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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
President George H.W. Bush Lies in Repose in Houston; Robert Mueller Files Heavily-Redacted Court Memo about Michael Flynn; U.S. Marine Corps Planes Crash Off Coast of Japan; Ballot Fraud Investigation in North Carolina House Race; Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired December 06, 2018 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:12] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Live pictures from Houston where the body of President George H.W. Bush lies in repose right now at the Bush family's church.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, 43RD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The best father a son or daughter could have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Raw emotion as America's 43rd president eulogizes his father with another church service just hours away.
ROMANS: The Trump White House faces more opposition to its Saudi Arabia policy after the murder of a "Washington Post" journalist.
BRIGGS: And why is the satanic sculpture on display at the Illinois State House?
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Dave Briggs.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. Nice to see you all this morning. It is Thursday, December 6th. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East.
But let's begin in Texas where right now the body of the 41st President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush, is lying in repose at the Bush family church back home in Houston.
Now all night people have been filing by to pay their respects. Later this morning, a memorial service at the church, St. Martin's Episcopal. It will be President Bush's second memorial following the service yesterday in Washington.
For more, we turn to CNN's Jessica Dean in Houston for us.
JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Dave and Christine.
We are here at St. Martin's Episcopal Church where President Bush will lie in repose until 6:00 this morning. So they're asking people who'd like to come pay their respects to drive to a nearby church there, then walk through security. They board buses and are brought here. But that's been a very important thing for many people in this community to do.
The Bushes attended this church for some 50 years so they are very familiar faces in this place, in this neighborhood. In fact, their home is not too far from here, just over my shoulder. It's a very important place for the Bush family and it's important for this community to pay their respects to President Bush.
Now at 10:00 a.m., again Central Time, that's when this second funeral will take place. We're expecting to hear from President Bush's grandson, George P. Bush, as well as his former Secretary of State and best friend, James Baker.
We'll be following all those developments throughout the morning -- Dave and Christine.
BRIGGS: Jessica, thanks.
As President Bush and his whole family were a strong presence throughout all of Houston it's no surprise that thousands of mourners, regular Houstonians, lined up, some waiting more than hours for a chance to pay their respects.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm so happy that I came. I would have spent 10 hours in line waiting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: George Bush was Houston's president. We wanted to come and pay our respects and honor him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Houston was the Bushes' home but Washington was where the late president built his career. His state funeral yesterday held at the National Cathedral was filled with heartfelt tributes and emotional farewells.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON MEACHAM, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR: George Herbert Walker Bush was America's last great soldier-statesman. A 20th century founding father.
BRIAN MULRONEY, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA: I believe it will be said that no occupant of the Oval Office was more courageous, more principled, and more honorable than George Herbert Walker Bush.
SEN. ALAN SIMPSON, FRIEND OF PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH: He loved a good joke, the richer, the better. And he'd throw his head back and give that great laugh. But he never ever could remember a punchline, and I mean never.
BUSH: In his inaugural address, the 41st president of the United States said this. "We cannot hope only to leave our children a bigger car, a bigger bank account. We must hope to give them a sense of what it means to be a loyal friend, a loving parent, a citizen who leaves his home, his neighborhood and town better than he found it.
So through our tears let us know the blessings of knowing and loving you. A great and noble man. The best father a son or daughter could have. And in our grief, by this smile knowing that Dad is hugging Robin and holding Mom's hand again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Well done, Mr. President.
Robin, George and Barbara Bush's little daughter, died of leukemia at age 3. You know, he spent his lifetime raising a lot of money for MD Anderson Cancer Center and for cancer.
This afternoon, President Bush's body will be taken by train to College Station, Texas where he will be laid to rest at his presidential library.
Stay with CNN all day. We're going to have full coverage of President Bush's Texas memorial service and interment.
BRIGGS: Meanwhile, a group of bipartisan senators looking to punish Saudi Arabia for its role in the killing of a "Washington Post" journalist Jamal Khashoggi. They'll meet today to discuss a deal aimed at suspending arms sales to the Saudis and curtailing U.S. support for the war in Yemen.
[04:05:08] They are hoping to reach a consensus and bring it to the floor as soon as Monday. It comes after senators were briefed by the CIA director on Khashoggi's killing and came away convinced the Saudi crown prince was involved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BOB CORKER (R), TENNESSEE: What I do know is, you know, the CIA director came in and -- with some analysts and gave the most precise presentation I've ever heard in 12 years. And I left there as I mentioned as somebody came up today and corrected me on my comments yesterday when I said if he went for a jury, he'd be found guilty in 30 minutes. Some of my colleagues came out and said, no, no, no, 20.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: A deal targeting the Saudis would also be a rebuke of the president. He has downplayed the Khashoggi murder and cast doubt on the role of the Saudi crown prince.
