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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Green Book Gets Top Prize; Congress, Big Week Ahead; Trump Heads To Second U.S.-North Korea Summit Today; Trump Postpones Tariff Hikes On China; Congress Awaits Released Of Mueller Report; Manafort Lawyers To Respond To Mueller Memo; Kraft Facing Charges Of Soliciting Prostitution; Pence To Meet Venezuela's Opposition Leader. Aired 4- 4:30a ET
Aired February 25, 2019 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the Oscar goes to "Green Book."
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DAVE BRIGGS, CNN HOST: "Green Book" takes the big prize on Hollywood biggest night. Who won, who lost and why Spike Lee felt, it was a bad call.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN HOST: A blockbuster week on The Hill, Congress hears from Trump's personal lawyer this week and the House attempts to end Trump's national emergency.
BRIGGS: And President Trump heading to Vietnam where he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Can the president convince the North Koreans to give up their nuclear weapons?
ROMANS: President Trump announcing he will push back his own deadline for tariffs on China in the hopes that he can get more time for a new trade agreement. I will be watching how markets are reacting around the world and I can tell you that Chinese stocks really loved that development.
BRIGGS: They sure did. Good morning everyone, welcome to "Early Start." I'm Dave Briggs.
ROMANS: Nice to have you back.
BRIGGS: Good to be back.
ROMANS: Do you feel good, rested?
BRIGGS: I don't know what time it is, what time zone I'm in, but it is good to be alongside of you my friend.
ROMANS: It's the Early Start news zone. It is the news zone. I'm Christine Romans. It is Monday, February 25th, 4:00 a.m. in the East. It was the moment Hollywood and the nation waited all night to see.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the Oscar goes to -- "Green Book"."
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ROMANS: The Green Book won the night's top prize and it also took home an Oscar for best original screen play. It is a film about a white man who drives a black jazz musician through the Deep South in the early 1960s.
BRIGGS: "Roma" was one of the top contenders for best picture with a big push from Netflix. But the film did not go home empty handed, taking three academy awards, with Alfonso Cuaron winning his second Oscars for Best Director, along with the Best Cinematography award. Cuaron used his speech for that award to draw attention to the plight of domestic workers. Most like the lead character in his film.
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ALFONSO CUARON, DIRECTOR, ROMA: As our piece, our job is to look where others don't. Big responsibility becomes much more important in times when we are being encouraged to look away.
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ROMANS: Spike Lee won his first Oscar ever for Best Adaptive Screenplay for his film Black Klansman. He thanks his grandmother for helping pay for school then turned his attention to politics.
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SPIKE LEE, FILM DIRECTOR: The 2020 presidential election is around the corner. Let's all mobilize, let's all be on the right side of history. Make the moral choice between love versus hate. Let's do the right thing. You know I had to get that in there.
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BRIGGS: Indeed. Do the right thing is of course is reference to Spike Lee's film of the same name. It earned his first Oscar nomination, nearly three decades ago. In the category of acting Mahershala Ali won best supporting actor for his role in "Green Book" becoming only second African-American to win two acting awards, the first being Denzel Washington.
Rami Malek won Best Actor for playing Freddie Mercury in Bohemians Rhapsody. Regina King won Best Supporting Actress for her role in If Beale Street Could Talk.
ROMANS: A role she was terrific in that film.
BRIGGS: It indeed.
ROMANS: All right, Spike Lee also explaining his reaction to "Green Book's" big win for Best Picture. Watch as he stands up and appears to face backwards. Here's what he had to say about that.
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LEE: I'm snake bit. I mean, every time somebody is driving somebody, I lose, but they changed the seating arrangement.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We saw a little bit of a reaction to the Green Book win. Can you give us your thoughts on that Best Picture win?
LEE: Let me take another sip. Next question. No, I thought it was court side at the garden. The ref made a bad call.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: All right. He was referring to driving Miss Daisy which won four awards in 1990, that's the same year he was nominated for best original screen play.
BRIGGS: Wow. Now to Washington, Congress returns today to a packed calendar and things could get very interesting this week, because the president's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen testifies before three committees. On Wednesday his testimony will be public.
Also on the docket, the first attempt by House Democrats to block President Trump's border wall national emergency along with threats to subpoena Special Counsel, Robert Mueller's report on Russian collusion if it even comes out this week. CNN's Sarah Westwood at the White House with more on the fireworks ahead.
