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Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman Live On New Day; Embattled Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam Refuses To Resign After Racist Yearbook Photo; Interview With Former Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA); Stocks Up 19 Percent Since President Trump's Inauguration. Aired 7:30-8a ET
Aired February 04, 2019 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[07:30:00] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I don't have many mornings I can do this, and by that, I mean, only about once a year, every year.
CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), FORMER GOVERNOR, NEW JERSEY: Oh, yeah, and 12 championships up in Boston, you know, in the recent times. It's not bad.
BERMAN: Governor, I appreciate it. Thank you.
CHRISTIE: Thanks, John.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Nice to have you, Governor.
CHRISTIE: Thanks, Poppy.
HARLOW: And congrats on the book.
CHRISTIE: Thank you.
HARLOW: All right. So, if you haven't heard by now, for the sixth time, the New England Patriots are Super Bowl champions. What was the celebration like after the final whistle?
The Super Bowl MVP, Julian Edelman, is waking up early -- I don't think he went to sleep -- to talk to us, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: The New England Patriots are champs for the sixth time in the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era. They defeated the Los Angeles Rams last night 13 to three. It was the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history.
Joining me now is the MVP of Super Bowl LIII, Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman. He is also the author of "Relentless," a memoir. Julian Edelman, thank you so much for being with us.
Full disclosure to our audience who hasn't picked up on this fact. I am a Patriots fan so I am not entering into this interview with any degree of impartiality. So, congratulations.
How did this one feel? [07:35:00] JULIAN EDELMAN, WIDE RECEIVER, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, SUPER BOWL LIII MVP, AUTHOR, "RELENTLESS: A MEMOIR": It feels amazing, honestly.
You know, I'm just so proud of the team, this group of guys, on how hard they fought all year. It was ups and downs, and just the resiliency that these guys showed makes me proud to be a part of it.
It makes me very proud to be a part of these guys, man. This is -- this is an awesome team -- awesome team.
BERMAN: Generating offense last night was like pulling teeth. It was really hard to move the ball.
So, you're in the fourth quarter, it's tied 3-3. You're getting nowhere. How did you make it happen?
EDELMAN: You know, we just kept on chipping away. Kept hitting the tree with the ax. And we were able to make plays when we had to.
You've got to tip your hat to Los Angeles and that defense. They played well. You know, they gave us a run for our money.
But we were able to make more plays than the other team and we had to. So, you know, it wasn't pretty but I'll take an ugly loss -- or an ugly win over a pretty loss any day. So, you know, it was just awesome to get the win.
BERMAN: Yes. I was going to say, 31 other teams in the league right now would like to win as ugly as you did last night.
Let's talk about you. You had no scholarship coming out of high school. You played quarterback at Kent State in Ohio. You had, I think, 10 catches last night, which was nine more catches than you had in your entire college career.
You're not the guy who is supposed to be winning the MVP as a receiver in Super Bowl LIII.
What do you say to people who say to you, you know, you're too slow, you're too short, you're not a receiver?
EDELMAN: Says who? I mean, I'm not really worried about what people think with negative energy and negative thoughts. I'll put my thoughts and my brain behind going on and just trying to improve each day.
You know, hitting that hammer, hitting that nail. Just going in and just doing the dirty work and going in and having to do your job. You bring your hard hat and your lunch pail to work and you just go and work.
BERMAN: Yes.
EDELMAN: And that's what I'm worried about. BERMAN: You were suspended for the first four games of this season for use of performance-enhancing drugs. What did you learn from that experience?
EDELMAN: You learn a lot from that. You learn a lot. You learn that you have to have a short memory because you could dig into a deep hole if you go the other way with it.
But I learned that you've just got to move on and you've got to keep on working, and you've got to work your way out of it, and that's what I tried to do.
BERMAN: How much did you sleep last night?
EDELMAN: I haven't slept. I haven't slept. I'm up early to take this interview with you guys and I'm happy about it.
BERMAN: That's fantastic.
I'll let you leave on this message. I get a lot of hate of being a Patriots fan. You must get that times a million.
What's your message to the legions of Patriots haters this morning?
EDELMAN: Why you got to hate? Collaborate.
