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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Manhunt Continues for Attempted Bombing Suspect; Latest on Khashoggi Investigation. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired October 26, 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]

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to Early Start I'm Dave Briggs.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Christine Romans. It is Friday.

BRIGGS: Furiously typing away.

ROMANS: There's a lot going on this morning.

BRIGGS: Her work is never done, folks.

ROMANS: It is Friday, October 26th. It is 5:00 a.m. in the east. There's a manhunt for whoever is behind the most sweeping coordinated attacked in generations, now focused on Florida. Authorities believe several of the pipe bombs mailed to prominent critics of the president and to CNN, went through the postal processing center at Opa-Locka north of Miami. We have Rosa Flores standing by for us live, near the postal processing plant. She is there near Opa-Locka. Rosa, what is the latest.

ROSA FLORES, CNN REPORTER: Well Christine, good morning. You know, as you said, CNN has learned that some of the packages have been processed in this mail facility that you see behind me. This is a 24/7 facility. Now, I can tell you some of the resources out here that law enforcement has to investigate. As you mentioned, this is a manhunt, an outright manhunt for clues as authorities try to figure out who is behind this.

There are some very visible resources. We've seen the bomb squad out here until late yesterday and K-9 units from Miami-Dade. And some of the resources are not visible, but I can tell you from talking to an employee who tells me that there's at least 20 inspectors inside this facility that are trained to not only identify dangerous mail, but also to process that mail through sophisticated equipment.

Now CNN has also learned all ten suspicious packages with these devices went through the U.S. Postal Service. Now as you know, there's a lot of information that gets added to packages that are potential clues for investigators. The postmark being one of those big clues because it normally tells investigators where those packages originated from.

Now, CNN learning that even some of those packages that don't show a postmark like the one that was sent to the CNN New York office still went through the postal series even though it was delivered by a courier. But investigators are looking at a lot of other clues in those packages. There are bar codes there that can tell the origin as to not only where the packages started from or where the packages traveled through.

And Christine and Dave, as investigators try to figure out exactly who did this and why, I want to leave you with this, I've met multiple people who work in this facility that you see behind me. They just are doing their jobs and now it is turned into the life and death situation as they process all of our mail and try to do it as carefully as possible given the fact that some of the packages indeed went through this facility.

ROMANS: Yes, that is the terrifying part, that somebody just doing their job could get hurt in all of this. Rosa Flores, thank you so much for that reporting.

BRIGGS: Don't forget the postal inspectors do a great job. Thursday, more packages tracked down. Two on the way to former vice president Joe Biden and another to actor Robert de Niro. That makes 10 pipe bombs in total, sent to prominent targets of the president. We heard more from them yesterday and from the Florida lawmaker whose address was used on the return labels.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: You've to turn off this hate machine. You've to come together. The American public have been, all over the nation. People want us to be more civil. People want us to choose hope over hate. They want us to choose -- for real. I mean, it's guttural. People understand that and words matter. Words matter.

SCHULTZ: We will never be cowed into submission by people who hate. Never. Never.

WATERS: We should not crawl under the bed, close the doors, not go out, be afraid to go to rallies, whatever. We have to keep doing what we're doing in order to make this country right. That's what I intend to do. And as the young people said, I ain't scared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: All of the bombs transported to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia for analysis.

ROMANS: all right, President Trump hits the road again tonight, this time for a rally in Charlotte, his 39th since taking office. It's not clear whether the president will bring up the mail bomb attacks or renew his assault on the media. Remember this from Wednesday night in Wisconsin?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Do you see how nice some people are behaving tonight? This is like -- have you ever seen this? We're all behaving very well. And hopefully we can keep it that way, right? (END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Didn't quite happen. Even at 3:14 this morning -- this morning, less than two hours ago, the president needed to remind everyone he is not responsible, we at CNN are. We get more from Kaitlan Collins at the White House.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN REPORTER: Well, Christine and Dave, it wasn't that long ago that President Trump called on the country to come together and make decisions about their political life peacefully. But now that seems to be a thing of the past, even for this president just so shortly after he said that.