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[04:05:05] SARAH WESTWOOD, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDET: Christine and Dave, Congress is returning today for a blockbuster week on Capitol Hill starting with the president's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen will be testifying this week before three different congressional committees.
On Wednesday, he will be testifying publicly before the House Oversight in Government Reform Committee, the same day that President Trump is slated to sit down face-to-face with North Korean Chairman, Kim Jong-un.
On Tuesday, House Democrats will move forward with a vote to block the president's national emergency declaration, a vote that is expected to pass the House overwhelmingly.
The Mueller probe is also nearing completion although we don't expect to see Mueller hand over his final report to the Justice Department this week. That could be coming in the days ahead.
Now, Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff said, he's prepared to subpoena the Trump administration, if that Mueller report is not made public.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF, (D), CALIFORNIA, INTELLIGENCE CHAIRMAN: We will obviously subpoena the report, we will bring Bob Mueller into testify before Congress, we will take to court if necessary. And in the end I think the department understands, they are going to have to make this public. I think Barr will ultimately understand that as well.
WESTWOOD: While all of this could create quite the split screen for President Trump as he tries to conduct diplomacy overseas. Christine and Dave.
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ROMANS: All right. Sarah at the White House, thank you for that. Today 58 former senior national security officials, 58 from both sides of the aisle, will issue a statement saying quote, there is no factual basis to President Trump's declaration of a national emergency on the Southern Border.
The statement reads impart, under no plausible assessment of the evidence is there is national emergency today that entitles the president to tap into funds appropriated for other purposes to build a wall at the Southern Border.
BRIGGS: Some of the officials signing a letter include Madeline Albright, Secretary of State under Bill Clinton. John Kerry, President Obama Secretary of State and Chuck Hagel and Susan Rice, who both served under Mr. Obama. Also signing the letter, Thomas Pickering and Elliot Cohen, who worked for President George H.W. Bush.
Ten days ago the president declared a national emergency to access billions of dollars and federal funding to build a wall on sections of the Mexico border. The move bypass Congress after lawmakers refused to give the president the $5.7 billion he wanted for his wall.
President Trump flies to Asia today for his second face-to-face summit with Kim Jong-un. The meeting will take place at the same time Michael Cohen testifies publicly on Capitol Hill. The North Korean leader has already arrived in Vietnam. Let's go live to Hanoi and bring in CNN's Will Ripley. Will, great to have you here this morning. What are expectations ahead of the second summit?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, a lot of people here are hoping Dave, that there is going to be results. A specific plan after that vaguely worded statement that was signed in Singapore back on June 12th. This is a city that is really a buzz, they've been preparing for this historic second meeting between President Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but there is a lot of pressure on both sides to come away with results.
North Korea want sanctions lifted and normalization of ties with the U.S. and of course the U.S. wants North Korea to actually do something, anything, to get rid of their nuclear weapons which is the ultimate goal and obviously that has happened in the month that followed with talks breaking down.
Now to set the scene for you here, I'm at the Melly Hotel (ph), we don't know where Kim Jong-un is staying, because they keep that kind of information top secret, but what we do know, Dave, his security detail, the North Korean equivalent of the Secret Service is staying in the hotel behind me.
Remember those guys running alongside his limousine at the demilitarized zone in April last year. Those are the guys, the big ones with the suit, they are staying at this hotel. We have seen a lot of security really just increasing by the hour here. So we'll be standing out here, watching and waiting to see if this is indeed where Kim Jong-un is staying.
BRIGGS: OK. Will Ripley live there, just past 4:00 p.m. in Hanoi, thank you, Will.
ROMANS: All right. Senator Klobuchar's office says a family leave policy that was raising eyebrows has been changed. That policy allowed employees in her office to take up to 12 weeks off for maternity or paternity leave, but once the employee returned to work, they had to remain on the job for at least three times the length of the leave or pay back the money they earned during the leave.
Now, an aide to Klobuchar's tells CNN, the policy was changed once it was brought to the staff's attention and the Senator insist it was never implemented.
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AMY KLOBUCHAR, U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There was something that was in there from the past that we changed and we never actually enforced it about how you had to work after you came back for a certain period of time. We have never enforced it, it has been changed and I think the overriding story here, is we have 12 weeks paid family leave and I think every employer should have that.
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BRIGGS: There is no blanket family leave policy in the Senate. Each Senator's office determines its own policy. And this one was revealed in another report on Klobuchar's temperament and alleged mistreatment of staff. The Minnesota Democrat admitting she can be hard to work for.
