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New Year for Trump; Nielsen Heads to Border; Storm Moves East; 2020 Democratic Decisions; Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired December 28, 2018 - 06:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[06:30:00] BAKARI SELLERS, CNN COMMENTATOR: Not -- Nancy Pelosi is not, Chuck Schumer is not what happens in Washington, D.C. on the Capitol, but it's actually what happens in Mueller's office. And people just have to wait and see. I think that he just has to make it through 2019 because if he makes it through 2019, then he gets to do what he does best, which is campaign for president of the United States. He'll be fully enthralled in a presidency campaign, or presidential campaign, and he can kind of do what he does best, which is travel around the country and rally his troops.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Frank, want a quick, last word?

FRANK BRUNI, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I was going to say, he'll do what he do best, travel around the country, rally his troops and dole out nicknames to the three dozen Democrats who are running, right?

BERMAN: All the senators, the entire membership of the Democratic caucus in the U.S. Senate.

All right, Bakari, Alice, Frank, thank you very much for being with us. Happy New Year if we don't get a chance to see you again.

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Happy New Year.

SELLERS: Happy New Year.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Her son died in Border Patrol custody. Now, in a revealing interview, she tells CNN why her husband took their child on that treacherous journey to America. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen heads to the border with Mexico today after the death of a second migrant child in Border Patrol custody this month.

This morning, we're hearing from the mother of the Guatemalan boy who died on Christmas Eve.

CNN's Dan Simon is live in El Paso, Texas, where Secretary Nielsen makes her first stop today.

Dan.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi, John.

Secretary Nielsen's stated reason for coming to the border is to see firsthand the medical screenings that are taking place inside the border control stations. Obviously she is facing this fresh new crisis with two children who have died in less than a month and she wants to see the enhanced screenings that are taking place. She will be in El Paso today and in Yuma, Arizona, tomorrow.

[06:35:05] In the meantime, we are gaining better insight on why the eight-year-old and the father came this country, why they wanted to leave Guatemala and come to the United States. Well, we're told that the father wanted to find better work and that the son, they said they wanted to give him a better education. But they're also saying that the reason why they brought the son is because they were under the impression that when you bring a child that you have a better chance of gaining entry into the United States, that they were encouraged by their neighbors to bring a child. One of the things that the mother told Reuters is, quote, lots of them have gone with children and managed to cross, even if they're held for a month or two. But they always manage to get across easily.

And critics of U.S. immigration policy will say this is exhibit a with what is wrong with the system, that it's a system that incentivizes bringing children across. And this is the latest tragic example of that.

Erica, we'll send it back to you.

HILL: All right, Dan, we'll take it. Thank you.

A massive storm is being blamed for two deaths and flooding in the south and it could now bring blizzard conditions to millions this weekend.

CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray joins us now with your forecast.

Jennifer, good morning.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Erica.

We have a lot to talk about. We have this storm system that's stretching from the northeast all the way down to the south, bringing monster storms to places like New Orleans this morning. Also raining in D.C., New York, Atlanta, Boston getting a mix of rain and even a little bit of snow.

But all of this rain over the last 24 hours across the south with this slow-moving system, we saw ten inches plus across southern portions of Mississippi. So we have flash flood watches, flash flood warnings in effect right now. And you can see that area 50 million people under a flood threat. It stretches all the way up to New York City.

So the rain accumulation through Saturday morning, we're going to see that bullseye right around the panhandle, stretching all the way up to the northeast. So it is going to be slow-moving at the airports now for big cities like Atlanta, New York, D.C., Boston, all will see delays for today, even seeing delays as far back as Chicago, Cincinnati. Places like Minneapolis finally starting to clear out after snow the last two to three days.

But, looking ahead, as we look into New Year's Eve, things don't look much better. That first round will clear out by the weekend, but we have a second round that's going to come through just in time for New Year's Eve, unfortunately. So we are going to bring rain into the new year. So if everyone's heading to the city for the ball drop, you could get wet. But at least temperatures will be warmer than last year.

John.

BERMAN: Yes, you're going to get rained on and you can't go to the bathroom for nine hours if you're in Times Square. So, you know, it sounds like a great night.

