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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Trade On The Agenda At The G20 Summit; Michael Cohen Says He Lied About President Trump's Knowledge Of Moscow Project; Payless Fools Influencers With Fake Store. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired November 30, 2018 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- very well. And I actually did business with his family -- with his father -- a great father. He's a friend of mine.
And I purchased the West Side Railroad Yards and it was a great job, a successful job. A very big job -- one of the largest jobs in Manhattan. That was in my civilian days and so I always had fond memories.
Little did I know that his son would become a president. Little did I realize that you were going to be. And little did you realize that I was going to become president. So, we've known each other a long while.
We're going to be talking about lots of good things for Argentina and for the United States, including trade, including military purchases and other things. But we have a lot to talk about, a little bit old times -- about 95 percent business, I understand.
But just a great honor to be with you. You are my friend, a long time -- great family. And you're doing a fantastic job. I want to congratulate you. Thank you.
(Foreign language spoken).
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, wrapping up those brief remarks there where the president talked about how good looking the president of Argentina --
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Handsome.
ROMANS: -- handsome he used to be -- used to be -- and the personal business they had done together with his father 30 years ago. Kind of a vintage --
BRIGGS: Yes.
ROMANS: -- Donald Trump. It relates back to his own experiences.
White House correspondent Abby Phillip is traveling with the president and she has been listening to these remarks, as well -- Abby.
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Christine. I think you've just hit the nail on the head. That was a really cordial interaction and it was that way, in part,
because I guess the two have some history. But, President Trump -- sometimes, these interactions can be a little bit more stoic.
I think we saw him coming into that meeting, walking up the staircase with a pretty stern look on his face. But as the president, Macri, spoke just moments ago, I think you say the president kind of relax into this moment.
This is -- was the first interaction of a very long day ahead of President Trump here at the G20.
And bright and early this morning, right before he was about to leave his hotel to go into this meeting, the president was tweeting about all sorts of other subjects, specifically the special counsel probe -- defending himself, defending his business dealings, defending him against accusations that any sort of dealings that he might have had with Russia during the campaign were inappropriate.
And then shortly after that, pivoted back to the G20, saying that he was looking forward to some of these meetings.
So we will see how long this lasts. How long President Trump can be in the moment here as he heads into some really consequential moments with other world leaders, some of whom he, frankly, does not have as cordial of a relationship with.
There have been tensions when it comes to trade on a number of fronts, both with Canada, with Europe, and other nations -- with China.
And then also, of course, there is that scrapped meeting with Vladimir Putin that is no longer happening on Saturday. But we will be looking out to see whether or not President Trump and President Putin have some kind of interaction on the sidelines, whether it's a pull-aside or just a kind of handshake and a chat as they have some opportunities for family photos for these group meetings -- group photographs with other world leaders throughout this weekend, Christine and Dave.
ROMANS: All right, Abby Phillip, thank you. We'll be checking with you often this morning. Thank you.
BRIGGS: The interaction with Macri kind of like the proverbial lay-up drill warm-up for Trump because there's a familiar relationship there. Argentina's in a financial crisis -- a $57 billion loan from the IMF for the next three years.
Our economy is strong. It's about to get serious, though, and let's talk about what goes on from here with Greg Valliere from Horizon Investments.
ROMANS: Hi, Greg.
BRIGGS: Greg, good to see you, sir.
GREG VALLIERE, POLITICAL ECONOMIST, CHIEF STRATEGIST, HORIZON INVESTMENTS: Hi, guys. BRIGGS: That was the easy stuff. It's going to get very difficult --
ROMANS: Yes.
BRIGGS: -- when the president, in particular, meets with Xi Jinping with this trade war as a backdrop.
What do you expect to come out of that?
VALLIERE: I think Trump needs happy markets.
He got a good beginning with the Fed chairman Powell earlier in the week, but he needs a deal -- or at least a thaw with China. I do think there will be a thaw. I think there may be a commitment not to impose additional tariffs at the end of the year and to really intensify the talks.
ROMANS: You know, earlier this week, though, we've been getting mixed messages from the White House, really, on --
VALLIERE: Yes.
ROMANS: -- what is going to constitute a breakthrough for this White House.
