Return to Transcripts main page
Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
President Trump Orders Full and Rapid Withdrawal of U.S. from Syria; Vladimir Putin to Hold End-of-Year Conference; Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired December 20, 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)
[04:00:18] SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: This is a stain on the honor of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Even the president's closest allies slamming the move to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. Russia, Iran and the Assad regime all in line to benefit.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: A bill to fund the government until February passes the Senate but did it deal a death blow to the president's border wall?
BRIGGS: Quote, "fatally misconceived." The man poised to oversee the Mueller probe had harsh words for the investigation just a few months ago.
KOSIK: And the Dow now at its lowest point of the year. Investors spooked after another rate hike from the Fed.
Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Alison Kosik, sitting in for Christine Romans, and it is another busy news day.
BRIGGS: And it was a wild ride on the markets yesterday.
KOSIK: It was.
BRIGGS: Good morning, everybody. I'm Dave Briggs. Thursday, December 20th. 4:00 a.m. in the East. We also have some breaking news out of North Korea straight ahead.
But we start with President Trump's decision to order a full and rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. Running into fierce resistance this morning. In the words of one senior administration official, the decision by tweet will recklessly put American and allied lives in danger around the world. A mistake of colossal proportions.
A U.S. Defense official tells CNN planning for the pullout is already underway. Reactions to the president's move ranging from shock to outrage. KOSIK: A group of Congressmen senators firing up a letter to Mr.
Trump urging him to reconsider. They believe if there is a pullout, any remnants of ISIS in Syria will surely renew and embolden their efforts in the region.
Top Republican senators not pleased about getting blindsided.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: Now we're dramatically less safe. This is an Obama-like move.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: It's a terrible mistake and unfortunately I think we're going to pay a price for it if it's not reversed.
SEN. BOB CORKER (R), TENNESSEE: It's hard to imagine that any president would wake up and make this kind of decision with this little communication, with this little preparation.
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: Pulling the plug on these troops without giving due consideration to the consequences, I think is something that I don't think any of us what to do.
GRAHAM: To say they're defeated is an overstatement and is fake news. We have been dishonorable. This is a stain on the honor of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: The president did not make himself available for questions about Syria on Wednesday. Instead, the White House released a video of Mr. Trump explaining why he made the move.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we have won against ISIS. We've beaten them and we've beaten them badly. We've taken back the land and now it's time for our troops to come back home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: One problem. The Defense Department disagrees. They released this statement. "The coalition has liberated the ISIS-held territory, but the campaign against ISIS is not over."
KOSIK: So the White House is struggling to articulate the president's full Syria withdrawal plan. They can't say how many troops have come home, what the timeline is, or when other personnel are going to be leaving. An administration official referred questions to the Pentagon. The Pentagon referred them back to the White House.
BRIGGS: The president's order to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria is being met with near-universal condemnation and there are a lot of reasons why.
Nima Elbagir joins us live from London with the latest.
Good morning to you.
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Dave. Well, it goes to the heart of many of the concerns surrounding the president tendency to wage foreign policy by tweet. Everyone we are speaking to is incredibly concerned. This is a move that has shocked both key advisers and key allies. And it's a move that even the Secretary of Defense James Mattis until though recently was saying was not possible. He has stated consistently that the U.S. presence in Syria is in the U.S.' national interest.
That this is not about not only about rousing the remaining pockets of ISIS, and by the way when we say remaining pockets, by the Pentagon's own measure, there are about 14,500 remaining ISIS soldiers. This was the number that they put out back in August. So now not only is it about routing the remaining pockets of ISIS, but it's also about what has been described as an enduring victory and for that to happen you need to have trained the local government officials. You need to train the local security officials.
And that campaign is only 20 percent done. And that's without bringing into there the realities of ceding key territory in the Middle East to Iran. And that's a concern that the secretary of State and Defense has consistently raised.
[04:05:02] There is one actor in the region who is meeting this proclamation with joy and agreement. And that is Turkey. Because as we have seen time and time again, Turkey has had concerns about the key alliance of the Syria Democratic Forces who fought against ISIS alongside the American troops. And they want to take this opportunity to go in and clean them out of northern Syria -- Dave.
BRIGGS: Of course this is almost exactly what President Trump campaigned against that President Obama having done in Iraq.
Nima, thank you.
KOSIK: It could be just a coincidence, but President Trump is giving Russia two big gifts in the same day. Pulling U.S. troops out of Syria and lifting sanctions on major Russian firms controlled by friends of Vladimir Putin. The United States is also sanctioning 15 Russian intelligence and four entities for interfering in the 2016 election.
Now this morning, Putin is holding his annual end of the year news conference about the state of his domestic and his foreign policy.
Let's go live to Moscow and bring in Nathan Hodge.
