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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
GOP Urging President Trump To Take Border Security Deal; Sen. Mitch McConnell To Call Senate Vote On Green New Deal; NYPD Detective Killed By Friendly Fire; 'El Chapo' Found Guilty On All Counts. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired February 13, 2019 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[05:30:43] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not happy about it. It's not doing the trick.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Will President Trump sign the border deal and find another way to pay for his wall?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I could see myself letting that slide for a little while.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump now playing loose with his China deadline as his team of trade negotiators arrive for round three of talks.
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SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: It will give everybody an opportunity to go on record.
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BRIGGS: A Senate vote would force Democrats to take a stand on their ambitious Green New Deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A wire fox terrier is king again.
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ROMANS: One small dog comes up bigger than all the others at the Westminster Dog Show.
Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm Christine Romans. BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. Terriers rule. Forty-seven times they have won --
ROMANS: Really?
BRIGGS: -- the Westminster Dog Show. They dominate. They are duke --
ROMANS: All right, I'll take your word for it.
BRIGGS: -- when it comes to dogs.
All right. We start with the latest on the talks regarding a shutdown. Just two days left until a second partial government shutdown and Republicans are openly pushing for President Trump to accept this border security deal. The president hinted he is leaning that way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I don't think you're going to see a shutdown. I wouldn't want to go to it, no. If you did have it, it's the Democrats' fault. And I accepted the first one and I'm proud of what we've accomplished.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: So what exactly did the president accomplish?
He originally wanted $5.7 billion for 234 miles of border barriers. Last December, he turned down Democrats' offer of $1.6 billion for just 65 miles of barrier. And now, Republicans are urging him to take even less -- $1.375 billion for 55 miles.
But even if the president takes that deal he still has a few cards up his sleeve in the form of executive actions to fund barrier construction without congressional appropriations.
CNN's Jim Acosta has more from the White House.
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JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Dave, President Trump says he's not a big fan of this bipartisan agreement coming down from Capitol Hill to provide security on the border and some border fencing.
But at this hour, it appears that the president is going to sign this agreement. I talked to a White House official who said the president is likely to sign this deal, although aides stress that the president and other top White House aides are still going over exactly what's inside this bipartisan agreement.
But as the president was meeting with his cabinet earlier in the day, he registered his complaints about this agreement. Here's what he had to say.
TRUMP: I have to study it. I'm not happy about it. It's not doing the trick.
But I'm adding things to it, and when you add whatever I have to add, it's all -- it's all going to happen where we're going to build a beautiful, big, strong wall that's not going to let criminals and traffickers, and drug dealers, and drugs into our country.
ACOSTA: And the president is getting far less than what he originally wanted for his wall at the beginning of all of this. He wanted something in the neighborhood of $5.7 billion. The bipartisan committee on the border security bill -- they've only come back with something less than $1.4 billion. That's a lot less than he expected.
But the president and his advisers are now looking at other areas of the administration where they could draw money to continue building the wall. But at this point, some of that could be subject to legal challenges in the courts. And, Democrats have said if the president goes that route and declares a national emergency, they'll take him to court -- Christine and Dave.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right, Jim Acosta. Thank you for that.
Lawmakers on both sides urging President Trump to get on board with the deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: Please, Mr. President, no one got everything they wanted in this bill, but sign it and don't cause a shutdown.
MCCONNELL: I hope he signs the bill. And second, I think he ought to feel free to use whatever tools he can legally use to enhance his effort to secure the borders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: So what are those tools?
Well, they could take money earmarked for military construction. That would require a national emergency declaration.
They could take money from the Army Corps Civil Works funds. That would come at the expense of natural disaster repairs and might also require a national emergency.
And also being eyed, Pentagon counternarcotics funds and Treasury forfeiture funds.
BRIGGS: Fox News host and frequent presidential adviser Sean Hannity, again, blasting the border compromise deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN HANNITY, HOST, FOX NEWS "THE SEAN HANNITY SHOW": The so-called compromise is typical of the D.C. sewer and swamp, and its level of funding for security and safety of the American people is pathetic.
[05:35:06] The president would need to declare a national emergency. This is the time, that is a necessity, and the president -- I think I know him pretty well -- telegraphed that very thing just today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Speaking directly to the president.
Here's what "The Wall Street Journal" editorial board thinks of conservative T.V.'s influence on this president.
They write, quote, "The restrictionist talk-show right is trashing the deal, and Mr. Trump's grousing Tuesday may reflect that criticism. But these are the same critics who have coaxed Mr. Trump to crash into one immigration dead end after another. They seem to think Mr. Trump's duty is to fail repeatedly in the service of the politically impossible. The next they give good advice will be the first time."