And we heard from the president, who was speaking to "The Wall Street Journal." He said, "I have another $267 billion in imports to go if I want, and then I'm also able to raise interest rates."
What he meant was tariffs, but he said interest rates.
VALLIERE: Right.
ROMANS: If we don't make a deal, then I'm going to put the $200 billion -- and it's really $267 billion in imports, additional on an interest rate between 10 and 25, depending.
[05:35:00] OK, what he means is --
VALLIERE: Right.
ROMANS: -- tariffs. But this is the president --
BRIGGS: You need to translate that.
VALLIERE: Yes.
BRIGGS: Yes.
ROMANS: -- calling the shots himself, making very big threats.
We heard from Robert Lighthizer who's the top trade negotiator who said that the Chinese have not made any meaningful offers for them.
So, I mean, how could there be a chance of a breakthrough? VALLIERE: Well, there are deep divisions, obviously, Christine within the president's own team. That said, I think he can't come back emptyhanded. With the Michael Cohen controversy swirling, I think he at least has to have good atmospherics, a nice dinner, a nice photo opp.
But more than that, I do think the two leaders have to agree to try to jumpstart the talks during this winter.
BRIGGS: So other than that Xi meeting, which is most pivotal here, he has canceled the meeting with Vladimir Putin.
VALLIERE: Yes.
BRIGGS: There is no expected meeting between MBS, the crown prince -- Mohammed bin Salman --
VALLIERE: Right.
BRIGGS: -- of Saudi Arabia.
What else do you have your eye on that could be consequential over the weekend?
VALLIERE: Well, I think over the weekend it's probably going to be more leaks, Dave, from the Mueller team. More speculation about who gets indicted.
I mean, this is not just about collusion. It's about perjury -- that's the old standby. It's about obstruction of justice, it might be about money laundering.
And I think as the weekend unfolds there's going to be an awful lot of speculation about what comes next from Mueller. I think indictments are imminent.
BRIGGS: Well, the president up tweeting early this morning, not about the G20, not about --
VALLIERE: Right.
BRIGGS: -- the trade deal that could be on the way, not about the USMCA, but about the guilty plea from his personal lawyer Michael Cohen.
Will Trump take the bait? Will he make this G20 about the domestic issues going on back here at home or turn his attention to the huge implications?
VALLIERE: Well, most of these summits are always about him, so obsessed right now with Cohen that that will persist.
One point I'd make about Cohen. Trump says he's a liar.
If it's just his word against Cohen's word, Cohen has the documents. He has e-mails, he has text messages, he has tape recordings. So I think that Cohen -- you know, he may be flawed but he has an awful lot of evidence that I think will hurt Trump.
ROMANS: With all of this swirling around him and, obviously, the president, we're told is infuriated and --
VALLIERE: Yes.
ROMANS: -- in a grim mood about all of this happening behind him, when he is there sitting down for dinner with President Xi --
VALLIERE: Yes.
ROMANS: -- is it the President of the United States who is calling the shots here on trade? I mean, the pre-meeting was canceled --
VALLIERE: Right.
ROMANS: -- by the Chinese. I mean, I'm not sure what work has been done heading up to --
VALLIERE: Yes.
ROMANS: -- this meeting. Is the president going to just wing it?
VALLIERE: Look, let me just say this, Christine. I think who is calling the shots now are the markets. The markets called the shots for Fed chairman Powell's speech. The markets were very upset about his -- the markets, I think, are going to call the shots on China and I think failure to get anything this weekend will be very poorly received by the markets on Monday, and Trump knows it.
ROMANS: All right. Greg Valliere, thank you so much.
VALLIERE: All right.
ROMANS: We're going to talk more about Michael Cohen in just a moment when we come back from this quick break. Thanks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:42:22] ROMANS: More details now about President Trump's former lawyer and fixer turning on him once again. Michael Cohen pleading guilty to lying to Congress. Cohen admitting he misled lawmakers about the Trump Tower Moscow project during the campaign in order to protect Mr. Trump.
Let's get more from CNN's Evan Perez.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Dave and Christine, the president's former fixer, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about how much the president knew about the deal that was dubbed "Moscow Project" and about when it was terminated, telling the court that the lied out of loyalty to the president.
