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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Remembering Bush 41; Trade Dispute On Hold For Now; Roger Stone, I Engaged In Politics; Cohen's Lawyers File Late-Night Court Brief; CNN Exclusive, Jamal Khashoggi Messages; Kareem Hunt Apologizes; Comic Mock Trump's Latest Problems. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired December 03, 2018 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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CHRISTINE ROMANS, EARLY START SHOW CO-HOST: Special air mission 41 takes flight today. A final farewell to the late President George Herbert Walker Bush.
DAVE BRIGGS, EARLY START SHOW CO-HOST: The President worked out a pause, but not a resolution in the trade dispute with China.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where is the crime? I engage I politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Roger Stone maintains he did not wrong in 2016 despite questions about what he knew and when about hacked Democratic e-mails.
BRIGGS: And the New York police department saves the day after an engagement ring gets lost in Times Square. I cannot imagine what it is like to lose a wedding ring.
ROMANS: Says the guy who says --
BRIGGS: Yes, I can. This is number four for my wife who is all too familiar with that. Good morning to you Christine.
ROMANS: Number four ring. Number one wife. Number four ring.
BRIGGS: Good correction there. Thank you. Good morning. I'm Dave Briggs.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It is Monday, December 3rd, it is 4:00 a.m. in the East. We begin here with tearful tributes and final good-byes beginning this morning for George Herbert Walker Bush. The nation's 41st president. He died Friday night at the age of 94. The same aircraft that took President Trump to Buenos Aires in the G20 summit will bring Mr. Bush back to Washington D.C. one last time. In the ceremony today, Vice President Pence will deliver remarks. Listen to former Secretary of State James Baker, describing the way president's final hours.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JAMES BAKER, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: One of the aids who assisted
him physically as Mr. President said Secretary Baker's here. And he open both eyes, he look at me and said hey, Bake, where are we going today? Then I said well, we're going to heaven. And he said, good that is where I want to go. Little did I know that he know of course, that by 10:00 that night, he would be in heaven.
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BRIGGS: Also making the trip to D.C. today is Mr. Bush's Labrador Sully. That is him lying next to the late president's casket. Bush 43 post the photo and writes, as much as our family is going to miss this dog, we are comforted to know he will bring the same joy to his new home Walter Reed, that he brought to 41. More now from CNN's Suzanne Malveaux in Houston.
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SUZZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and Dave, the mission is called special air mission 41. The presidential aircraft at Ellington Field now here in Houston that will carrying President George H.W. Bush's body that will be brought to Joint Base Andrews later today at about 11:30 Eastern is when they will go ahead and have a departure ceremony and then in Washington and that is when the formal procession in and the formality gets underway for 45 the arrival ceremony, U.S. Capitol rotunda were President Bush will lie in state and then it will be 7:30 Monday evening through 8:45 Wednesday morning in the public will be able to pay their respects. 11 o'clock is when a memorial service at the national cathedral will take place with dignitary's friends and family and then Wednesday evening, the president's body again being returned here back to Houston where he will lie in repose until Thursday morning.
Thursday, another second memorial service at St. Martin's episcopal church. That is the same church. You might recall that Barbara Bush was memorialized at and then on to the casket, the body traveling by train to its final destination, College Station, Texas and the presidential library and museum that is where he will be buried alongside his wife Barbara Bush and their little child. Their daughter who died at three years old, Robin.
In the meantime, many people here in Houston paying their respects statues throughout the city with flowers, teddy bears, and even those colorful socks as they pay tribute, Dave and Christine?
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ROMANS: All right. Suzanne Malveaux, Thank you. President Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to a temporary truce in that trade war between the two countries. The agreement came as a result of the two leaders meeting at the G-20 summit Saturday. The U.S. will now hold off on raising tariffs on $200 billion with the Chinese goods from 10 percent to 25 percent on January 1st. That was scheduled to happen January 1st, but keep those tariffs at 10 percent. In exchange, China said it was willing to purchase a very substantial amount of agriculture, energy and other goods from the U.S. to help reduce the trade imbalance.
Now the two countries have 90 days to make progress. In a tweet late Sunday night, the president said China had agreed to reduce and remove tariffs on cars in imports from the U.S. which currently is 40 percent. The president did not specify when the change would happen or what the new tariff level would be in addition to a temporary truce with China, the president along with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, an out outgoing Mexican president, Enrique Pena Nieto.
[04:05:01] They sign that United States, Mexico, Canada agreement USMCA at the G-20. The president now put a pressure on Congress to approve the arrangement or risk no trade deal in place.
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TRUMP: We get rid of NAFTA. It caused tremendous amounts of unemployment and loss and company loss and everything else. That will be terminated. And so Congress will have a choice of the USMCA or pre-NAFTA which worked very well.
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ROMANS: Each country's legislative bodies needs to approve the agreement before it goes into effect.