Jennifer Gray, thank you very much for being with us. Appreciate it.

GRAY: All right.

BERMAN: So as 2018 comes to an end, the eyes of the political world, they're on 2020. Which Democrats will step up to run against Donald Trump? We'll discuss, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:41:14] BERMAN: 2019 is just a few days away. But forget 2019, let's talk about 2020. Which Dems will be running for president? There's something about Harry. Want to bring in CNN's senior politics writer and analyst Harry Enten.

Look, Alisyn Camerota is off today.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN POLITICS SENIOR WRITER AND ANALYST: I know.

BERMAN: Occasionally she does watch, though, and this is for her, because Alisyn always says, oh, why are we talking about 2020? You know, it's too soon, it's too soon. No, it is not too soon. It's now, Harry. And you've done some calculations about when people jump into the race.

ENTEN: Yes. So I've been off the last few days and I decided to go into the spreadsheets and do some work. And so I looked all the way back since 1972 and looked at the median entry date in nomination processes in which there was no incumbent running on a particular side. And what did I find? I found that the median entry date for candidates is March 12th. It's March 12th the year before the primary. So we're just a few months out from that. And so I expect that candidates are going to start throwing their names in the ring with even more regularity as we enter the new year.

HILL: I thought you were going to say November 7, 2018, but that's good that we've moved it out to March of 2019.

BERMAN: That's soon, though. It's -- and I will note, that's the median, which means that half actually will come even sooner.

HILL: Before.

ENTEN: That's exactly right, half will come before. And we've obviously already seen John Delaney and Julian Castro, who just started an exploratory committee. And that, I think, is going to be one of the more interesting things is to see whether or not some of these candidates are going to dip their toe into the water a little bit. If I were standing up, this dipping that I'm doing now with my foot might come across a little bit better, but I'm sitting, so you can't see it. But the point is, will they start with an exploratory committee or will they just throw their name right into the ring immediately?

BERMAN: We have the last five nominees --

ENTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: You know, in a non-incumbent field who jumped in here. Look at this. And look at Barack Obama, January 16, 2007, which is 20 days from now. That is not distant from now. And look at John McCain.

ENTEN: John McCain actually -- this is like one of the funniest things. You know, you work with producers and you're trying to say, when did they enter, and I threw in 2006. He's like, wait a minute, do you mean 2007? No, I meant 2006 for John McCain.

HILL: Yes.

ENTEN: He jumped in basically two years ahead of the election. And, indeed, if you go through all of these different names that are on there, the latest on there was Hillary Clinton who declared on April 12, 2015. We all forget that Donald Trump actually formed an exploratory committee in March of 2015. I think that a lot of people just didn't believe he was going to actually run. But he was signaling in March that he was. so I would not be surprised if an eventual nominee for the Democratic Party actually declared or formed an exploratory committee this upcoming month.

HILL: So what are some of these folks saying on the Democratic side? You know, we know they love to dance around it a little bit.

ENTEN: Yes, I mean, so, you know, I think going -- we have a list that we can throw up there, but essentially what we see here is that some of them are saying, oh, I'm going to make up my mind by January. That was former vice president Joe Biden. If you were looking at Bernie Sanders, if I'm the best candidate I'll probably run. Senator Warren, I will take a hard look.

You can -- also, you know, Senator Cory Booker says, I will consider running for president. Kamala Harris says, over the holiday I will make that decision with my family.

BERMAN: That's now, by the way.

HILL: Yes. ENTEN: That's now. I think that's what we're seeing is, they are basically look like they're adhering -- and we've got some more candidates up there -- but what -- they're basically adhering to what the normal schedule would basically align with it. It doesn't look like this is going to be one of those later years. You know, if -- there's some years in which something really weird happens. You look at the 1992 Democratic field. That formed very, very late. You know, Bill Clinton didn't get in till the second half of 1991. But this year it looks like we're adhering to the normal schedule. It looks like candidates are going to get in probably January, February, March. Maybe there will be a late one. You know those -- sometimes, you know, Wesley Clark got in very late in 2004, or Rick Perry got in very late in 2011. But I think at this point the -- probably the eventual nominee will, in fact, get in probably January, February or March.