Now, the plea agreement says that the man who once said that he'd take a bullet for the president gave information to special counsel Robert Mueller during more than 70 hours of questioning between August and November.
Now, the deal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow was just one of the many topics that was discussed, according to a source.
The court documents reveal that, quote, "Cohen discussed the status and progress of the Moscow project with Trump" -- referred to as Individual 1 -- "on more than three occasions." And while Cohen told Congress last fall that the Moscow project ended in January of 2016, he now admits that the discussions about the project lasted as late as approximately June of 2016.
Cohen now admits that he made the false statements to protect Donald Trump and give the false impression that the Moscow Project ended before the Iowa caucus and the very first primary in the hopes of limiting the ongoing Russia investigations.
Cohen also described plans to travel to Moscow to discuss the deal ahead of the 2016 Republican Convention in Cleveland.
The court papers say that Cohen's work isn't don't yet. His attorneys telling reporters that Cohen will continue to cooperate with prosecutors -- Dave, Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRIGGS: Evan Perez, thanks.
One idea for the Trump Tower Moscow Project was to give a $50 million penthouse to Vladimir Putin as a gift. A former Trump associate who worked on the deal with Michael Cohen says the plan was to place the Russian president in the building to enhance its value and prestige to would-be buyers.
According to a report by "BuzzFeed," Cohen discussed the idea with one of Putin's reps. It's not clear whether then-candidate Trump was informed of that plan.
ROMANS: All right. Joining us here to help sort through the implications of Cohen's plea, former federal prosecutor Elie Honig, CNN legal analyst. Good morning.
ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR, FORMER ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL, NEW JERSEY DIVISION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Good morning.
BRIGGS: Good morning.
ROMANS: Nice to see you this morning.
What an amazing 24 hours, I have to say.
BRIGGS: Wow.
ROMANS; And look, before the president left for the G20 -- he's now 5,200 miles away from all of this, but not really, in Buenos Aires. Before he left, this is what he said. He slammed his former attorney and then he also said -- but even if he did do it -- even if I was doing this, it didn't matter -- listen.
[05:45:05] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: And it's very simple. He's got himself a big prison sentence and he's trying to get a much lesser prison sentence by making up this story.
Now, here's the thing. Even if he was right it doesn't matter because I was allowed to do whatever I wanted during the campaign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Your response to that response?
HONIG: Yes, so lawyers try this sometimes. They call it arguing in the alternative. This didn't happen, but even it if it did, who cares?
I don't like that argument. I don't think it's very compelling to a jury or common sense but people try it sometimes. I don't think it's very compelling here.
What you heard from the president right there that was straight out of the playbook for cooperator bashing. Like this is what people do when they start to get afraid of their former colleagues or former friends providing information to the prosecutors. They say he's a liar, he can't be trusted, he's a crook, he's a thief.
Now, prosecutors know how to respond to that, right? There's an intensive vetting process. We are paranoid about our cooperators. We want to make sure everything they said is going to be backed up and I think you can see that in yesterday's charging document.
A lot of the things that Michael Cohen says about the Trump Moscow project is backed up by e-mails, texts, and that kind of thing. So I read in that Mueller has now sort of vetted Cohen and is ready to rely on him.
BRIGGS: Yes. Sometimes you've just got to step back and take the names out.
A presidential candidate about to secure the nomination, doing business with a hostile foreign government -- billions of dollars -- as that foreign hostile government meddles in our election on behalf of that presidential candidate. That's hard to believe if you take out all the names.
What is this, though? Is it a crime --
HONIG: Yes.
BRIGGS: -- or does it give you a better idea of where Bob Mueller is going? HONIG: So, as to the first question, is it a crime? The president's tweet this morning -- I don't often say this but it's kind of correct, OK?
He said it's not necessarily a crime to try to build a property in Moscow. But there are crimes that could be around that -- lying to Congress, lying to federal investigators. We already saw Michael Cohen.
And, Donald Trump, Jr. needs to be worried now, I think because he testified to Congress --
ROMANS: You do?
HONIG: -- as well, about that. If his testimony proves to be untrue he could be charged with the same exact thing that Cohen was charged with yesterday.