[05:05:00]

The president now abandoning those calls for unity and turning his focus once again on attacking the media. Saying that they are the ones to blame for the division in the country, writing on Twitter that they are the ones who are responsible for this and they are the ones who need to change their tone.

After he made similar remarks at that rally in Wisconsin on Wednesday night when after he called for a unity, he then turned to criticize the media, saying they are the ones who have false reporting out there that is contributing to the division that we have seen sweep our country.

Now, President Trump has held two events at the White House yesterday. He made no remarks about the attacks.

But in the meanwhile, he was telling his incompetence and his allies that he believes he was in the right by attacking the media, because he did not want to be linked to nay of these bombings.

And he felt that the media was unfairly doing that. And White House aides say they are taking their accuse (ph) for him and they believe he is right that it is the media to blame for all the activity that is happening in the nation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH SANDERS, W.H. PRESS SECRETARY: Day in, day out, there is a negative tone.

90 percent of the media attention around this president is negative, despite historic job creation, despite the fact that our economy is booming, despite the fact that trade deals that everybody said couldn't be made have been made.

You guys continue to focus only on the negative. And that is - there is a role to play.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: President Trump has yet to call anyone who was targeted as a part of these attacks, and not President Barack Obama, not Hilary Clinton, not Joe Bidden.

No one who has been targeted has gotten a call from the president just checking in or updating them on the investigation. A senior White House official who said right now there are no plans to do so. Christine, Dave.

BRIGGS: Kaitlin Collins, thank you. The Trump administration is considering a new travel ban of sorts along the U.S. Mexico border.

The San Francisco conical report the president would use executive action to block certain asylum seekers, the same legal authority the president vote last year when he apposed to ban on people from Muslim majority countries.

After several revisions, the Supreme Court ultimately upheld that ban.

ROMANS: The new executive order would bring a dramatic escalation in enforcement. The same time a caravan of migrants of Central America is heading slowly towards the United State.

The proposal is not finalized and could still be scrapped according to the report. Here's what Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told Fox.

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KIRSTJEN NIELSEN, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Everything is on the table. I mean, I just can't be clear, everything is on the table. Every measure we've tried, every measure we haven't tried, everything is on the table to make it very clear that we have a sobering right to protect our system.

ROMANS: Migrant advocacy group Families Belong Together, says the plan is straight up a Latino ban. The groups calls for quote, common sense immigration laws to make our country strong by respecting people's rights and honoring our shared values.

BRIGGS: A federal judge says Georgia voters cannot have their ballads thrown out on a technicality. A judge ordered election officials to stop rejecting absentee ballads with voter's signatures that do not match to appear those on record.

Two federal lawsuits have charged election officials and (inaudible) County, Georgia violated voter's rights. The judge has proposed order requires county officials to send voters pre-rejection notices and resolve issues within three days after Election Day.

A spokes person for (inaudible) County said it is reviewing this order. Democrat Stacey Abrams has made voter suppression a key campaign issue. Her republican opponent Brian Kemp oversees elections as Georgia's Secretary of State, Kemp's campaign referred CNN to the attorney general's office which refused to comment.

ROMANS: All right, the reason you don't panic when stocks tank one day, you miss the bounce back. The Dow did bounce back up 401 points, 1.6 percent Thursday. The broader S&P 500 gained almost two percent. The Nasdaq searched three percent, that's it's best day since March.

Stocks bounce back after that sharp drop Wednesday that sent the Nasdaq in to official correction. Stocks have had a nerve wracking swing this month. We're coming to grips with concerns about rising rates and the trade war holding back what is a booming economy.

The S&P 500 has fallen seven percent in October. The Nasdaq down nine percent, on track for it's worst month since November 2008. Remember how terrible that was?