BERMAN: I like that. I like --
EDELMAN: (INAUDIBLE).
BERMAN: -- a rhyme -- I like a rhyme. I like six Super Bowl victories.
Julian Edelman, congratulations on the game. Congratulations on the MVP award. Hope to see you back here next year for number seven.
EDELMAN: I appreciate you having me, bub.
BERMAN: Thanks, man -- Poppy.
HARLOW: We'll be holding our breath for that one.
BERMAN: I think we're friends now. I think Julian Edelman and I are friends.
HARLOW: You're going out on Friday night, I heard.
BERMAN: He didn't sleep much.
HARLOW: I knew he didn't sleep.
BERMAN: I think that came through, which is why I asked.
HARLOW: I just think his story is so cool --
BERMAN: Yes. HARLOW: -- in terms of being a Q.B. and then Kent State, and look at that.
All right. So ahead, on a very serious note, dozens of Democrats this morning calling on Virginia's Gov. Ralph Northam to resign. But one Democrat says he should stay in office. He tells us why, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:43:01] HARLOW: All right, welcome back to NEW DAY.
Embattled Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam will meet with his cabinet this morning in just a little over an hour as calls for him to resign grow louder and louder over that racist yearbook photo. Last night, he held an emergency meeting with several senior staff members of color, and a source tells CNN no one urged him to stay on and fight.
But not everyone agrees. Not every Democrat agrees.
Joining me now is the former Democratic congressman of Virginia, Jim Moran. Thank you for being with me, Congressman. I appreciate your time this morning.
JIM MORAN (D), FORMER CONGRESSMAN, VIRGINIA: Sure.
Do you still believe this morning, after hearing all you heard and read this weekend, that Gov. Northam should not resign?
MORAN: Absolutely. I don't think we have all the facts at our disposal. I don't like rushes to judgment. Justice is never about a rush to judgment.
HARLOW: Yes.
MORAN: We know that there's an abhorrent photo in his yearbook. We know he put some black shoe polish on his face and tried to imitate Michael Jackson doing the Moon dance -- Moonwalk -- 35 years ago.
We know that somebody referred to him, I think in the yearbook, as "Coon Man." Well, you know, those are horrible words. Of course, that term is what white folk referred to other white folk who they thought were too sympathetic to black folk.
HARLOW: Well, Congressman --
MORAN: It's -- you know, I'd like to get all the facts before us.
HARLOW: OK.
MORAN: And the other thing is that he -- how much more motivation could a man have to prove himself and to advance the cause of racial justice, frankly?
HARLOW: A few questions to follow up --
MORAN: Sure. HARLOW: -- on that.
MORAN: Yes.
HARLOW: First of all, you say that we should not rush to judgment here.
MORAN: Yes.
HARLOW: It was the governor, himself, who clearly, made a very clear statement and a rush to judgment on Friday night. And he said, and I quote, "I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo." Then, on Saturday, he said he no longer believes it's him in the photo.
[07:45:08] Do you believe it is him in that photo?
MORAN: I don't know. I don't know whether it is or not. How would I know?
And, you know, I can actually understand why he had a change of heart. When you get ambushed with these things that come up that you're not expecting you're like a deer in the headlights.
And your staff is screaming at you -- apologize, apologize. The facts don't matter. Just get out there and apologize as profusely as possible.
And then, upon reflection, you say, wait a minute, I'm not sure, really, that that's me.
HARLOW: Look, he's the governor, sir --
MORAN: Yes, yes.
HARLOW: -- and respectfully, it is he who chose to make the statement Friday night, regardless of what his staff was saying to him. He made the statement that it was him in the photo on Friday night. Saturday, he says it's not.
I understand you've been communicating with him via text message. Can you -- can you share with us his stance at this point -- anything that you've learned?
MORAN: No, of course, not. And I have not talked with the governor.
But, you know, Ralph -- his objective is to be a uniter and a bridge builder.
He comes from a part of Virginia that is quite different than northern Virginia -- the eastern shore. It's conservative.
HARLOW: Yes.
MORAN: It was relatively slow to integrate.
But if you want to be a bridge builder, you really need to understand the terrain on both sides of the divide that you're trying to bridge.