But it goes to the why, Dave, to your point.
Why would -- why might Trump have been compromised? Why might Trump have been willing to collude to seek election assistance? Why may he have been aligned with the Russian interest to interfere with our election?
BRIGGS: Yes. Why did he want Cohen to lie? Why did the Russians also lie on behalf of Donald Trump and Michael Cohen about their interaction between Dmitry Peskov and Michael Cohen?
So many questions, including the timing, which is fascinating.
ROMANS: I want to know about the timing here because this is just fascinating. Does it tell us about what Mueller knows that this comes -- this is happening just after the president has submitted his written answers to Mueller's questions?
HONIG: So I think it would be sound legal strategy -- and Lord knows, Robert Mueller's a very sound legal tactician -- to wait until he received Trump's written responses, which came in earlier in the week, in black and white. That way, Trump's locked in. He can't run from his own written responses.
And the other thing you prevent Trump from doing is sort of weaving in and out of the known evidence. And what a lot of people do when they're in a tight spot is they say well, what's out there, what's known, and I what do I know about the government's case, and let me make sure I craft my answer around that.
By getting his answer first and then giving yesterday's information, which provided a lot of insight into the investigation, I think Mueller sort of guarded against that.
BRIGGS: It's been a very busy week and just as we wrap this up, where do you feel like this investigation is headed given all the developments --
HONIG: Yes.
BRIGGS: -- of the past five days?
HONIG: The two big collusion questions, I think, are starting to come into focus now.
What were the financial entanglements -- we learned a lot about yesterday. And then the separate thing -- let's not lose it wasn't that long ago we were focused on Roger Stone and Jerome Corsi and what are the connections to WikiLeaks and the hack of the e-mails and the dumps.
So I think those are the two things that Mueller seems to be really focusing in on and coming into play more and more.
BRIGGS: It feels like things are getting close to wrapping up.
ROMANS: It does. It feels kind of a denouement that rapidly comes into conclusion, but we'll see. We shall see.
Thank you so much, Elie Honig. Nice to see you.
All right, let's get a check on "CNN Business" this morning.
Global stocks are mixed. All eyes on the G20 summit.
In Asia, stocks moved higher as investors there are waiting for that crucial meeting between President Trump and President Xi Jinping. You can see the Nikkei, Shanghai, and Hang Seng all slightly higher here.
In Europe, the DAX and the FTSE in London down just a little bit. The CAC falling a little bit, as well. So mixed global markets.
On Wall Street, futures are lower. Stocks closed slightly lower on Thursday, snapping a 3-day win streak. The Dow closed down 28 points. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also slightly lower.
Abercrombie & Fitch, though -- the retailer closed up 21 percent on a big earnings beat.
U.S. crude oil briefly fell below $50 a barrel for the first time in a more than a year. It rebounded to close above $51 Thursday on a report that Russia might be willing to cut its output. Crude fell more than one percent there. The last time oil closed below $50 was back in October 2017.
[05:50:04] Gas prices have also begun to fall. According to AAA, a gallon of gas dropped 30 cents on average over the past month.
Would you be willing to pay upward of $500 for a pair of Payless shoes? Some social media influencers did.
Payless, known for budget-friendly styles, opened a fake pop-up store called Palessi in a Los Angeles mall. They invited influencers to the grand opening. The store was stocked with Payless shoes in disguise. According to Payless, about 80 influencers shelled out a total of three grand over two nights.
Payless has been struggling against online competitors, such as Amazon-owned Zappos. Payless actually filed for bankruptcy last year. It reemerged four months later after it shut nearly 700 stores.
Payless said the social experiment was meant to remind shoppers that its shoes are fashionable, too. Payless returned the influencers' money and let them keep the shoes.
BRIGGS: That's what I was wondering about.
ROMANS: That is awesome.
BRIGGS: If you paid the $640 how are you feeling this morning?
ROMANS: And that's awesome.
BRIGGS: They returned the money -- good move.