Now looking ahead to the GDP, a favored economic statistic of the president who has promised four percent plus annual growth -- last quarter he got it, a 4.2 percent growth fueled by consumer spending from his tax cuts and corporate investments. Will it last?

The forecast this quarter is for 3.3 percent. Here's what the trend looks like. See that? The spike in economic growth is exactly why the president has complained about his Fed chief, Jerome Powell and the Fed slowly raising interest rates.

The Fed hiking rates prevent the economy from overheating of course, but Trump's top trade advisor, Peter Navarro is on his boss's side.

PETER NAVARRO, W.H. TRADE ADVISOR: I agree with the president that the Fed even though it's an independent agency, it has (inaudible) independence. I agree with the president sentiment that they started to raise rates too fast.

ROMANS: The Fed will release that GDP figure at 8:30 A.M. today and I will have it live on New Day.

BRIGGS: OK, reality star and transgender activist, Caitlyn Jenner now turning her back on President Trump.

[05:10:00]

The self-identified conservative republican saying she was wrong about the president's commitment to lesbian, gay and transgender rights. Many in the LGBT community were upset by Jenner's vocal support for the president. But in a Washington post op-ed, Jenner says she thought she could work within the administration to support her community. She now says that was a mistake.

Adding, quote, "the reality is that the transgender community is being relentlessly attacked by his president. He has ignored our humanity, he has insulted our dignity, he had made Trans people into political pawns. It is unacceptable, it is upsetting, it has deeply personally hurt me." This week, the New York Times reported the administration is looking at narrowing the definition of transgender into a person's biological sex at birth, in effect, legally erasing transgender people.

ROMANS: All right, big new developments from Turkey, the Saudis are sending their public prosecutor to meet their Turkish counterpart, besides working out who should prosecute the people who killed Jamal Khashoggi. We now know it was premeditated. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:15:00]

ROMANS: All right, this just in from Turkey, the Saudi chief prosecutor is coming to Istanbul on Sunday to meet with his Turkish counterpart. The Saudis now admit the murder of Washington Post journalist, Jamal Khashoggi was premeditated. International diplomatic editor Nic Robertson with the latest in Istanbul. This is -- this is number five of the Saudi official version of what happened?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN EDITOR: Yes, Christine, it is. And President Erdogan here seems to be calling time on the Saudis here. Part of his statement that's just been broadcast in a speech here in Turkey. It appears to be sort of a veiled threat, if you will to Saudi Arabia is what we understand has been happening behind the scenes.

But he says in reference to who sent all these people to this so- called hit squad to kill Khashoggi, he said, you know, to the Saudis, you've arrested 15 people, you've removed three others from their jobs, send them here for justice. But he said you have to say who is responsible and he goes on with this threat. I'll just read it to you.

"Of course, it's not like we don't have other documents. This is what we've seen all along, this drip, drip, drip from Turkish officials when they feel that Saudi is not coming clean, is not being clear and transparent as these five iterations of its version of events seem to point towards Turkey comes up with something else."

And Erdogan goes on to say, cryptically, tomorrow is another day. He seems to be saying there that you know, you've a day to come up with -- come up with who is responsible for this, who at the top took the order, implication being Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.

But Erdogan is saying very clearly, he has the documents to back it up, they could release them tomorrow. Perhaps this is part of what CIA Chief Gina Haspel briefed President Trump about just late yesterday. Christine.

ROMANS: Perhaps. We hope to hear more about that soon. Nic in Istanbul. Thank you, Nic, have a nice weekend, if I don't talk to you.

BRIGGS: Yes, so much going on. That story has quieted a little but we still stay on it. Ahead, Lebron James leading his Los Angeles Lakers to their first home win and a special guest was courtside. (Inaudible) tells us who in the Bleacher report next.

