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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Trump Ordered Security Clearance for Ivanka; White House Pushes Back on Dems; North Korea Rebuilding Missile Facility; New Drug to Treat Severe Depression. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired March 06, 2019 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:30:39] CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: First, Jared, now, Ivanka. CNN has learned the president overruled officials to get his daughter a security clearance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Instead of doing so many things that they should be doing. They want to play games.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: The White House pushing back on investigations by House Democrats. Strategy that could be involved withholding it down.
ROMANS: North Korea has begun rebuilding part of a long-range missile test facility. Work began right around the summit between the president and Kim Jong-un.
BRIGGS: And a new drug has been approved to treat severe depression. Major news for millions that haven't been helped by other anti- depressants.
Welcome back to EARLY START on the Hump Day. I'm Dave Briggs.
ROMANS: Good morning.
BRIGGS: Good morning. Happy Hump Day.
ROMANS: Yes.
I'm Christine Romans. It is 31 minutes past the hour.
For the second time in two weeks, we are learning that the president overruled security officials on personal grounds. Three sources telling CNN President Trump pressured top aides to grant a security clearance to first daughter and senior aide Ivanka Trump. Revelations contradicting Ivanka's denial to ABC News just three weeks ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) IVANKA TRUMP, FIRST DAUGHTER & SENIOR ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT: The president had no involvement pertaining to my clearance or my husband's clearance.
INTERVIEWER: So, no special treatment?
TRUMP: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: It's not clear what red flags were holding up Ivanka's clearance. Several sources tell CNN, it is possible she was unaware there were any concerns raised during her background check or her father's involvement. But it followed the president ordering a top secret clearance for Ivanka's husband Jared Kushner.
Senior White House correspondent Pamela Brown with more from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine and Dave.
We have learned that President Trump then pressured his then chief of staff John Kelly and White House counsel Don McGahn to grant his daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump a security clearance against their recommendations. Now, this is according to three people familiar with the matter speaking to me and my colleague Kaitlan Collins.
And while the president has the legal authority to grant clearances, most instances are left up to the White House Personnel Security Office which would determine whether a staffer should be granted one after the FBI conducts a background check. But after concerns were raised by the personnel office, Trump pushed Kelly and McGahn to make the decision so it didn't appear as if he was tainting the process and his family's favor.
Now, after both refused, Trump granted the security clearance. Now, this development comes on the hills of "The New York Times" reporting that Trump ordered Kelly to grand Ivanka's husband, Jared Kushner, a top secret security clearance, despite concerns raised by intelligence officials.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders the White House cannot comment on security clearance issues, nor can it respond to every anonymous source. Kelly could not be reached for comment and McGahn declined to comment for this story.
Back to you, Christine and Dave.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right, Pamela, thank you for that. CNN has learned about granting the security clearance to Ivanka Trump were separate from those of her husband. CNN is also being told the White House is rejecting the House Oversight demands about interviews for security clearances of Trump's closest advisers, including Jared Kushner. That raises the likelihood of subpoenas from Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings.
BRIGGS: President Trump signaling the White House will push back against the barrage of congressional investigations targeting his political and personal lives. West Wing officials say the strategy is it to limit the number of documents provided to House committees. The president accusing Democrats of launching the probes to hurt his 2020 reelection chances and making a curious reference to his predecessor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Essentially what they're saying is the campaign begins, instead of doing infrastructure, instead of doing health care, instead of doing so many things that they should be doing, they want to play games. President Obama, from what they tell me, was under a similar kind of a thing.
Didn't give one letter. They didn't do anything. They didn't give one letter of the request. Many requests were made. They didn't give a letter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: It's not clear what letter President Trump is talking about, but President Obama did hand over documents, many, many documents by the investigation launched by congressional Republicans. You can see many of them there.
Now, White House officials are bracing for congressional efforts to go after Mr. Trump's tax returns next. There's only one Democrat on Capitol Hill with the authority to officially demand the president's tax forms. It's Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal, and he says he does not have a timeline that he will seek the forms, only after his committee has built a case to do so.
BRIGGS: Michael Cohen back on Capitol Hill today. He'll be finishing his testimony to the House Intelligence Committee behind closed doors. His appearance comes one day after the New York State Finance Department slapped a subpoena on the Trump organization's insurance broker Aon PLC. And just a few days after Cohen dropped this potential bombshell.
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REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D), NEW YORK: To your knowledge, did the president ever provide inflated assets to an insurance company?
MICHAEL COHEN, FORMER TRUMP ATTORNEY: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRIGGS: Aon says it intends to cooperate. The New York State Finance Department can impose heavy fines and while it does not have the power to bring criminal charges, it can refer its findings to state prosecutors for that.
ROMANS: All right. Breaking news overnight, new satellite images appearing to show North Korea rebuilding part of the long-range missile testing facility. The work apparently taking place around the same time Kim Jong-un was meeting with President Trump in Hanoi, at a summit that ended abruptly, of course, with no deal.
Paula Hancocks live from Seoul with breaking details.