All right. Ahead, basketball Steph Curry just made a fan for life. More on the heartwarming way he helped a 9-year-old girl, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:55:36] ROMANS: A dramatic chopper rescue in the rain-swollen Los Angeles River caught on camera. Take a look a rescuer struggling to stop spinning as he's lowered into the surging water. He finally locates the victim, a 50-year-old man who police suspect is homeless, clinging desperately to a tree.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have harnessed him and they are in the process of making this rescue here. Wow, that is awesome -- look at that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: And they got him just in time. He was suffering from hypothermia. He's in fair condition this morning at a local hospital.
BRIGGS: Steph Curry says he's making things right after a young fan asked why his Under Armour shoes aren't made in girls' sizes. A 9- year-old girl named Riley wrote Curry a letter about how disappointed she was to see no Curry 5's for sale under the girls' section on the Website.
Curry wrote back, assuring Riley he and Under Armour are working to fix the issue. Young Riley says she did not see that coming.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RILEY MORRISON, 9-YEAR-OLD WHO WROTE TO STEPH CURRY ABOUT HIS SHOE LINE: So surprised because he's such a busy person. I was not expecting anything like that. I just was expecting Under Armour to see it, not say anything, and fix it. So -- and then, I wasn't expecting him to say he'd give me the Curry 5's and then the Curry 6.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Great move. Curry also invited Riley to join him on March eighth as the Golden State Warriors celebrate International Women's Day.
I'm on the Under Armour Website and there they are in girls' sizes, so they got that technicality fixed quickly.
ROMANS: Wow, awesome -- all right.
Good news for fans of the Hugh Jackman movie, "The Greatest Showman."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLIP FROM "THE GREATEST SHOWMAN"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Dave knows every word and has been singing it all morning.
The musical, which opened in theaters a year ago -- the soundtrack continues to top the charts -- it's going on tour.
The Tony-award-winning actor announced Thursday he'll be singing tunes from the film. Also, Les Mis and other Broadway favorites, accompanied by a live orchestra.
The traveling production making 12 stops in Europe next spring. Another two dozen performances are planned in North America in the summer.
You know, he is fantastic live. I saw him in "The Boy from Oz." It's still one of the best shows I've ever seen in my life.
BRIGGS: It is terrific. "The Greatest Showman," one of my favorite movies of all time.
If you need a wingman, Hugh -- someone to do scenes with you for Zac Efron -- I'll fill in. I know all the words. I'm all set for this live show. And, in New York, late June.
All right, indictments and guilty pleas in the Russia probe by Jerome Corsi and Michael Cohen might be alarming to team Trump, but its fodder for comedy on the late-night shows. Here are your "Late-Night Laughs."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, CBS HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": What do you do when you're potentially facing jail time for lying to the FBI? Lie low, talk to your lawyer, learn how to make a shiv from a chicken cutlet or go on MSNBC for a chatty tell-all interview, which is what he did.
And if you want to know how it went here's the headline -- "Key Mueller witness: I lied and I'm ready to die in jail."
JIMMY FALLON, HOST, NBC "THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON": But it's been a busy 24 hours for the president. Last night, Trump flipped on the Christmas tree lights and today, Michael Cohen flipped on Trump.
It's big news. Cohen was one of Trump's closest allies and now he's working with Mueller. I'm not saying Trump's running out of friends but today, he asked Rosie O'Donnell if she wanted to get lunch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: All right.
BRIGGS: That would be something.
ROMANS: That would be.
All right, thanks for joining us, everybody. Have a great weekend. I'm Christine Romans.
BRIGGS: Yes, I'm Dave Briggs. Enjoy the weekend. "NEW DAY" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He is a weak person and what he's trying to do is get a reduced sentence.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Today's the first day I actually thought Donald Trump might not finish his term in office. This thing is enormous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Virtually all of his indictments come from people who he got to lie. Where is the crime?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This time line about the Trump Tower Moscow puts other people in jeopardy.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D), CALIFORNIA: We will be very interested in inviting Mr. Cohen to come back to our committee. We have a lot more work to be done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Friday, November 30th, 6:00 here in New York.
The breaking news this morning, the president is walking a political, diplomatic, and legal tightrope right before our eyes this morning. President Trump is at the G20 summit in Argentina with developments in the Mueller investigation clearly rattling him.
"The Washington Post" headline says it all -- "Individual 1: Trump emerges as a central subject of Mueller probe."