So this annual news conference getting under way about now. I'm assuming, has he so far mentioned anything yet about the president's idea of withdrawing from Syria? NATHAN HODGE, CNN MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Alison, this is just getting
under way. This marathon press conference that Putin holds at the end of every year. We are expecting it to run three or maybe even four hours. And as of yet, Putin is just in his introductory remarks. But one can only imagine that President Trump's decision whilst it's been met with consternation in Washington and in other capitals, is welcome news for the Kremlin.
Just last night Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had a very interesting quote. She said that this is a very important story that may follow from this decision a real, real prospect for a political settlement. In other words, the Russians have been backing the regime of Syrian president Bashar al- Assad. They have long been saying for months that they don't believe that the U.S. has a legal basis to stay in Syria after the defeat of ISIS. And then they're sure to welcome it.
KOSIK: Can things get any better for Putin at this point?
(LAUGHTER)
HODGE: Well, it's fair to say this press conference that Putin hosts is a big summing up. He's been, as his spokesperson has told us, been cramming for this for several days. And this caps a year where he's hosted the World Cup in Russia. And like you mentioned, there are new sanctions that have been imposed on Russia, but there's also the lifting of sanctions against companies connected to one oligarch close to Putin. So he's ending the year in many ways on a high note -- Alison.
KOSIK: It's certainly making a lot of people scratch their heads about what really motivated President Trump to make this decision to pull out of Syria.
All right. Nathan Hodge, thanks so much.
BRIGGS: Breaking overnight. North Korea says it will not denuclearize until the U.S. eliminates its own, quote, "nuclear threat." That's from commentary published by state media, which suggests one of the obstacles could be U.S. military assets in South Korea.
All of this will pose another big obstacle for the U.S. and Pyongyang. They've been deadlocked in talks about denuclearizing in exchange for sanctions relief. Another summit between the president and Kim Jong- un has been rumored for early next year.
The Senate has passed a stopgap spending bill to prevent a partial government shutdown at midnight Friday. The measure to fund the government through early February still needs House approval and the president's signature.
The deal kicks the can on critical issues like funding for the president's border wall. That will be a tougher task for Republicans once Democrats take over the House next month. Any funding for a wall would have to go through Nancy Pelosi. The White House suggesting it could get creative to find the money
instead of the budget route. They could get from funding from other departments or even carve out money from border security rather than a wall specifically.
KOSIK: What a day it was yesterday. The Dow tumbled to the lowest level of the year after the Federal Reserve voted to raise interest rates despite new signs of economic softening and weeks of market volatility. The Dow tumbled 352 points or 1.5 percent.
The sell-off left the Dow sitting at its lowest level in 13 months and wiped out a 382-point rally that actually happened before this Fed decision came down. The S&P 500 ended the day 1.5 percent lower. The Nasdaq lost more than 2 percent.
Now central bankers unanimously agreed to lift the federal funds rate to a range of 2.25 percent and 2.5 percent. Interest rates have increased seven times since President Trump took office. Four of those increases have been under Fed chair J. Powell.
The president has repeatedly attacked Powell and blames rate hikes for some of the market's recent drops. Now when asked about pressure from the White House, Powell said this. "We're going to do our job the way we've always done them.
[04:10:04] Stressing the importance of the Fed's independence from political pressure, "Nothing will cause us to deviate from that."
But what rattled the market here is that while the Fed sent a (INAUDIBLE) signal to investors, it wasn't (INAUDIBLE) enough because the Central Bank now appears to be eyeing at least two more rate hikes in 2019. And what investors were really inspecting was an even slower pace of rate increases.
BRIGGS: A newly-released memo could really complicate William Barr's nomination for attorney general. In a memo from June of this year to senior Justice officials, Barr writes Special Counsel Robert Mueller's obstruction investigation is, quote, "fatally misconceived" and that President Trump's interactions with ex-FBI director James Comey do not constitute obstruction of justice.
The fact that Barr weighed in on such a sensitive issued and would be poised to oversee Mueller's work could put his nomination in peril.
KOSIK: Barr also wrote that Trump asking Comey to let go of the investigation into former National Security adviser Michael Flynn and then firing Comey were within his powers as head of the Executive Branch.
According to a Justice Department official, Barr's memo was unsolicited. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said this Wednesday. Many people offer unsolicited advice and Barr's memo has no impact on the investigation. It sort of reeks like, I don't know, a cover letter for a job?
BRIGGS: It does. It also reeks like we don't have any video of Mr. Barr. It's that one photo even though he was the attorney general once before.
All right. Ahead, a black man in Ohio went to cash his paycheck and the bank, they called police. Hear from that man and what the bank is saying next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:15:51] BRIGGS: A Yemeni mom who is originally blocked from coming to the U.S. to say goodbye to her dying son has finally arrived in California. The U.S. State Department granted Shaima Swileh a visa this week after she was blocked from traveling here by the president's travel ban. Shaima is expected to travel to a children's hospital in Oakland to reunite with her 2-year-old son Abdullah who is on life support.
