniels; Dangerous Flooding in Texas; New Mega Millions Jackpot: $868 Million. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired October 17, 2018 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[04:00:13] MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: They promised accountability.
REPORTER: Including a member of the royal family?
POMPEO: They made no exceptions to who they would hold accountable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The secretary of state meeting Turkey's president about the journalist who went missing at the Saudi consulate. The president says this is another case of guilty until proven innocent.
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Nothing says leadership like a series of Twitter attacks against women. The president not backing down after calling Stormy Daniels, quote, horseface.
ROMANS: Epic flooding in Texas forces evacuations. A bridge even washed away there. One body already recovered.
BRIGGS: And how does $868 million sound to you? Well, that's the next Mega Millions jackpot with no winner in last night's drawing.
We are headed to the largest jackpot in U.S. history, my friend. And you're still not playing.
ROMANS: That's a lot of money.
BRIGGS: Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Dave Briggs. I'm playing.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It Wednesday, October 17th. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East.
The Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Turkey this morning. He just met with Turkey's president. He's now sitting down with the foreign minister to discuss the U.S.-based journalist presumed killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul just over two weeks ago.
We just briefly saw Pompeo and the foreign minister. Yesterday, Secretary Pompeo met with Saudi Arabia's king and crown prince. Overnight, Pompeo told reporters the Saudis promise to figure out what happened to Jamal Khashoggi.
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POMPEO: He told me they were going to conduct a thorough, complete, and transparent investigation. They made a commitment to hold anyone connected to any wrongdoing that may be found accountable for that, whether they are a senior officer or official. They promised accountability.
REPORTER: Including a member of the royal family?
POMPEO: They made no exceptions to who they would hold accountable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Three sources tell CNN that a Saudi team sent to interrogate and possibly abduct Khashoggi from Istanbul was organized by a high- ranking officer in the main Saudi intelligence service.
Our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson live this morning outside the Saudi consulate where Khashoggi was last seen entering two weeks from yesterday.
Nic, good morning. What's the latest here?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, the latest are many things at the moment, Dave. The latest in particular being that CNN has been -- has been told by senior Turkish officials about an 11-minute audiotape that they have that depicts the dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi on the day he disappeared inside the consulate behind me.
The high-level intelligence official close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia who --
(VIDEO GAP)
[04:05:36] ROBERTSON: -- to lose as the Saudis to lose, too -- Dave.
BRIGGS: All right. Nic Robertson with the latest for us from Istanbul this morning. Thank you.
ROMANS: All right. A senior adviser to the president tells CNN Mr. Trump's handling of the crisis with Saudi Arabia may be the most consequential decision of his presidency.
The president once again defending the Saudi regime, tweeting, they totally denied any knowledge. Then he resorted to a familiar talking point, telling the "Associated Press", here we go again with, you know, you're guilty until proven innocent. I don't like that. We just went through that with Justice Kavanaugh, and he was innocent all the way as far as I'm concerned.
Here's what he told Fox Business last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It depends whether or not the king or the crown prince knew about it in my opinion, number one, what happened, but whether or not they knew about it. If they knew about it, that would be bad. If they didn't know it, things -- bad things can happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Key Republican leaders are demanding answers from the Saudis, specifically about the role of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman or MBS.
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SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I've been their biggest defender on the floor of the United States Senate. This guy is a wrecking ball. He had this guy murdered in a consulate in Turkey.
There's a difference between a country and an individual. The MBS figure is, to me, toxic. He can never be a world leader on the world stage.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: This is going to alter the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia for the foreseeable future. What those specific measures are obviously is going to be up for debate, but they'll be strong and they'll be meaningful. Congress will act.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Attorney General Jeff Sessions leaving the door open to possible U.S. involvement in the Khashoggi investigation.
Meantime, Joint Chiefs Chairman Joseph Dunford says, quote, it's premature to speculate on the effect this will have on the U.S.-Saudi military relationship.
ROMANS: But the president in this bizarre name-calling contest that, frankly, you wouldn't want your children to be engaged in by any stretch of the imagination -- almost a schoolyard smackdown here. It started during the president's executive time Tuesday morning.
He unleashed a tirade against Senator Elizabeth Warren, then he turned to Twitter taunts to Stormy Daniels whose defamation suit against the president has just been dismissed.