ROMANS: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell planning to force Democrats to take a public stand on a sweeping climate change and economic overhaul. The Republican leader announcing he will set a floor vote on the so-called Green New Deal, co-authored by House member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCONNELL: It will give everybody an opportunity to go on record and see how they feel about the Green New Deal.
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ROMANS: Republicans aim to make the Green New Deal a key 2020 campaign issue, painting it as costly, unworkable socialism. A takeover -- a liberal takeover of the American economy.
The proposal calls for no more fossil fuels in just 10 years, guaranteed jobs and health care, and support for unions, among other things.
BRIGGS: Yes, and retirement security guaranteed --
ROMANS: Yes.
BRIGGS: -- for all Americans, just to mention a few of those.
Let's bring in "CNN POLITICS" digital director Zach Wolf, live in D.C. this morning.
ROMANS: Hi, Zach.
BRIGGS: Good to see you, sir.
ZACHARY WOLF, DIGITAL DIRECTOR, CNN POLITICS: Good morning.
BRIGGS: So, all these 2020 candidates on the left are basically signing onto this, with the exception of Sherrod Brown from Ohio and maybe Klobuchar. She is said to be occupying the center -- the moderate lane in this field. Here's what she said about the Green New Deal.
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SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm in favor of it simply because I see it as a framework to jumpstart a discussion. I don't see it as something that we can get rid of all these industries or do this in a few years -- that doesn't make sense to me -- or reduce air travel.
But what does make sense to me is to start doing concrete things and put some aspirations out there on climate change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: So, Mitch McConnell, as we mentioned there, wants to get everyone in the Senate on record. Is that a shrewd move and how much could Democrats regret their support of this Green New Deal?
WOLF: I think it's a completely shrewd move. You saw the smirk on his face there --
ROMANS: Yes.
WOLF: -- when he was announcing it. That's about as animated as Mitch McConnell gets. That's him giddy, I think, at the -- at the prospect of getting all these people on board.
I think -- I think the question ultimately is whether or not this is transmitted to the public as an actual list of policy priorities -- a list of ideas. Things that we could someday do or is something that Democrats are actively trying to pursue.
You heard there with Amy Klobuchar. I'm not sure exactly how she feels about this thing. She's going to vote for it, but then she said she doesn't really support it as a means of policy.
BRIGGS: Yes.
WOLF: So, she's clearly trying to have it both ways there to sort of --
ROMANS: Right.
WOLF: -- placate the left to the party that really likes a lot of these elements, but also sort of -- there's also the realism aspect here. This would completely remake American society if you implemented everything that's mentioned --
ROMANS: Yes.
WOLF: -- in this, and that's probably not going to happen.
BRIGGS: Yes. ROMANS: No. And someone like Sherrod Brown -- Sen. Sherrod Brown who, as you point out, is aggressive as they come, he's not sure where he would stand --
BRIGGS: Yes.
ROMANS: -- on something like this.
Is there a risk the Democrats maybe overplay their hand on some of these progressive initiatives? I mean, if you kind of rile up the Republican base -- even people who might not support Donald Trump -- and you say look, socialism and some of these unrealistic --
BRIGGS: Yes.
ROMANS: -- ideas.
WOLF: If Donald Trump is able to make Democrats seem like the radicals in the race, I think that's a big problem for them.
ROMANS: Yes.
BRIGGS: Yes.
WOLF: Whether he's able to do that I think is very much up for debate. And, you know, there's a lot of time between now and then. But if we're at a place where he seems like the more moderate voice on policy, compared to Democrats, I think that's probably not where Democrats want to be.
BRIGGS: Yes. Just look back to what they did with death panels and how they ran against Obamacare to see where this --
ROMANS: Yes.
BRIGGS: -- is headed.
So this is an opening for perhaps someone like Joe Biden or Sherrod Brown or the Independent and former CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, who spoke to Poppy Harlow last night about what he thinks is the void out there in American politics -- listen.
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HOWARD SCHULTZ, FORMER CEO, STARBUCKS, EXPLORING INDEPENDENT 2020 PRESIDENTIAL RUN: And I believe that the majority of Americans feel like I do. The far-right and the far-left does not represent them and they're looking for a home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: OK, isn't he right, and why is there so much friendly fire towards Sherrod Brown at this point, still -- what, 355 days from the Iowa caucus?
[05:40:03] WOLF: I -- you know, I think he is right that a lot of Americans are sort of frustrated by the far-right and they are frustrated by the far-left. The problem is that the people on the far-right and the people on the far-left are those who really care about politics.
ROMANS: Yes.
WOLF: They're the ones who get out there and work in party primaries and stuff like that.
The question, I think, is whether Howard Schultz can gin up any kind of excitement. We haven't seen that yet. We haven't seen any sort of movement kind of coalesce behind him. It's early, I guess --
ROMANS: Yes.
WOLF: -- but there certainly hasn't been this groundswell of moderates taking to the streets and saying you're our guy. So we'll have to wait for that.