HARLOW: You do and you need --
MORAN: And I think if the cause is racial justice, then he's a man that could not be more motivated to push us forward in that way.
Excuse me, though.
HARLOW: And I understand your argument for, in your words, an opportunity to redeem himself --
MORAN: Yes.
HARLOW: -- you've said previously this weekend. But there is a difference between redemption and leading effectively.
And with his entire Democratic caucus pushing for his resignation with almost no support here to stay on, including with members in his team of color last night in the meeting, can he, Congressman, govern effectively at this point?
MORAN: That's entirely up to him, Poppy. I think that he can.
You know, I remember back when Bill -- everyone was urging Bill Clinton to resign. He hung in there. I suspect he could have -- probably could have been elected to a third term.
I wish Al Franken had hung in there because I think a strong male voice arguing on behalf of respect of women and their rights might have been more effective given his background.
I want people to have --
HARLOW: You think --
MORAN: -- a second chance prove themselves.
HARLOW: Well, let me ask you this.
MORAN: Yes.
HARLOW: You said to me earlier you don't know --
MORAN: Yes.
HARLOW: -- if it's him -- if it's Gov. Northam in the -- in that photo.
MORAN: That's correct.
HARLOW: Let's pull the photo up. If it is him, do you believe that he should continue to lead?
MORAN: I believe in second chances.
HARLOW: So is that a yes? MORAN: I believe that people should have the ability to redeem themselves.
HARLOW: So if that's him --
MORAN: Yes.
HARLOW: -- he -- so if that -- if that is him, that would be not one instance of blackface, it would be on top of the instance of him choosing to use blackface in the mid-1980s, sir, to impersonate Michael Jackson on top of something that happened in 2013.
MORAN: Poppy, it's --
HARLOW: Just let me finish the question. You'll have plenty of time to respond.
MORAN: Sure, of course.
HARLOW: In 2013, in this television debate with lieutenant governor -- gubernatorial candidate E.W. Jackson, an African-American -- they're sitting next to one another. At the end, the moderator thanks them. And twice, you saw Mr. Jackson reach out to shake Northam's hand and he does not do that. And that made Jackson feel, quote, "categorically refused and like I was invisible."
There are mounting circumstances here that are cause for great concern for many, many other members of your party. Why do you believe that he should continue to lead despite them?
MORAN: Well, Bishop Jackson was an extremely conservative Republican candidate with whom I disagreed and most Virginians, by virtue of their vote, disagreed with his points of view. But I can't really address that any further.
You know, Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson probably did the most in terms of addressing America's original sin of slavery. Abraham Lincoln said he thought African Americans were inferior if you can believe it, but it's true. And, Lyndon Johnson used the "n" word regularly, including to -- in front of African Americans. And yet, they were able to accomplish things that matter -- that are sustainable.
[07:50:00] I think -- you know, the path to progress is long and winding and can get very twisty. I'm a Democrat, largely because I believe in racial justice. I want us to be pragmatic about this.
And I think that if we want to advance that cause then I'd love to see another African American governor of Virginia. But, frankly, if a Republican -- a conservative Republican legislature, which we have in Virginia, knows that the governor can be reelected, which Ralph can't but the lieutenant governor could, I think they're going to undermine -- do everything they can to undermine his effectiveness.
I think we have to look at the long term. And this business of public shaming where we accomplish really very little, except to serve our righteous indignation and then we go back into our own respective corners -- our ideological comfort zones -- all it does is to exacerbate the tribalism that's tearing our society apart.
I want bridge builders and uniters and healers.
And, you know, I think there's the potential for Mr. Northam to be a very fine governor. And that's what matters in the long run, not whether we can rush to judgment and shame another public official, even though what at face value appears something that's inexcusable.
HARLOW: Again, it is he who said it was him in the photo on Friday night. That was his immediate judgment --
MORAN: Yes.
HARLOW: -- and he has since changed that. We will see what happens today -- the meeting with his team at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
I appreciate your time, former Congressman Jim Moran of Virginia. Thank you very much.
MORAN: Thanks, Poppy.
BERMAN: Great interview there.
