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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Historically Cold Weather; Another Trump-Putin Debacle?; Trump Versus Intelligence; iPhone Sales Tumble; Tom Brady Has Fun with LeBron Comparison. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired January 30, 2019 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: It will feel as bad as 70 below zero. Tens of millions of people in for the coldest temperatures you have ever felt.
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: More substance, no translator.
[05:00:00] A new report says there was more to the Trump/Putin chat at the G20 than the White House revealed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have won against ISIS.
DAN COATS, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: ISIS is intent on resurging.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Commander in chief and the intel officials he appointed on very different pages about threats facing the U.S.
BRIGGS: And a big dip in iPhone sales. Why the numbers fell during the holidays and what it means for one of the most widely held stocks on the planet.
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START on a bone-chillingly cold day. I'm Dave Briggs.
ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It is Wednesday, January 30th. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.
We begin with that cold. Truly life-threatening conditions for a huge swath of the U.S. more than 200 million Americans will see temperatures below freezing. That's more than 70 percent of the American population. 80 million people says subzero weather without factoring in the wind chill. In Minnesota, they will drop to a historic 70 degrees below zero.
BRIGGS: There's already a minus 66 degree wind chill in Ponsford, Minnesota, and a wind chill of minus 62 in Swift County. And the state patrol has reported at least 153 crashes during the storm. Highway crashes in Michigan as well. This multicar pileup left parts of some cars under trucker trailers. Snow reduced visibility in Buffalo to near zero.
ROMANS: State offices closed in Michigan and Wisconsin. U.S. Postal Service delivery suspended in all or parts of 10 states. Schools in much of the region are closed. Check before you head out.
A live look at Lake Michigan from Chicago. Frozen over. It looks pretty. That is life-threatening cold.
Amtrak cancelling all service to and from Chicago today. City officials there adding 500 shelter beds for the homeless.
For the latest forecast, let's bring in meteorologist Pedram Javaheri live in the weather center.
And, Pedram, you look at piers in Lake Michigan, they look like solid ice cubes.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It looks like a scene out of Siberia, right? When we talk about 30 or 40 below zero, we see that from time to time potentially every winter across parts of the Upper Midwest. But when you get to 50, 60 and 70 below zero, of course now it encompasses an area to 40 million people, this is something that's a generational event when it comes to how cold this is.
And really once you get to 50 or 60 below, the amount -- the severity of it is quite significant with frostbite setting in. Within a matter of a couple of minutes, they exposed skin, tip of your nose, fingertips, these are the areas that take the brunt of it and permanent damage is done on your skin even exposed 60 seconds or 90 seconds outside at 70 below zero.
And that's precisely what has been happening across portions of northern Minnesota, and again, the trend continues for at least another 24 hours here with the cold air gradually shifting on to the northeast. But some nearly 40 records expected to be set from the Great Lakes and to portions of the northeast. And then going over the next 24 hours we'll continue to seat trend over the weekend, before a gradual warming trend comes in for Saturday and a dramatic one for Sunday and Monday.
But notice this, the average temperature for this time of year in Chicago, right at the freezing mark. About 46 degrees colder than that is what we expect the afternoon high to be at minus 14 degrees which would be the coldest ever in the city of Chicago. In the overnight, we'll expect to see temps drop down to minus 25, which would be the second coldest temperature ever observed in the city shy of the record there. Minneapolis at minus 29, Minot at minus 15 degrees.
Pretty incredible perspective, and then going in towards this weekend, warming trends slated in to the forecast to Chicago, where you have historic temperatures dramatically give way to not only going to average quickly but well above average. We could get up to 46, potentially, by early next week across parts of the Midwest.
BRIGGS: Pedram, thanks. Pedram is in Atlanta, you can't help but think that the NFL caught a major break. The Super Bowl is in Atlanta this year, last year, it was in Minneapolis. We would have a disaster.
ROMANS: Yes.
BRIGGS: Thank you, my friend.
A new report says meanwhile talks between presidents Trump and Putin at the G20 Summit last November were far more substantive than the White House acknowledged. According to "The Financial Times", Mr. Trump sat down with the Russian leader with no translator or notetaker from the U.S. side. Instead, the president was accompanied by his wife Melania, while Putin was flanked by his translator.
ROMANS: Yes, for some 15 minutes of talk there, the White House characterized the conversation with Putin as one of a informal conversation. But according to a Russian official's account, the two leaders discussed foreign policy issues and an attack on three Ukrainian naval ships. "The Washington Post" reported that President Trump tried to hide details of previous conversations with Putin including the conversation had he in Hamburg in 2017.