ROMANS: Less than a year to the Iowa caucuses so we are in the thick of it here. But everything can change and it will on a dime.
Let's talk a little bit about the border -- tentative border deal that Mitch McConnell is encouraging the president to sign and look for other ways, if need be, to try to pay for the rest of it. I mean, that's the president -- if he -- if he -- if he accepts this, it's him accepting less money that he could have had from Democrats two months ago, right, before the first --
BRIGGS: Before --
ROMANS: -- shutdown.
BRIGGS: -- the shutdown.
ROMANS: Here's what Ann Coulter tweeted on this. "Trump talks a good game on the border wall but it's increasingly clear he's afraid to fight for it. Call this his 'Yellow New Deal.'"
How much pressure is the president under from the voices that he does -- we know he does listen to on this border wall?
WOLF: The voices that he clearly cares about -- people like Sean Hannity, Fox News -- that's sort of the ones that he follows on these things. And I think you can see him -- even if he accepts this he could still go around and do a national emergency and have it both ways, essentially, there.
He needs something. I think he wants something. The most important thing to him is to declare a victory. There's not much for him to declare a victory with in this -- in this deal, even though Republicans on Capitol Hill are pushing him so hard --
BRIGGS: Right.
WOLF: -- right now to avoid a shutdown. ROMANS: Gosh, can the Democrats -- I mean, look, he said how many time that Mexico is going to pay for that wall. Now, it's going to be American taxpayers who would pay for that wall if --
BRIGGS: Right.
WOLF: Right.
ROMANS: -- he gets it, which is --
BRIGGS: Well, it's just 55 miles.
ROMANS: -- which is with borrowed money, by the way, because the national debt is now above $22 trillion -- up $2 trillion on his watch. I mean --
WOLF: Right.
ROMANS: -- that's all kind of ironic.
BRIGGS: It looks like he'll sign it, though.
Zach Wolf, thank you for being here this morning. Appreciate it.
WOLF: Thanks.
ROMANS: Thanks, Zach.
All right. Up next, one prominent Republican's plan for the border wall -- make El Chapo pay for it.
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[05:46:43] ROMANS: Breaking overnight, a shooting leaves one New York City police officer dead and another wounded in what police officials say looks like a tragic case of friendly fire.
Officers were responding to a robbery call at a cell phone store in Queens last night. Within two minutes, they opened fire on a 27-year- old suspect.
Audio from the chaotic scene captured on police radios. You could hear the wounded officer letting dispatch know he has been hit.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shots fired, shots fired. Be advised, I'm shot.
Perp's still at the location. Please set up a route going to Jamaica.
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ROMANS: You heard the wounded officer say "going to Jamaica". That's a reference to Jamaica Hospital.
Killed in the gunfire, 42-year-old detective Brian Simonsen, a 19-year veteran of the department. He was shot in the chest and pronounced dead at the hospital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES O'NEILL, COMMISSIONER, NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT: Make no mistake about it. Friendly fire aside, it's because of the actions of the suspect that Det. Simonsen is dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The unidentified suspect described as a 27-year-old career criminal. He was shot multiple times and is hospitalized.
According to police, an imitation firearm was found at the scene.
BRIGGS: The notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman could now spend the rest of his life behind bars in the U.S. He was convicted Tuesday at his federal trial in New York on all 10 counts against him, including the main charge, running a continuing criminal enterprise.
More now from Brynn Gingras.
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BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Dave, and it's that first count of leading a criminal enterprise that might have been the most complex for jurors when they deliberated this case for the last six days, considering weeks and weeks of testimony and a lot of evidence in a very dense case that the prosecution put on.
And now, it's that first count that also carries a life in prison sentence, but a judge is going to make the final determination of a sentence for El Chapo in June.
As far as reaction in the courtroom, Sonia Moghe, our producer, was there from day one and she says that he didn't give much of a reaction when the jurors came back with a guilty on all counts verdict. He smiled at his wife, who has also been in the courtroom throughout this entire trial. But behind closed doors, his lawyer said that El Chapo is upbeat and that he is a fighter.
As for U.S. attorneys, they say this is a victory on the war on drugs.
Again, sentencing going to be held later this year -- Christine and Dave.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right, Brynn. Thank you for that.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz wants El Chapo to pay for President Trump's border wall. Federal prosecutors are seeking $14 billion in drug profits from El Chapo. Cruz says that money should go towards securing the southern border and he's calling on his Senate colleagues to pass the EL CHAPO Act, legislation that Cruz first introduced in 2017. BRIGGS: The head of the Senate Intelligence Committee not too happy with Michael Cohen. Senator Richard Burr insisting any goodwill his panel may have had for the president's former lawyer is now gone after Cohen postponed his scheduled appearance at a hearing Tuesday morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RICHARD BURR (R-NC), CHAIRMAN, SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: He's already stiffed us on being in Washington today because of an illness. Yet, on Twitter, a reporter reported he was having a wild night Saturday night eating out in New York with five buddies. He didn't seem to have any physical limitations. And, he was out with his wife last night.