HILL: We're also learning that Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown is hoping to meet with former President Barack Obama. There's a part of this, when I heard it, that I thought, I mean what is it, I just want to come kiss the ring. If I put that out there, people will know its -- I mean does that help you or hurt you when all of a sudden the narrative is, I'd really love to meet with you?

[06:45:13] ENTEN: Yes, I just want to have a nice meeting with former President Barack Obama pretty please. No, I mean, look, Barack Obama is still the most popular person in the Democratic Party at this particular time. He is someone -- if Hillary Clinton's numbers have gone way down since she lost in 2016, Barack Obama's numbers are very, very high. Favorable ratings with the overall electorate in the 60s, among Democrats 80, 90 percent. He's about as popular with Democrats as Donald Trump is with Republicans. And so, for me, I think this is someone -- you know, he wants to be able to say, hey, this guy likes me. He likes me.

HILL: Sure.

BERMAN: We have Jonathan Martin with "The New York Times" on later in the show who's got a great article about Bernie Sanders and some of the troubles that Bernie Sanders is facing. And Sherrod Brown is one of the people who may be cutting into Bernie Sanders' backing, including among some staffers, people who worked in Bernie world and they look at Sherrod Brown and say, hey, maybe he's the guys we want to lead us.

HILL: Maybe he's a better chance.

BERMAN: We have you here. You look at the numbers. New Year's resolutions.

ENTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: What are the statistics? What's the data?

ENTEN: Well, I can -- yes, what does the data say? Well, I can tell you, I probably am not going to make a new year's resolution. But, you know, if you look back, there was a Marist poll at the end of 2017 a year ago and it basically said that 44 percent said they were very likely or somewhat likely to make a new year's resolution, 56 percent said not likely at all. I'm in that 44 percent. I don't know where you two generally are. I feel like if you make one, you're probably going to break one.

I was listening to 1010 WINS in New York. This is one of the things I do on my day off, I listen to the news instead of appear on it.

BERMAN: You give them 22 minutes, they give you the world.

ENTEN: I -- exactly correct. I love that theme song.

But, in any event, so, you know, if you were to listen, they said that, in fact, you probably should make weekly resolution instead of making one yearly one. I don't believe in making any resolutions at all. But, you know, what's so interesting is the -- what people are saying what they might make their resolution. You know, if you look at the top answer over the last few years it's, I want to be a better person, 12 percent. Maybe I should be a better person. Maybe I should call up my mother more frequently. It is her --

HILL: It is her birthday, right?

ENTEN: It is her birthday tomorrow. So, happy birthday, mom. See, I am a good son from time to time.

But you also see a lot of people who are saying, you know, I should eat healthier, lose more weight, exercise more. You know, these are types of things that I think are very difficult for people to keep. Maybe if they made easier ones they might be able to be able to keep them. So maybe they should be better people. I think we could all be a little bit better, right?

BERMAN: I'm going to take the under on each one of those. No, my favorite thing, though, is there's a likely resolution maker screen, like a likely voter screen in these polls.

ENTEN: (INAUDIBLE).

BERMAN: Are you likely or somewhat likely to make a resolution?

ENTEN: Somewhat likely. Look, everything in politics can be applied to real life. I am not very likely at all to be able to keep a new year's resolution. But if I were to keep one, maybe I should eat less fast- food.

BERMAN: Show me the registered resolution Marist poll next time.

All right, Harry Enten, thank you very much. Appreciate it.

ENTEN: Thank you.

HILL: A police officer's very close call, nearly hit by a train. The remarkable moment caught on tape. We'll show it to you.

BERMAN: Oh, my God! Look at that!

HILL: That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:51:41] HILL: Alabama's attorney general is now looking into an alleged disinformation campaign that targeted Senate Candidate Roy Moore. You may recall Moore narrowly lost his bid to Democrat Doug Jones in a special election last year. According to "The Washington Post," a campaign called Project Birmingham used some of the same tactics Russians operatives used during the 2016 presidential election. The campaign allegedly used FaceBook and Twitter to undermine support for Moore, planting fake evidence that Russian bots were backing his candidacy. LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman has apologized for funding a group tied to the campaign, saying he didn't realize his money would be used for that purpose.