BRIGGS: OK. Long time Trump adviser, Roger Stone insisting he has never been in touch with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Stone is facing questions about whether he knew ahead of time that WikiLeaks plan to release hacked Democratic emails during the 2016 presidential campaign. A draft special counsel document recently indicating prosecutors are looking into his efforts to get documents from WikiLeaks ahead of the email dump.
ROMANS: Stone also tells ABC news his emails about Assange are being mischaracterized. And he's had no contact with Robert Mueller.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does this suggest to you that you actually are a target, usually when you speak with witnesses first?
ROGER STONE, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S LONG-TIME ASSOCIATE: Well, I suggests nothing at all. Again, where is the crime? I engaged in politics.
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ROMANS: Democrat, Mark Warner, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee tells CNN he believes that Special Counsel Mueller will have a lot to reveal about the suspected ties between WikiLeaks and Roger Stone.
BRIGGS: Former FBI Director, James Comey has agreed to sit for private deposition with House Republicans. At first he objected to a closed-door hearing with the two sides reached an agreement on transparency. Mr. Cohen tweeting that quote, he will sit in the dark. But Republicans agree on free to talk when done in transcript released in 24 hours. This is the closest I can get to public testimony.
House Republicans will question Comey on Friday. A FBI Republican will be there to provide advice about the disclosure of sensitive information.
ROMANS: Lawyers for Michael Cohen say he should not go to prison, even though he has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress. In a Friday night court briefing Cohen's attorneys argue he is a changed man who is eager to share his knowledge with law enforcement. They want to detail what they describe as Cohen's extensive cooperation, including seven voluntary interviews with special counsel Mueller's team and meetings with federal prosecutors in New York. They also claim Cohen, lied about efforts to finalize a Trump business project in Moscow because he was abiding by Mr. Trump's strongly voice mantra to minimize the investigation into links with the Kremlin. Cohen is expected to be sentenced on December 12.
BRIGGS: Lawmakers considering a stopgap spending bill to be a Friday deadline for partial government shutdown. It seemed to putting off a major showdown as Washington and the nation mourns former President Bush. Congress will be out of session for part of the week, because the state funeral for Bush 41. Members of Congress anticipated a week of fierce bargaining over long-term spending bill that President Trump has said, must include funding for that border wall.
ROMANS: All right. A CNN exclusive, Jamal Khashoggi private messages in the months before he was murdered what he had a fellow Saudi exile say about the Kremlins.
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BRIGGS: Private messages from journalist Jamal Khashoggi may offer new clues to his murder. CNN's has obtain hundreds of WhatsApp messages sent to a fellow Saudi exile a year before he was killed, and these messages Jamal Khashoggi describe Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman as a quote, beast and they suggest, that the journalist, was deeply troubled by what he regarded as the petulance of the kingdom's powerful young prince. CNN's Nina Dos Santos, live in London with more. Nina, good morning.
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you Dave. Yes, they said, very interesting messages largely because what they do is they shine a light on perhaps why Jamal Khashoggi was considered so dangerous to the Saudi Arabia and at Royal family, especially Mohammad Bin Salman largely because as you can see in these messages. He is referring to (inaudible) personal terms, while that is a friend about an insulting terms he calls him, quote, a beast and says that he is quote like Pac-Man who devour all in his path. Even those who are supporting him as well.
He says I will not be immune to this. So essentially be, Mohammad Bin Salman power grab Jamal Khashoggi was saying will eventually engulf all of the royal apparatus inside Saudi Arabia. Now back up to all of this, is a 400 strong messages over a 10 month period on one side between a well-known Saudi Arabian dissident. One who was one of three top targeted dissidents by the Saudi regime, in a report specifically compiled by McKinsey in 2016 Oma Abdelaziz. And as you can see, Jamal Khashoggi was planning to create an electronic army with him. Abdelaziz writes in one message, essentially a brief idea about the work of the electronic army.
Brilliant report Khashoggi replies, I will try to sort out the money we have to do something. Now that exchange is particularly telling here, Dave, because what we are talking about is providing foreign (inaudible) to Saudi dissidents to register up to 10 twitter accounts per dissident back in Saudi Arabia to debunk state propaganda and pushback against the state.
Now in many countries in the West that may just to being seen as free speech, but in some way like Saudi Arabia. First, those conversations are intercepted, it can certainly make you a target. And all of this coming on the date when the Wall Street Journal over the weekend has also reported, citing a highly classified CIA report that Mohammad Bin Salman was allegedly in contact with the key ruler adviser was also part of this process as well linked to Abdelaziz and Khashoggi before and often the moment that Jamal Khashoggi said to have died. Dave?
[04:15:00] BRIGGS: All right that is some great reporting. Nina Dos Santos live for us on London this morning, thank you.
ROMANS: The U.S. led coalition says an airstrike in Syria has killed a senior ISIS commander linked to the death of an American citizen, spokesman for the coalition said Sunday's attack targeted Abu Al Umarayn and several other ISIS operatives Al Umarayn was involved in the killing of former U.S. Army Ranger Peter Kassig, an American aid worker was beheaded by ISIS in 2014. Another U.S. airstrike on Saturday killed a senior Taliban leader in Afghanistan Taman Province.