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[04:10:05] KLOBUCHAR: Am I a tough boss? Sometimes, yes. Have I pushed people too hard? Yes, but I have kept expectations for myself that are very high. I've asked my staff to meet those same expectations. And that the big point for me is I want the country to meet high expectations.
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BRIGGS: Paid family leave has become a central issue for Democrats. A federal paid family leave program is expected to be included in the party's platform and the issue could play an important role in 2020.
ROMANS: All right. Authorities say they have recovered the remains of two people from a cargo plane that crashed in a bay off East Texas, Saturday. The plane was operating on behalf of Amazon. Three people were believed to be on board. Witnesses reported that the plane nosedived before crashing and the NTSB says it went into a very rapid descent.
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MICHAEL KREUZER, PLANE CRASH WITNESS: (Inaudible) -- we've seen the plane coming down at a 45 degree angle.
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ROMANS: The NTSB has launched a go team to investigate this crash. So far, no word on what may have caused it.
BRIGGS: The Department of Health and Human Services releasing revised guidance that dramatically changes title 10, that's the federal program that provides birth control and reproductive health services to millions of low income patients.
The new rule would block money for any organization that provides or refers patients for abortions. Effectively defunding Planned Parenthood. Opponents of this anticipated move by the Trump administrations have been filing lawsuits since May to try to protect the program and block the changes.
ROMANS: All right. Big news in global markets, folks. Tariffs on China are on hold for now, new tariffs on hold for now. President Trump announced, he will delay tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods that would be jacked up to 25 percent from 10 percent. And he plans to meet with his Chinese counterpart to put an end to their trade war.
The president tweeted about substantial progress on talks with China pointing to important structural issues including intellectual property protection, technology transfer, agricultural services, currency and many other issues. Now the answer gave global markets an immediate boost.
Look at Hong Kong, a big move in Shanghai, more than 5 percent, moving Shanghai. Tokyo also all the averages in the region up. And European markets have opened higher as well. And all this positivity spreading to Wall Street, DOW futures now back above 26,000 for the DOW.
The announcement comes after two days of high level trade talks in Washington. The president did not specify what the new deadline for raising tariffs will be or when he will be meeting with President Xi.
In a statement from China's state news agency, Chinese trade negotiators echoed the president's tweets adding the two sides will continue their work for the next stage in accordance with the instructions of the two countries heads of state.
BRIGGS: Force technology transfers of course is something they don't acknowledge.
ROMANS: Yes.
BRIGGS: So a lot of --
ROMANS: There's a lot of work to do.
BRIGGS: -- obstacles ahead there. Ahead right here, Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, one of dozens who could be charged today with soliciting prostitutes. This comes after a sex trafficking ring was broken up in Florida. Details next.
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BRIGGS: Four seventeen, Eastern Time and lawyers for Paul Manafort must respond to a scathing memo from Robert Mueller by today. President Trump's former campaign chairman skewered in a sentencing documents by the special counsel Friday.
Mueller writing Manafort's criminal actions were bold some of which were committed while under a spotlight due to his work as the campaign chairman and later while he was on bail from this court. Manafort's conduct after he pleaded guilty is pertinent to sentencing. It reflects the hardened adherence to committing crimes and lack of remorse.
Mueller's memo was made public Saturday with some redactions. Prosecutors are asking Judge Amy Berman Jackson to make sure the now jailed 69-year-old Manafort never walks free again. Manafort pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy against the U.S. and conspiracy witness tampering. Mueller's memo is designed to influence the judge's thinking at sentencing.
ROMANS: All right. Charges could come as early as today against New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft. The 77-year-old billionaire is accused of soliciting prostitution and he's among more than 100 people linked to a large scale sex trafficking crackdown in Florida. CNN's Polo Sandoval has the very latest from Jupiter, Florida.
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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine and Dave, good morning to you. It is today that we could potentially find out more coming from the Palm Beach County City Attorney General Office exactly what may come next for about 200 of those men who are identified as such seeking out these paid sexual services in various spas located here in the coast of Florida.
Of course we're standing outside one of them which is where police say Robert Kraft visited on at least two occasions. These are allegations that his spokesperson has denied, categorically denied that Mr. Kraft did anything illegal.
I should mention though that as we wait for more from authorities, we're learning really a bit more about what is happening inside of these locations according to the Martin County Sheriff's office. The women mainly adult aged women from China were subjected to some very difficult conditions inside, forced to work as basically modern day sex slaves. Take a listen.