BERMAN: Heart pounding moments caught on video. An Illinois police officer narrowly escaped being hit by a train, look at that, as he was about to drive through a crossing. You can see this all because it was caught on the police officer's dash cam. Warning lights, you know, you can see them flashing as he approaches, but not until the moment when the train speeds by. The incident is blamed on an electrical problem with the crossing gate. Fortunately, this officer has lightning-quick reflexes and swerved there and is totally fine.

HILL: That's amazing. Also, the video is very clear.

BERMAN: I don't want to preach, but you should always slow down near train crossings.

HILL: At a crossing. Absolutely.

BERMAN: You know, you should always be careful, because things like this can happen.

HILL: Clemson will be without one of its star players in the college football playoff semifinal against Notre Dame.

Coy Wire has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report."

Good morning.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Erica.

Good morning, John.

The suspensions of three players upheld after tests showed small amounts of a banned substances. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. He's projected as a first round NFL draft pick. One of the best in the entire nation. Players, they're denying any wrong doing. Their head coach, Dabo Swinney, was quick to defend them yesterday as well. Vegas still has Clemson favored by 12 points.

That Cotton Bowl match-up is the first of the two semi-final showdowns tomorrow. The other features the defending champs, Bama versus Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. And it's likely to be the last football game of Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray's career. Oklahoma's star quarterback already signed a deal to play baseball with the Oakland A's for over $4 million. Watch the reaction, though, when one of Bama's best defenders almost breaks a cardinal rule, nearly talking trash about the Sooners' star.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUINNEN WILLIAMS, ALABAMA DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: I feel like Kyler Murray is not worry about --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's that?

WILLIAMS: No, I'm good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Now, you know that's a cardinal rule for any coach. And you can see Quinnen Williams now almost as if he had visions of Nick Saban staring him down saying, don't you dare. That's good stuff.

BERMAN: The electric shocks were being sent through his leg at that very moment. You could see the shock being applied.

WIRE: Yes.

BERMAN: All right, Coy.

WIRE: And the clearing of his throat, too good.

BERMAN: All right, Coy Wire, thanks very much.

HILL: Washington preparing for a long shutdown. And we now know there won't be a vote on any deal until next year. More on that just ahead.

But first, the new CNN film "Love, Gilda," it looks at the incredible life of the comedy legend, Gilda Radner. It airs New Year's Day at 9:00 p.m. on CNN. Here's a sneak peek.

[06:55:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GILDA RADNER, COMEDIAN: Hi, I'm Gilda Radner, and -- OK, now.

FRAN DRESCHER: Dear, Gilda. Hi, it's me, Fran Drescher.

YVETTE NICOLE BROWN: Dear, Gilda.

CAROL BURNETT: Dear, Gilda, I loved watching you on "Saturday Night Live."

TRACEY ULLMAN: Gilda Radner was a huge inspiration to me.

RACHEL BLOOM: When I was about nine, I saw the sketch "The Judy Miller Show." It inspired me to write my own one person comedy sketch. It was directly because of you.

BROWN: Thank you for teaching us that it's OK to be unapologetically whacky and fearless. GILDA RADNER: (INAUDIBLE).

BROWN: You blazed a trail for so many of us and I am so grateful.

RADNER: Boom, ba, ba, boom.

ULLMAN: Was this incredibly funny girl who's like equal to the guys.

DRESCHER: I started to experience gynecologic cancer symptoms. I kept talking about you and your symptoms and then I survived and then I thrived.

ULLMAN: Gilda Radner was a bloody, great girl.

BURNETT: Not only were you brilliantly funny, you had a terrific soul.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Love, Gilda" NEW YEAR'S DAY at 9:00 p.m.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it will be weeks, not days. And that's a shame. There should be urgency.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The burden is hardly on Democrats. He created this crisis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They risk painting themselves in the corner of looking very weak on border security.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's playing from a losing position. He's ultimately going to have to surrender.

[07:00:00] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard a giant bang. I thought it was fireworks going off.

BERMAN: Blue light flooding the New York skyline after a transformer explosion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a whole --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The sky was lit up. It was electrifying.