BRIGGS: All right. Coming up, another NFL star caught on video abusing a woman. Now former Chief's running back Kareem Hunt says he is sorry.
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KAREEM HUNT, CHIEF'S RUNNING BACK, NFL: I'm asking for forgiveness and I definitely believe I didn't deserve forgiveness.
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BRIGGS: Will another NFL team give Kareem Hunt a chance?
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ROMANS: Jews around the world celebrating the first night of Hanukkah. It was especially bittersweet there in Pittsburgh. Hundreds of people showing up outside the Tree of Life Synagogue were 11 people were massacred in October. Those who came said it was an opportunity to honor the dead and embrace Hanukah's theme of survival. The festival lights lasts for eight days.
BRIGGS: A rare blitz of tornadoes devastated parts of central Illinois, 22 twisters reported to the National Weather Service on Saturday. The town of Taylorville, 30 miles southeast of Springfield was hardest hit. Storm winds wrecking homes, downing the power lines and pulling of trees by the roots. Governor Bruce Rauner says it's a miracle. No one was killed at least three people are being treated for serious injuries each other suffering minor injuries. Illinois has average 47 tornadoes a year, may usually the peek time.
ROMANS: The city manager in Anchorage, Alaska, says a boil water advisory that has been in effect since last Friday's earthquake has now been lifted. Anchorage water officials declared tap water safe for all use this Sunday. The water system is operating normally and was not contaminated as a result of the 7.0 magnitude quake.
City officials also say electricity is on heat is on the communication lines are up still nerves are frayed. There have been more than 1000 aftershocks since Friday.
BRIGGS: Wow. Former Kansas City Chiefs running Kareem Hunt says he regrets pushing and kicking a young woman. Footage of the incident emerged Friday from TMZ, prompting the Chiefs to release him. The video shows Hunt shoving the woman several times and kicking her as others tried repeatedly to hold him back. Hunt admitted he was not honest with the team. When asked about the incident. He apologized and says he does not blame the Chiefs.
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HUNT: I am asking for forgiveness and I definitely believe I deserve forgiveness and everything is really you know, happening faster now and I just want everybody to, you know, forgive me and I know it is going to be hard on. I made a bad choice and I am not going to let this bring me down.
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BRIGGS: The incident was back in February. There is a lot of questions that remain here. Hunt also told his assaulters the NFL never questioned him about that night, the NFL reiterating the point first made Friday that it began investigating immediately after this February incident.
College football's final four all set. The playoff field and future top-seeded Alabama against number four Oklahoma the orange ball the other semifinal number two seed Clemson fix number three Notre Dame in the cotton bowl. The semifinal games, December 29 your national championship game, January 7 in Santa Clara, California.
ROMANS: All right. The story book ending for a man and his fiance after he dropped the engagement ring through a sidewalk grate in Times Square over the weekend, the New York City police department tweeted a video showing the man dropping to the ground to try to rescue the ring but no luck. Fast-forward to Saturday, police found the ring and then put out an all points twitter bulletin to locate the couple, it is a beautiful ring. Social media, detectives helped and by Sunday. The foreign couple only identified as John and Daniela were located in their home country, NYPD tweeting its thanks on Twitter saying the case was closed. Arrangement been made to reunite the couple with the ring. John was apparently so convince the ring was gone, he bought another one after returning home.
BRIGGS: What happens to that other ring?
ROMANS: I don't know.
BRIGGS: Wow. We need to stay on the story. OK. Saturday Night Live tackling all things, and President Trump Miss Universe, lately and his trip to Argentina. Here's your late-night laughs.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sad you're going to prison, Michael. You were like a son to me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why did you make me do all that illegal stuff?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because you are like a son to me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I killed that guy the other day, Trump would like, oh please tell me you didn't do it. I was like, bitch, you want oil or not?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't cry for me Argentina the truth is I'm very guilty some little no-no's, and maybe treason, but I kept my promised, oops no idea what it is.
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[04:25:00] BRIGGS: Well done. All right the show also honored George H.W. Bush with a montage of clips with Dana Carvey and Bush himself.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am watching you do your impression on me. And I got to say, it's nothing like it. There is no resemblance. It's bad. It's bad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'm sorry, Mr. President, I think it is a fair impression.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't see it. It's totally exaggerated. It's not me. Those crazy hand gestures. The pointing thing. I don't do them. Also na, da, da? Never said it.
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BRIGGS: It's funny. I mean, when you think back, Dana Carvey. That was really the moment that we began to appreciate, you know the President. Now they can look back and laugh at all of that.
ROMANS: He played that perfectly. George Bush, the President.
BRIGGS: Not --
ROMANS: All right. President George H.W. Bush cleared for takeoff to Washington one final time today. Friends prepare to say for a farewell to the late commander in chief.
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