[05:05:05] BRIGGS: The president and his top intelligence officials clearly do not agree about the biggest global threats facing the U.S. In a testimony before Congress, the intel chiefs wound up highlighting a wild gulf between their views and the president's. The directors of the intelligence community, or I.C., flat out contradicted several claims by President Trump to justify core principles of his foreign policy on Russia, North Korea, ISIS, climate change and more.
CNN's Alex Marquardt has more from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and Dave.
What we saw on the Senate Intelligence chamber was really nothing short of a rebuke of President Trump on a whole number of different issues. And to have it done by the top intelligence chiefs in the country who are appointed by the president made it all the more stunning.
Now, this worldwide threat assessment which comes out annually was a wide ranging look at a threat against the United States, that the intelligence community says will expand and diversify in the coming year, on issue after issue with the top national security officials in the land said contradicted what the president's positions have been. And what he has claimed.
TRUMP: We have won against ISIS. We have beaten them and we've beaten them badly.
COATS: ISIS is intent on resurging and still commands thousands of fighters in Iraq and Syria. TRUMP: Chairman Kim -- we have a great chemistry and we're well on our way. You know, we signed an agreement that said we will begin the immediate denuclearization.
COATS: North Korea will seek to retain its WMD capabilities and is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities.
TRUMP: I have President Putin. He just said it's not Russia. I will say this, I don't see any reason why it would be.
CHRISTOPHER WRAY, DIRECTOR, FBI: Not only have the Russians continued to do it in 2018, but we've seen indication that they're continuing to adapt their model.
MARQUARDT: Finally, the I.C. is saying that climate change is causing national security threats while the president himself routinely cast out on the existence of climate change. So, just a remarkable series of contradictions from the intelligence community to their boss -- Christine, Dave.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Alex, thank you for that.
And another high-profile rebuke of this president, Senator Mitch McConnell pushing an amendment to a Middle East policy bill acknowledging the threat of ISIS and al Qaeda in Syria and Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: It would recognize the danger of a precipitous withdrawal from either conflict. Mr. President, we've seen the cost of a precipitous withdrawal before in Iraq. And in Afghanistan, we've seen the downside of telling the enemy they can just wait us out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Still, no exact date for a final vote on the bill. It does have bipartisan support. The president recently decided to withdraw the U.S. troops from Syria, claiming ISIS has been defeated. This week, the U.S. and Taliban agreed to the framework of a deal that could bring the long running war in Afghanistan to an end.
BRIGGS: Medicare for All is suddenly the hot topic on the 2020 campaign trail began with these remarks from Senator Kamala Harris at Monday night's live CNN town hall.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And the idea is that everyone gets access to medical care.
And you don't have to go through the process of going through an insurance company, having them give you approval, going through the paperwork -- all of the delay that may require. Who of us has not had that situation where you've got to wait for approval and the doctor says, well, I don't know if your insurance company is going to cover this?
Let's eliminate all of that. Let's move on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Polls show a vast amount of Americans like the idea for Medicare for All to help guarantee coverage, but they don't approve of eliminating private insurance companies which could force some not to pick another doctor.
ROMANS: But two billionaires deciding 20 runs scoffed at the idea of Medicare-for-All.
Here's Democrat Michael Bloomberg.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (D), FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: I think you could never afford that. You're talking about trillions of dollars.
I think you can have Medicare-for-All for people that are uncovered, but -- because that's a smaller group and a lot of them have taken care of Medicaid already -- Medicare. But, to replace the entire private system where companies provide health care for their employees would bankrupt us for a very long time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: And here's former Starbucks' CEO Howard Schultz who may run as an independent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD SCHULTZ, FORMER STARBUCKS CEO: Senator Harris is saying she wants to abolish the insurance industry. That's not correct and that's not American. What's next? What industry are we going to abolish next? The coffee industry?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Schultz clarified his un-American comment to our very own Poppy Harlow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHULTZ: It's not that it's not American.
[05:10:01] It's unaffordable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Senator Harris now backtracking a bit on her call to eliminate private insurers. Her spokesman tell that she is open to more plans. As for the rest of the industry, former Vice President Joe Biden telling CNN that the 20 race is starting off early and he won't be rushed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: I don't think there's any hurry to have to announce. I don't have any particular timetable. I don't think there's any hurry, but there's a bigger hurry to decide just personally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: One person who will not enter the Democratic field, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. He announced last night he has decided against it.
ROMANS: All right. Former candidate for governor of Georgia, Stacey Abrams has been tapped to give the Democratic response to the State of the Union. She's seen as a rising star to the party. She narrowly lost her bid for governor in ruby red Georgia. Abrams will be the first black senator to give her response.
This programming, we note, Early START, will be early EARLY START. We'll be on at 3:00 a.m. after the State of the Union.
BRIGGS: Yes, we will --
ROMANS: All kinds of analysis.
BRIGGS: Such a difficult spot giving that response, you know?
ROMANS: Yes.