BRIGGS: Here we go, folks. He devoted tweeted -- now I can go after horseface and her third-rate lawyer. She knows nothing about me, a total con.
That "total con" phrase is what originally triggered the Daniels' lawsuit. The adult film star firing right back, tweeting, ladies and gentlemen, may I present your president, in addition to his shortcomings, he has demonstrated his incompetence, hatred of women and lack of self-control on Twitter again, and perhaps a penchant for bestiality. Game on, tiny. ROMANS: Asked if it was appropriate to assault a woman's appearance,
the president told the "A.P., "you can take it any way you want." According to an official, the president told people he was aggravated by the coverage of the Saudi Arabia crisis. Asked whether Trump was trying to alter the news cycle, the official said he's good at doing that.
BRIGGS: Chief Justice John Roberts speaking out, alluding to the bitter and partisan battle surrounding newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. During a speech at the University of Minnesota's law school, he stressed that the judiciary requires independence from the political branches. Watch.
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JOHN ROBERTS, SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE: Our role is very clear. We are to interpret the Constitution and laws of the United States and ensure that the political branches act within them. The story of the Supreme Court would be very different without that sort of independence.
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BRIGGS: Roberts says he wants to assure Americans that the high court will do its best to stay independent, whether times are calm or contentious.
Meanwhile, a fiery Senate debate in Texas last night as Democrat Beto O'Rourke tries to translate his titanic fund-raising, $38 million in the last quarter alone, into votes. O'Rourke and Republican Senator Ted Cruz sparring on key topics, including border security, tariffs, climate change, and regulating social media to combat foreign election interference.
ROMANS: The wrangling showcased a major shift in tone for O'Rourke. So far, he has mostly bypassed opportunities to take direct aim at Cruz.
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REP. BETO O'ROURKE (D), TEXAS SENATE CANDIDATE: Senator Cruz is not going to be honest with you.
[04:10:01] He's going to make up positions and votes that I've never held or have ever taken.
He's dishonest. That's why the president called him "Lyin' Ted" and it's why the nickname stuck because it's true.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS SENATE CANDIDATE: It's clear Congressman O'Rourke's pollsters have told him to come out on the attack. So, if he wants to insult me and call me a lair, that's fine. But, you know, John Adams famously said, "Facts are stubborn things."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: A new CNN poll shows Cruz with a solid seven-point lead over O'Rourke.
This programming note, our Dana Bash moderates a Texas town hall with O'Rourke live tomorrow at 7:00 Eastern on CNN. Senator Cruz was invited, of course, but declined to participate.
BRIGGS: North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp personally apologizing after an ad for her re-election campaign listed several women as survivors of abuse without their consent. The ad was an open letter slamming Heitkamp's Republican opponent, Congressman Kevin Cramer, for saying tough people do not identify with the #metoo movement. Among of the 120 signers of the letter are several women who have come forward saying they were included without permission or that they are not survivors of sexual or domestic abuse.
One group of women say they're looking for a lawyer to take their case because the ad, quote, ruined their lives. Heitkamp says there will be consequences for whomever provided the unauthorized names.
ROMANS: All right. No winner in last night's Mega Millions drawing, bringing Friday's jackpot to a mind-boggling half $868 million. If you were to take a lump sum, you'd walk away with just shy of half a billion dollars. The winning numbers were 3-45-49-61-69 and mega ball was 9.
Tonight, another big drawing, Powerball with an estimated $345 million. I mean, put together with -- another $1.25 billion on the table.
BRIGGS: Is that enough to get you to play? Because that would be extraordinary, folks.
ROMANS: I'm now interested.
BRIGGS: OK, we got her.
All right. Ahead, the Dow bouncing back, the best day since March. So, why is the president still targeting his Fed chief?
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[04:l6:09] ROMANS: President Trump again attacking the Federal Reserve.
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TRUMP: Biggest threat is the Fed because the Fed is raising rates too fast. And it's independent, so I don't speak to 'em. But I'm not happy with what he's doing.
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ROMANS: He, of course, is Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell who Trump, Trump appointed last year. The president has been critical of Powell and the Fed for gradually raising interest rate.
Here's the thing -- the economy is red hot. Companies are making fat profits. There are a record number of job openings. More than seven million open jobs. That's never happened before in our modern economy. Unemployment is the lowest in a generation.