A decision by the Trump administration could lead to a new arms race with Russia. A reality check on the U.S. walking away from a longstanding nuclear treaty, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[07:56:28] HARLOW: All right, welcome back. Time for "CNN Business Now."
President Trump has repeatedly used the stock market as one of his preferred scorecards for his presidency. So how have stocks done since the president took office?
Let's go to Alison Kosik, our business correspondent, with more. Let's take a look.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Poppy.
You know, we saw stocks really make a U-turn because even after the worst December since the Great Depression, stocks are performing well right now.
The S&P 500 is up 19 percent since the 2-year anniversary of President Trump's inauguration. Going back to President Reagan, that's the second-best performance in a president's first two years in office.
The markets also wrapped up their best January in 30 years. The S&P 500 and the Dow were both up more than seven percent in January. Those actually mark the biggest gains since January of 1987 and 1989, respectively. The president took to Twitter, of course, to celebrate the January numbers, tweeting this. "We have, by far, the strongest economy in the world."
So, everybody wants to know why have stocks been on the rise recently. Well, a combination of strong corporate earnings, continued optimism about the economy, and a shift in the Federal Reserve's interest rate plans for 2019.
All that factors into big rallies that we saw happen in January, especially, Poppy and John, the language that Fed chair Jay Powell used. The Fed is going to use patience in raising interest rates.
BERMAN: The next few weeks will be fascinating, I think, to see.
HARLOW: Yes, absolutely.
BERMAN: All right, Alison. Thank you very, very much.
A new CNN poll shows us where President Trump stands on the eve of the State of the Union address.
NEW DAY continues right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have now set the table beautifully and everybody knows what's going on because of the shutdown.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's getting increasing pushback. The president has to see Tuesday as a moment to reunify Republicans behind him.
SEN. RICHARD SHELBY (R), ALABAMA: The president is dead set on keeping his campaign promise.
GOV. RALPH NORTHAM (D), VIRGINIA: I've had a chance to look at the photograph in detail. It is definitely not me.
SEN. SHERROD BROWN (D), OHIO: He should resign now. He can contribute to this dialogue but he should do it as a private citizen.
TERRY MCAULIFFE (D), FORMER GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA: Ralph will do the right thing. He will put Virginia first.
SUPER BOWL LIII ANNOUNCER: To the end zone and it's intercepted at the 3-yard line.
TOM BRADY, QUARTERBACK, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: I'm so happy for my teammates. This is a dream come true for all of us.
BILL BELICHICK, HEAD COACH, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: It's all about the players. These guys worked so hard all year. They played like champions.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
BERMAN: Good morning and welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Monday, February fourth, 8:00 in the East.
Alisyn is off. Poppy Harlow joins me.
HARLOW: And he can't stop smiling, again, three hours into the morning show.
BERMAN: It's because you're here with me.
HARLOW: Yes. Clearly, it has nothing to do with Tom Brady --
BERMAN: Yes, we get to be reunited.
HARLOW: -- who he would not like sitting here in the chair.
BERMAN: Tom Brady sitting in that chair. Is that an option?
HARLOW: Maybe.
BERMAN: All right.
HARLOW: We'll try to coordinate for next year.
BERMAN: The headline is this -- the dynasty lives on. This is this morning's "Boston Globe" saying the "Dynasty Rolls On."
The Patriots have won their record-tying sixth Super Bowl. It was 13 to three over the Los Angeles Rams last night. This was the lowest- scoring Super Bowl in history, but it scores very high in my heart.
There's Julian Edelman, who we just spoke to. He was the Super Bowl MVP.
HARLOW: Yes, I called it. I said he won't have slept by the time he comes on the air.
BERMAN: He said he didn't sleep at all. He also had a message for Patriots haters, which was why you got to hate? Collaborate.
HARLOW: Yes, there you go. A little rhyme for your morning.
BERMAN: All right. New this morning, CNN has a new poll showing where President Trump stands on the eve of the State of the Union address. His approval rating is now at 40 percent, up slightly from last month but statistically, insignificant gain.
Americans not confident the president can avoid another government shutdown. Only 34 percent believe that he and Congress will be able to reach a funding agreement by the deadline, which is 11 days from now.
END