Her husband made a public plea this week to expedite his wife's visa application so she could see her son. There is a fundraising effort to pay for her flight and eventually the boy's funeral.
KOSIK: Washington, D.C.'s attorney general is suing Facebook accusing the social media giant a wide-ranging privacy violations, saying Facebook has failed to live up to their commitment of protecting user data. The suit invokes Facebook's relationship with Cambridge Analytica, a firm linked to President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.
Earlier this year Facebook admitted Cambridge Analytica accessed and improperly stored data from 50 million of its users. This lawsuit is happening on the heels of a "New York Times" report that said Facebook offered more user data than it previously acknowledged to more than 150 partner companies, including tech giants Microsoft and Amazon.
BRIGGS: The Illinois attorney general says the state's six dioceses have failed to disclose accusations of sexual abuse against at least 500 priests and clergy members. Illinois diocese have publicly identified 185 clergy members who are credibly accused. But state Attorney General Lisa Madigan says the accusations have not been adequately investigated. She says the church failed in its moral obligation to provide survivors, parishioners, and the public a complete and accurate accounting. In a statement, the head of the Illinois archdiocese says since 2002 all allegations have been reported.
KOSIK: The family of 7-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin is seeking an independent review of her death. The migrant child died in the custody of U.S. Customs Border Protection. The family wants to know the level of medical screening provided and why medical attention was delayed for 90 minutes. Their attorney says no water was provided. A Border Patrol official told reporters earlier this week there was access to water and restrooms. Maquin's body will be repatriated to Guatemala on Sunday.
BRIGGS: Serious questions for a bank in Brooklyn, Ohio, after a teller called police on a black man who was simply trying to cash his check. McCowns doesn't usually do business with Huntington Bank and a staff was not able to reach his employer at first but he followed protocol, provided the tellers with two forms of I.D. and a fingerprint. The bank still declined to cash his paycheck. As McCowns left, the bank teller called police and McCowns was detained.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL MCCOWNS, DETAINED FOR TRYING TO CASH PAYCHECK: It was highly embarrassing, highly embarrassing. Whoever made that phone call, I feel as though that they were judging.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: McCowns was released once officers reached his employer and confirmed with the account holder the check was valid. The bank says there has been increased fraud in the area and tellers were being hyper vigilant. They released a statement apologizing to McCowns.
KOSIK: Oh come on. We can do better.
BRIGGS: Two forms of I.D. and a fingerprint.
HARLOW: Yes.
BRIGGS: Wow.
KOSIK: A deal is struck to allow Cuban baseball players to play in the U.S. without defecting but one lawmaker with Cuban roots has concerns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:23:48] BRIGGS: Check it out. A bright light that lit up the internet and the skies above northern California last night was most likely a meteor. According to the National Weather Service an unusually bright smoke-like trail was spotted over the Lake Tahoe area raising speculations that the cloud-like formations were related to a planned rocket launch at an Air Force base near Santa Barbara. However the launch was scrubbed due to signs of booster complications.
KOSIK: "SNL's" Pete Davidson getting support from the congressman- elect he once mocked on national television. Soon-to-be Representative Dan Crenshaw reaching out to Davidson after the comic appeared to be suicidal in a post on Instagram. Davidson had to apologize to Crenshaw after joking about his appearance on "Saturday Night Live." Crenshaw is a former Navy SEAL who lost his in Afghanistan. He just reached out for the struggling comic to offer a word of advice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DAN CRENSHAW (R), TEXAS: What I told him was this, everybody has a purpose in this world. God put you here for a reason. But it's your job to find that purpose. And know that you have value and that you do more good than you realize for people. Especially a guy like that. You know, he makes people laugh. Sometimes he makes people mad.
(LAUGHTER)
CRENSHAW: But he also -- but he makes people laugh a lot. You know, and that's what we talked about. It was a good conversation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[04:25:03] KOSIK: Davidson is expected to be back with the rest of the "SNL" cast when the show returns to the air in January.
You know, Crenshaw said that they're not good friends, but he thinks that Davidson appreciated the conversation.
BRIGGS: OK. Cuban baseball players no longer have to defect to play in the Major Leagues. The Cuban Baseball Federation striking a deal that allows MLB teams to sign their players under work visas. Baseball teams will have to pay a fee to the Cuban government -- a massive fee -- on top of players' salaries. In the past, Cuban baseball players that defected were banned by the Cuban government from returning to the island.
Not everyone is on board with the plan. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, whose parents were from Cuba, asking the State Department and the White House to review it. It claims it allows the Cuban regime to conduct state-sponsored trafficking of baseball players.
KOSIK: A mistake of colossal proportions. Even the president's closest allies are slamming the move to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