[05:50:04] Well, I would prefer to get him before he goes to prison but the way he's positioning himself, not coming to the committee, we may help -- we may help him go to prison.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: This photo of Michael Cohen greeting friends and dining Monday at an upscale restaurant not helping his cause with the Senate Intel chairman.
Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, says in a statement though, "Despite Sen. Burr's inaccurate comment, Mr. Cohen was expected to and continues to suffer from severe post-shoulder surgery pain. The medication Mr. Cohen is currently taking made it impossible for him to testify this week. We believe Sen. Burr should appreciate that it is possible for Mr. Cohen to be in pain and still have dinner in a restaurant."
ROMANS: All right, let's get a check on "CNN Business" this morning.
Stock markets around the world are higher, encouraged that President Trump could delay that March first deadline with China for a trade deal.
Looking around the world, you can see Asia markets closed higher. European markets opened higher.
And in the U.S., on Wall Street, futures are up just a tad here. The Dow snapped a 4-day losing streak yesterday, up a nice 1 1/2 percent. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq each adding more than one percent as well.
A good mood all around. There are signs Congress and the White House may avert another government shutdown.
Oil stocks rose and a bounce in crude oil. Crude oil up after OPEC said it would cut production.
President Trump says he is willing to stretch that March first deadline with China if the two sides are close to reaching a deal in their trade war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: If we're close to a deal where we think we can make a real deal and it's going to get done, I could see myself letting that slide for a little while.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Letting that deadline slide.
A team of U.S. negotiators arrived in China overnight for a third round of trade talks ahead of the deadline. You can see the Treasury secretary there.
The president has threatened to increase the 10 percent tariff he has placed on $200 billion of Chinese goods up to 25 percent if a deal isn't reached. Again, March first was that deadline but the president suggesting he could move it.
The president said he expects to meet the Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss a final deal.
More evidence of just how strong this labor market is. At the end of the year, there were 7.3 million jobs openings, the most in a decade. The Labor Department notes job creation is strong in construction, and hotels, and food services. Manufacturing jobs openings, though, fell.
Another way to look at it, at the worst of the recession there were almost seven unemployed people competing for every single job opening. I mean, think of your competition -- seven. Now, it's less than one. That's, essentially, full employment.
BRIGGS: That is a chart the White House must love this morning.
All right. Ahead, more on the winner of the Westminster Dog Show and terriers remaining king.
ROMANS: Plus, the cartoon pig that has many parents scratching their heads. It's an English accent.
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[05:57:14] ROMANS: Parents of American preschoolers say their kids are taking on British accents thanks to T.V.'s "Peppa Pig".
Mums and dads sharing this discovering on Twitter that their kids are speaking like Peppa and her family, some even taking on Peppa's trademark snort. The mummy who started the conversation, dubbing it the "Peppa Effect".
The British animated kids show phenomenon on the telly here in the U.S. and its YouTube channel has seven million subscribers.
BRIGGS: I just know it's better than the Kayu (ph) effect, if anyone remembers that whiny little child.
Anyway, a wire fox terrier named King is the king of the 143rd Westminster Dog Show. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The wirehaired terrier is Best in Show.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, the wire fox terrier. The wire fox terrier is king again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: King becomes the 15th wire fox terrier to be named America's top dog, far more than any other breed and the 47th terrier overall.
ROMANS: All right, imagine a dog show without the dogs. Here now are your "Late-Nite Laughs".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, ABC "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!": We used the miracle of green screen technology to eliminate the dogs from the Westminster Dog Show and the result is owners who look even sillier than they usually do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Well, that -- I love that one.
BRIGGS: Bravo -- enjoyed that.
ROMANS: All right, you're welcome, America.
Thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.
BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. Here's "NEW DAY". We'll see you tomorrow.
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SEN. RICHARD SHELBY (R-AL), CHAIRMAN, SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: The president has to review the bill, but I think that we're off to a good start.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not enough. We ought to force these people back into the room to do their job.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president, clearly, is not a winner out of this. He should sign it and look further places to get his wall construction.
BURR: We have no factual evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's really disingenuous when you've got the Mueller probe with all of the criminal charges.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I disagree strongly with the chairman. There is still a lot of heavy lifting to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Wednesday, February 13th, 6:00 here in New York. One day until Valentine's Day.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I -- we're wearing read in advance.
CAMEROTA: Yes.
BERMAN: I didn't want to miss it so I put the red on today.
CAMEROTA: Well done.
BERMAN: Thank you very much.
END