ROMANS: All of Washington a whirl of speculation this morning. Everyone wants to know what's under those hundreds of black lines redacting key parts of that court filing in the case of one-time National Security adviser Michael Flynn. Special Counsel Robert Mueller says Flynn provided substantial help in the Russia investigation. But Mueller isn't ready to say yet what that help was.
CNN's Sara Murray has more from Washington.
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Dave and Christine.
The heavily redacted sentencing memo from Michael Flynn, President Trump's former National Security adviser, has Washington wondering what Special Counsel Robert Mueller is holding back. For all we've learned about Flynn's substantial assistance, 19 interviews with law enforcement spanning more than a year, Mueller's filing these many questions unanswered.
Flynn offered intel from multiple investigations. He cooperated in the investigation in the potential coordination between Russians and senior members of the Trump transition and campaign, offering long- term and first-hand insights. What those insights were? That's still unknown.
Flynn also provided substantial assistance in a criminal investigation. The rest, blacked out. As for a third investigation, the details of that one are entirely redacted in the filing. Those blacked out lines causing frenzied speculation as to what or who could still be in the Justice Department's crosshairs.
And we're still waiting on at least two other developments this week. Mueller's team in conjunction with U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan is expected to file a sentencing memo in the Michael Cohen case and respond to his request for no prison time.
And on Friday, we're expecting an explanation from Mueller on what former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort lied to investigators about, jeopardizing his cooperation agreement. So still a very busy week ahead.
Back to you, guys.
ROMANS: Oh, indeed. Sara Murray, thank you. We may learn much more about President Trump's finances once the Trump organization responds to subpoenas served Wednesday. The attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia demanding tax records, profit and loss statements and other records. The president's personal taxes are not part of that subpoena.
A federal judge on Monday gave the go-ahead in a lawsuit by Maryland and D.C. The suit claims the president is violating the Constitution's ban on payments from foreign or domestic government to federal officeholders. "The Washington Post" reported yesterday, lobbyists for Saudi Arabia paid for at least 500 stays at the Trump Hotel in Washington over three months shortly after the president's election.
BRIGGS: The Senate Judiciary Committee scrapping a meeting today to advance more of President Trump's picks for the lower courts. An aide to Chairman Chuck Grassley says it's because Republican Senator Jeff Flake is not backing off his threat. Flake vows to vote against all pending judicial nominees until he gets a floor vote on a bill that would protect the Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: We can solve this easily. Let's just have a vote. Let's just a vote. We need to approve some more judges. That would be great. But this has to be priority now. It has to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: The committee has canceled meetings two weeks in a row, delaying 22 nominees from floor consideration by the end of the year.
ROMANS: The chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei has been arrested in Canada. She now faces extradition to the United States. According to Canadian Justice Department spokesman Ian McLeod, Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Vancouver on Saturday, December 1st. A Canadian judge has agreed to bar both police and prosecutors from publicly releasing information about this case now.
The publication ban prevents media from reporting on any evidence presented by the U.S. or charges expected to be filed by the DOJ against her. Now back in April, the "Wall Street Journal" reported the U.S. Justice Department was investigating whether Huawei violated U.S. sanctions on Iran. A spokesperson for Huawei said it, quote, "complies with all applicable laws and regulations where it operates including applicable export control and sanction laws and regulations of the U.N., U.S. and E.U."
Now a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Canada issues a statement urging the U.S. and Canada to, quote, "immediately correct the wrongdoing and restore the personal freedom of Miss Meng Wanzhou."
[04:10:01] Huawei which sells smart phones and telecom equipment around the world has been facing increased scrutiny in the U.S. and other countries where officials have warned of potential national security risks from even using these products. The U.S. is concerned the Chinese government could using Huawei's networking technology to spy on Americans. A bail hearing has been set for Friday. The U.S. Justice Department declined to comment Wednesday.
But certainly some international and business intrigue there.
BRIGGS: Yes. Some suggest this could further ramp up the trade dispute between U.S. and China. We shall see.
ROMANS: Maybe.
BRIGGS: Ahead, a search and rescue mission under way off the coast of Japan after two U.S. Marine planes go down. The latest.
ROMANS: Plus allegations of election fraud in the North Carolina congressional race.
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BRIGGS: 4:14 Eastern Time. A desperate search and rescue operation underway off the coast of southern Japan after two U.S. Marine aircraft reportedly collided in mid-air.
CNN's Ivan Watson has the latest for us live from Hong Kong.
Ivan, good morning.
[04:15:02] IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Dave.
It's been about 14 hours since these two U.S. Marine aircraft collided out over the Pacific Ocean. It was a U.S. KC-130 Hercules, which is kind of like a flying tanker plane that can do refueling operations in the air, and an F-18 Hornet. So at this time we still don't know the cause of the crash, but we do know that the U.S. Military is working alongside the Japanese Self -Defense Forces trying to find five Marines still missing after this collision in the air.