So, the Fed is raising interest rates to keep the economy from overheating. But it's also freaking out Wall Street. Overt White House criticism of the Federal Reserve, an independent agency, is rare. The president sees the stock market as his personal scorecard.
So, last week, Trump blamed the Federal Reserve for Wall Street's worst week in months. Corporate America is coming to the rescue. U.S. stocks rebounded yesterday thanks to big company profits. The Dow alone soared 548 points or 2.2 percent, its best day since March. Some on Wall Street are saying which way -- you can't have both ways. You can't criticize the Fed when stocks are down and criticize the Fed when stocks are up.
BRIGGS: Right. Certainly is having it both ways.
OK. Severe flooding in Texas forcing the governor to issue disaster declarations in 18 counties. Llano County hit especially hard.
Evacuations have been ordered because of flooding from the Llano River. The FM 2900 bridge over the river has collapsed and residents are being told to remain away from their homes for the next 24 hours.
And take a look at the flooding around the LBJ Dam in Texas Hill Country, 45 minutes northwest of Austin. At least one death reported in the area.
ROMANS: All right. In Ohio, a police officer with strong words for kids playing with a BB gun. How this all went down and what the officer says now.
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[04:22:29] BRIGGS: Chinese mega-star Fan Bingbing has been seen in the public for the first time since she vanished back in June. Pictures published by the photo agency Visual China says the snaps were taken October 15th. They show Fan arriving at Beijing Capital International Airport. CNN cannot independently authenticate the photos.
Earlier this year, Chinese state media reported Fan was fined $130 million for misreporting earnings on film projects.
ROMANS: The death toll from Hurricane Michael has climbed now to 29. That includes 19 fatalities in Florida with new eight victims reported in hard-hate Bay County. Mexico Beach residents will be allowed to returned today to survey the damage to their homes and businesses.
Last night, the governor reported there are still 138,000 customers in Florida without power and about 1,200 people are still in shelters.
BRIGGS: The operators of a Missouri duck boat that sank in July are asking a federal court to let them off the hook even though 17 people were killed. Ripley Entertainment claiming in court that an 1851 maritime law that limits its liability because the boat was properly maintained and is now a total loss.
That's not sitting well with Tia Coleman (ph). She survived but lost nine family members. She says the court filing suggests her relatives are quote "worthless" and calls the legal maneuver incredibly hurtful and insensitive.
ROMANS: A new crisis convulsing USA Gymnastics as former Congresswoman Mary Bono steps down just four months after starting as interim head of the sports governing body. Bono took the helm after Kerry Perry quit as president and CEO in the fallout from the Larry Nasser trial.
She stepped down Tuesday after a tweet surfaced of her defacing a Nike logo. Bono was reacting to Nike's ad campaign that featured former quarterback and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick. She deleted the tweet and said she regretted the post.
BRIGGS: A tense exchange between a Columbus, Ohio, police officer and two boys with BB gun captured on bodycam.
Officer Peter Casuccio sent to a call about boys waving a gun. He says when he pulled up, one of the boys pulled a BB gun from his waistband and threw it to the ground. That's when the officer drew his weapon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER CASUCCIO, COLUMBUS COP: Are you scared?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
CASUCCIO: OK. You know why you should be scared? This is getting kids killed all over the country.
Do you think a want to shoot an 11-year-old? Do you think I want to shoot a 13-year-old?
I could have killed you. I want you to think about that tonight when you go to bed. You could be gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Wow. Potential tragedy becomes a teaching moment. The officer later spoke to the families about the danger of kids carrying BB guns.
[04:25:02] He said they needed to hear it.
BRIGGS: The Los Angeles Dodgers just moments ago tied up the national league championship series. Cody Bellinger delivered a walk-off single two out in the 13th inning to give the Dodgers a 2-1 win over the Brewers. The series knotted at two. The teams will battle a pivotal game five, 5:05 Eastern Time this afternoon in L.A
And the Red Sox taking the 2-1 lead over the Houston Astros in the ALCS. Jackie Bradley Jr.'s eighth inning grand slam blew this game wide open and propelled the Sox to the 8-2 win last night. Game four tonight in Houston, 8:30 Eastern Time.
Not often that I get to see a finished game on the way to work at 2:00 a.m.
ROMANS: Wow.
All right. Right now, the secretary of state meeting with officials in Turkey about the murder of a journalist at the Saudi consulate. The president says this is just another case of guilty until proven innocent.
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