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[05:20:00]

ROMANS: Got student loan debt? The state of Maine may be willing to help you pay it off, but you have to move there. Maine draws 36 million tourists each year, but you can't get enough young people to live there. The state has to the oldest population in the nations, with a median age of 44, so officials are expanding a program they started 10 years ago to attract young professionals. It allows them to subtract their total student loan payments for the year from their state income taxes.

BRIGGS: Megyn Kelly's days at NBC appear numbered. Sources tell CNN she is negotiating terms of her departure with executives. An announcement will likely be made in the coming days. Kelly will not be returning to her morning show. There had been speculation she'd stay on at the network in a lesser role, but sources say that is not happening.

ROMANS: Kelly came under intense scrutiny for her remarks about blackface when discussing Halloween costumes. Her comments drew harsh criticism, not only from viewers and, but from several people at NBC, including Today cast members Al Roker and Craig Melvin.

Right, here's proof a picture is worth 1,000 words even if you can't hear them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Happy birthday to you

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: That's James Anthony moved to tears on his 60th birthday. James is the custodian at Hickerson Elementary School in Tennessee. He happens to be hearing impaired, so the kids learned how to sign happy birthday while they were singing it. The gesture moved James to tears. He's been part of the Hickerson Elementary family for 15 years. Dave, if you don't cry at that, you don't have a heart.

BRIGGS: I did earlier, and that's just the story America needed this morning. Thanks, Romans.

After a disastrous start, the Houston Texans are suddenly one of the hottest teams in the league. Coy Wire has more in the Bleacher Report. Hey buddy, we've been waiting for the Texans to look like the Texans of old. Maybe they are starting to.

COY WIRE, CNN REPORTER: Yes, they picked the wrong time because I think they face your Broncos next, Dave. Everybody has just about written off the Texans after three straight losses to start the season. Only five teams since 1980 have started a season 0-3 and then made the playoffs. But Houston is rocketing to the top of the AFC south, thanks in large part to this man; 23 year old quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Last Sunday, He rode 12 hours in a bus to Jacksonville to play, so a flight would not affect his collapsed lung. He dominated the dolphins, five touchdown passes, tying the career high, including this 73 yarder to Will Fuller. But the play that made jaws drop, this one handed catch by DeAndre Hopkins coming up is still trending. Number one on BleacherReport.com. Watch this again from multiple angles, the one handed grab, and then

somehow keeping it from hitting the ground. Now, there was a penalty on the play so it didn't count. But technically he still caught it. Incredible. Texans rolling, a huge 42 to 23 win.

Kobe Bryant suited and booted court side at Staples Center for the first time this year and he saw Lebron put on a show for the Lakers. He led L.A. on a late rally over the Nuggets. Lebron said it was special wearing a Lakers jersey in front of Kobe.

[05:25:00]

Twenty points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists for King James, Getting his younger players involved, elevating their game. Everybody feeling it, especially Lance Stephenson. Lebron later referring to "make then dance Lance," he said after the game. 121 to 114, Lakers over the Nuggets.

Across the town, the Dodgers are sure going to need some help and some of that Laker magic tonight. The host game three of the World Series, down 2, zip, to the Red Sox. But check this out, shortly after game two, Sox star Mookie Betts was spotted outside Boston's public library handing out trays of hot food for the homeless. Former Sox player Lou Maloney saw this around 1:00 a.m.; said Betts wasn't even trying to get attention. He was doing it discreetly. With the World Series going on, to have Betts take time to doing this and think of others who need it, that's incredible stuff. Another story we wanted to make sure we shared with you this morning on Early Start.

BRIGGS: Those are the acts that matter, Coy, the ones you don't intend for the cameras and the public to see. A lot of those athletes bring in the cameras and force it to be a moment for television. But good for the likely MVP. Thank you, Coy.

WIRE: You've got it, buddy.

BRIGGS: All right, Romans, over to you.

ROMANS: All right, thanks, Dave. The manhunt moves south. Investigators focus Florida looking for the bomber who targeted the president's political opponents and us at CNN.

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