BRIGGS: It's never gone that well for anyone.
New overnight, Nicolas Maduro said he's up to talks with the Venezuelan opposition. Huge protests, though, expected on the streets today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:15:43] ROMANS: All right. Apple has an iPhone problem. Sales growth of that profit engine are slowing. Revenues hit over $84 billion. That's slightly better than what it had warned investors to expect earlier this month. That's still a 5 percent decline from the same quarter a year ago.
The sales of the decline driven by the iPhone, Apple's revenue down 15 percent. During an earning call, CEO Tim Cook chocked up the decline to a mix of factors including foreign exchange rates, a popular battery replacement program and decrease in their carrier smartphone subsidies. He also noted more severe macro economic conditions in China, reiterating a point he made to investors earlier this month.
All of this comes as China's vice premier and U.S. officials are scheduled to meet today to negotiate an end to their bruising trade war.
BRIGGS: Another day of protests expected against Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. Self-proclaimed interim President Juan Guaido calling on supporters to take to the streets to convince the military to side with him.
Maduro apparently starting to feel the pressure. Overnight, he said he is willing to negotiate with the opposition leader with international mediators. But he did rule out new presidential elections until 2025. That decision coming one day after the U.S. slapped new sanctions on the Maduro regime cutting off oil revenue.
ROMANS: Meanwhile, Venezuela's Supreme Court freezing Guaido's bank accounts and restricting his travel.
The State Department issuing a warning to all Americans, do not travel to Venezuela. At least 40 people have been killed in recent protests there.
National advisor John Bolton was seen holding that yellow legal pad with the words "5,000 troops to Colombia" on it, second line right there. He said there's no plans to send U.S. troops there. He says the nonmilitary action against the Maduro regime will be, quote, very tough.
BRIGGS: Clearly by design.
Ahead, former quarterback Tony Romo scoring points for dissecting plays before they happen in the broadcast booth. He shares his vision with Andy Scholes, next in the "Bleacher Report."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:22:14] BRIGGS: All right. Tom Brady getting set to play in his ninth Super Bowl says he appreciates the journey so much more now.
Now, Andy Scholes outside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Chilly morning there this morning.
Good morning, Andy.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Dave. Much colder than all week. We'll be all right. The Super Bowl is here to warm us up.
Tom Brady 41 years old now. The oldest quarterback to win if he can beat the Rams on Sunday. He said he appreciates the opportunity to play in the Super Bowl much more. And he had some fun yesterday if he was asked if he thinks he and LeBron James are alike.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM BRADY, PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK: We're similar athletes, LeBron and I, both great size and speed. Jumping ability. Shooting -- not quite. No, he's a much better athlete than me. When I was a kid I hoped I was going to be a professional athlete.
I've been a professional athlete for a long time. So, I couldn't have asked for anything better or different. You know, obviously, I wouldn't change anything.
And, you know, I just love being here, I love representing our team. I love trying to go out there and win a world championship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: All right. Later today, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will give his annual state of the league address in Atlanta. One of the things he'll be asked why he and the league have not addressed a blown call in the Saints-Rams game. This press conference starts at 1:00 Eastern.
In the meantime, the NFL cancelling Maroon 5 half time show press conference that was scheduled for Tuesday, the NFL said the artists will let their show take the stage. Many artists said they would not do the super bowl show in support of Colin Kaepernick.
And Gurley and Gronk going at it in last night. Gurley won the game 21-6. Now, the official simulation from E.A. Sports, Rams also won 30-27. Madden simulation predicted the winner 10 out of the last 15 times, getting the exact score back in 2014.
All right. On Sunday, Tony Romo will call his first Super Bowl alongside Jim Nantz, fans have been in awe of Tony's ability to predict plays. I caught up with Romo yesterday and asked him how is he able to predict in real time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY ROMO, CBS SPORTS ANALYST: You just try to predict play and mannerisms hopefully make it fun for viewers at home. The passion comes out. We try to show that passion to people at home. And, you know, you study something long enough in your life, hopefully, you get lucky once in a while.
SCHOLES: And with your ability to see things happen on the field, many people think you got a future in coaching. Will we ever see Coach Romo on the Super Bowl?
[05:25:03] ROMO: Not anytime soon. I'm sure in the future I may want to be that part of it. Just not right now. I've got young boys and I want to spend time with them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Romo pretty much said coaching is in his future. He also gave us a prediction of the score in the game. He said it's 28-24. He didn't say who was going to win. He did say that the team with the 24 has the ball but not going to score. We'll see if his prediction comes true yet again.
BRIGGS: All right. We'll give our predictions later in the week. Andy, thank you.
Romans, over to you.
ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Dave.
The weather is so cold, even the post office will not deliver in ten states. Do not underestimate this historically cold weather. It will feel as bad as 70 below.
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