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WILLIAM SNYDER, MARTIN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: It was clear that multiple women were working and living inside the spas. They were cooking on the back steps of the business. They were sleeping on the massage tables. They had no access to transportation.
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SANDOVAL: Hell of a sheriff goes on to say this was really a massive multi-month, multiagency investigation. Believe it or not, it actually started as one red flag that came from a health inspector back in July who visited an area spa and noticed an indication that people were living at that location. They started asking questions, begin surveilling some of these locations and that eventually led to the arrest of at least seven operators of these locations and charges filed against about 200 Johns, Christine and Dave, and that includes Robert Kraft. Back to you guys.
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BRIGGS: Polo, thanks. RNB singer, R. Kelly expected back in an Illinois courtroom this morning after spending the weekend in jail. A Judge set bail at $1 million, hours after he was indicted on q0 counts of aggravated sexual abuse against four victims. R. Kelly's attorney spoke about the challenges finding $100,000 in cash his client needs to post bond.
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STEVEN GREENBERG, ATTORNEY FOR R. KELLY: This is someone who should be wealthy at this stage of his career. And through mismanagement, through people, hangers on and bad contracts and bad deals and bad leases like he had a studio, he really doesn't have any money at this point. I don't even think he owns the rights to "I believe I could fly." He is trying to get it together. He doesn't have it, send in the banks, send in a shoe box, sitting anywhere, no.
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ROMANS: R. Kelly's attorney initially proclaimed all the women accusers were lying. He later clarified that Kelly is presumed innocent. Prosecutor claim three of his victims were underage at the time of the alleged crimes between 1998 and 2010. CNN has learned Kelly also has nearly $170,000 of unpaid child support and more than $165,000 in unpaid rent.
BRIGGS: A California man getting a $21 million settlement after spending 39 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Craig Coley was convicted in 1979 for the murder of Rhonda Wicht and her 4- year-old son in 2016. The case was reopened after law enforcement officers said they felt, it has been mishandled. Coley, who is now 71 and was pardoned by Governor Jerry Brown in 2017 after new evidence found in a storage unit and DNA proved he did not kill the victims.
ROMANS: All right. Vice President Mike Pence headed to Colombia today, where he will meet the Venezuela opposition leader. After a weekend of violence, a preview of their agenda next.
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ROMANS: Vice President, Mike Pence, heading to Bogota, Columbia today. He is scheduled to meet with Venezuela's Interim President, Juan Guaido, after a violent weekend of clashes in the country left at least five people dead. CNN's Isa Soares has more for us this morning from Caracas.
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ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dave and Christine, opposition leader Juan Guaido will no doubt be looking for a more support for his cause, but also looking for more pressure to be added on Nicolas Maduro as he tries to keep the momentum. We had heard from him in the last 24 hours and he's asking foreign allies to consider all options to do something that we haven't heard from him before.
In terms of Mike Pence, the Vice President is making his way to Colombia, he will meet with Ivan Duque, the president of Colombia and then he will go on to have a face-to-face meeting with Juan Guaido, the first time these -- the two men are actually meeting.
In terms of what the United States may say, we know from a U.S. Administration official that Vice President, Mike Pence will offer voice resolute support for Juan Guaido and will say that the United States is undeterred under terms in terms of the support for Guaido, but also undeterred when it comes to trying to bring that humanitarian aid into the country.
In terms of what other actions, what other measures they have against Nicolas Maduro, the U.S. administration officials telling CNN, there will be and I'm quoting here, concrete steps and clear actions. What that will be, we do not know, he did not elaborate. But remember, there have already been sanctions on (inaudible), the cash cow, the oil company behind Nicolas Maduro and as well as several other individuals around Nicolas Maduro.
On the question finally of dialogue, the United States is saying that the dialogue is out of the question. The only thing the United States will be willing to discuss is Nicolas Maduro's timing, as well as he's nature of his departure. Christine, Dave?
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BRIGGS: Isa Soares there, thank you.
With just 33 days until Britain is set to leave the European Union, British Prime Minister, Theresa May has again delayed a Brexit vote in Parliament. In a desperate effort to buy more time to revise the deal with Brussels, the so called meaningful vote had been penciled in for Wednesday, but May now says, it will happen now happen March 12, just 17 days before a deal a must be reach.
Lawmakers could still take matters in to their own hands. Members of Parliament may take action this week over Brexit and possibly force the government to hold a second referendum.
And it was an Oscar's ceremony for the history books. We'll get you caught up on all the wins, the drama and some spectacular fashion there as well.
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