Two Marines have been rescued thus far. One has already been transported back to the Japanese mainland for treatment. And I'm told by a Marine spokesperson that that Marine is in fair condition. The other rescued individual is still being transferred. And we don't have an update on their details at this time.
The rescue effort is large. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces, they've moved some three ships out to this area roughly 200 miles off the Japanese coast. They have some 15 aircraft. The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet has also mobilized a reconnaissance plane out to search for these missing Marines. But again it's been about 14 hours since the planes collided. It happened at about 2:00 a.m. local time.
Again we don't know the cause of this and the Marines say that the weather conditions are going to be contributing factors. Just imagine that after the collision you have these Marines floating potentially out at sea for hours and hours and hours. So this is really a race against time right now -- Dave.
BRIGGS: 5:16 p.m. there in Hong Kong. Ivan Watson, live for us, thanks. Keep us up to date.
ROMANS: All right. A House Democrat is seeking an emergency hearing as investigators in North Carolina look into allegations of election fraud in the congressing race there. The investigation centers on a political operative who worked for Republican candidate Mark Harris. Unofficial ballot totals showed Harris ahead of Democrat Dan McCready by just 905 votes.
CNN's Drew Griffin explains.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Dave, we're now learning that this investigation, this criminal investigation has been going for nearly a year. It focuses not only on perhaps vote fraud, but on the campaign financing behind it. At the center of it is a man named McCrae Dowless who was paid by the Mark Harris campaign to get out the absentee ballot vote in Bladen County.
We've done some digging on Mr. Dallas. It turns out that he's worked on six different campaigns dating back to 2010. He was paid $23,000 for his work over those campaigns. And get this, it turns out in almost all of the campaigns he worked on, his candidate got a disproportionately large amount of absentee ballots. That is a subject of this investigation now which could end up turning over this North Carolina District 9 congressional race -- Christine, Dave.
ROMANS: Drew, thank you.
That political operative Leslie McCrae Dowless has denied any wrongdoing to the "Charlotte Observer."
BRIGGS: Wisconsin's Democratic attorney general-elect says a flurry of Republican legislation this week is virtually certain to end up in court. The lame duck session of the GOP-led legislation passed a range of bills aimed at diminishing the power of the state's incoming governor who of course happens to be a Democrat. The measures include reducing early voting days and restricting the governor's influence over a powerful state agency the incoming governor-elect promised to disband. Republicans say the bill is just codified reforms eight years in the making.
What's happening in North Carolina and Wisconsin and in Michigan of utmost importance. Hopefully we stay on it.
ROMANS: I mean, The peaceful transfer of power, you know, is what we are known for, but is it a peaceful transfer of power if the people who were voted out then change the rules so that the people coming in don't have the power?
BRIGGS: Right. What are the implication of that for every election thereafter?
ROMANS: Wow.
BRIGGS: Similar to gerrymandering.
ROMANS: That is a slippery slope.
BRIGGS: Yes.
ROMANS: All right, 19 minutes past the hour. Pop superstar Justin Timberlake's singing voice silenced. We'll tell you why he's cancelling tour dates.
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[04:23:54] ROMANS: USA Gymnastics filing for bankruptcy protection as it struggles to recover from a mountain of lawsuits in the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal. The group says it hopes the move will help expedite the handling of claims made by Nassar's victims. An attorney representing many of the women says USA Gymnastics' leadership has proven itself to be both morally and financially bankrupt.
Nassar, a former gymnastics team doctor, was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual assault back in January. BRIGGS: A satanic statue among the holiday displays at the Illinois
capitol in Springfield. It's right alongside a nativity scene and a menorah. It's actually a gift from the Satanic Temple of Chicago called Snake-tivity, depicting the forearm of a woman holding an apple with a snake coiled around it. State officials say the group applied for the display and has the rights as other religious organizations. The Snake-tivity statue went on display this weekend, will remain there through the end of the month.
ROMANS: All right. Pop star Justin Timberlake has now postponed all of his December concerts as his bruised vocal cords continue to mend.
[04:25:09] In an Instagram post he wrote that his doctors want him to keep resting his voice and have asked him to hold off on singing until next month. It's the latest in a string of concerts he has postponed because of vocal chords problems since late October.
That guy has been singing professionally since he was a kid, right? I mean, imagine years and years --
BRIGGS: A young, young child. Yes.
ROMANS: Yes.
BRIGGS: Just a lot of work on the vocal chords.
ROMANS: Rest your instrument.
BRIGGS: Get better, JT.
ROMANS: See you next year.
BRIGGS: Ahead, the final farewell is under way in Texas for America's 41st president. His burial now just hours away. These live pictures. We'll have more next.
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