And this is, again, a big concern for so many American intelligence officials all along, North Korea has been using this time, when there's been talking to continue its nuclear ambitions.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Christine, this is Tongchang-ri. This is a missile engine test site that North Korea has been dismantling. So, since Singapore, they've actually been pulling part of it down. Even Kim Jong-un spoke to the South Korean President Moon Jae-in about it. It was part of that Pyongyang declaration that he was even considering letting international or independent investigators and inspectors to check that it was out of action.
But now, what we've been seeing just in recent days or weeks is that they were starting to put it back together again. This was CSIS, it was 38 North and also corroborated by South Korean intelligence reports. What we don't know is exactly when it was. We know from 38 North, it was somewhere between February 16th and March 2 end. So it could have been during, before or after the summit in Hanoi between Kim Jong-un and the U.S. president.
Now, experts are trying to figure out is it a way of North Korea showing it's not happy with what happened in Hanoi. But many of them are saying they're going to wait to see exactly what the intelligence assessment is.
At this point, we've had no official word from the Trump administration -- Christine.
ROMANS: We'll wait for that. Maybe today.
Thank you so much, Paula, in Seoul.
House Democrats plan to update their resolution condemning anti- Semitism, to also include a condemnation of anti-Muslim bias. The resolution is now likely to come to the House for a vote tomorrow instead of today. Democrats face pressure to condemn anti-Semitic comments by freshman Democrat Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and also defend her from anti-Muslim rhetoric.
BRIGGS: Omar, one of the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress, is once again under fire for repeatedly suggesting support for Israel and his tie to Jewish money. Her comments sparking calls from some Jewish groups to remove her from the Foreign Affairs Committee. But Chairman Eliot Engel says he's not close to doing that.
ROMANS: All right. You can remove Michael Bloomberg's name from the list of potential Democratic contenders in 2020. The former New York City mayor has decided against running for president. Bloomberg traveled the country to meet with voters and discuss issues like gun control and climate change.
He writes, I've concluded that for now, the best way for me to help our country is by rolling up my sleeves and continuing to get work done.
BRIGGS: Bloomberg was leaning towards a White House bid a few weeks ago, with polls late last week showed a narrow path to victory, especially if Joe Biden enters the race. Bloomberg warning Democrats, quote, we cannot allow the primary process to drag the party to an extreme that would diminish our chances in the general election and translated to four more years.
Experts calling it the biggest advancement in years to fight depression. The Food and Drug Administration approving a new nasal spray that will be sold as Spravato and should be used in conjunction with an oral antidepressant. The medication designed for adults who have not benefitted from other antidepressant drugs. That's about a third of Americans battling depression.
Spravato was based on a powerful tranquilizer known as ketamine, and also the party drug special K. It will carry a black box warning the most serious issued by the FDA with abuse and suicidal thoughts as potential aside effects to people who take the nasal spray will have to be monitored for at least two hours to guard against that.
ROMANS: All right. So, mixed messages in trade war with China. On the one hand, progress in a deal to end the trade war. On the other hand, the temperature starting to rise with Huawei. The case against Huawei's CFO Meng Huawei moving forward despite protest from Beijing. Meng is due back in court today in Vancouver to schedule further appearances.
[04:40:02] At the same time, two cases against Huawei are unfolding in U.S. federal court. Huawei pleaded not guilty in Seattle last week to charges it tried to steal trade secrets from T-Mobile. Huawei's arraignment in Brooklyn on charges it worked to skirt U.S. sanctions on Iran that's scheduled for later this month.
Meng has also been charged in that case. She and Huawei have, of course, denied the charges but the trade deal still on the minds of investors. Here's what economic adviser Larry Kudlow said to Fox News.
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LARRY KUDLOW, NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL DIRECTOR: A multilayer enforcement process that at least for now says if China doesn't live up to its agreement, we have the right not only to keep tariffs, but to raise tariffs, and they will not retaliate. Now, that's breakthrough stuff. We'll see if President Xi and the politburo agrees to that. But right now, we are optimistic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Enforcement is going to be a really big part of all this, because many trade negotiators have said that the Chinese just don't live up to their end of the bargain when they agree some of these things.
OK. So, optimism at White House, but not necessarily on Wall Street right now. Futures pointing a little bit lower as investors monitor those trade developments.
BRIGGS: All right. Coming up, some very scary moments on a Norwegian cruise.
The ship really tilting at sea, after being hit by hurricane-force winds.
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[04:45:53] BRIGGS: Imagine that after a few, aboard a Norwegian cruise ship. It started tilting to one side after being slammed by a sudden hurricane-force wind with no warning. Furniture was flying, glass breaking. Passengers at the bar holding on for dear life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was at the bar, I was sliding down. Chairs were flying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My son got up and he looked out the window, and he could see water at that port window.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had to grab a table. I couldn't hold my balance. And whatever -- all of the items were not attached properly, keep them from falling down, glass breaking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People falling down, crying. Yes, it was a pretty traumatic experience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Several passengers and crew members were injured. There was no serious damage to the Norwegian "Escape." That shipped arrived at Port Canaveral yesterday morning.
ROMANS: FBI Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is leaving the agency next month. And administration official says the move has been in the works for several months. Gottlieb resigning to spend more time with his family in Connecticut. He's used his post to raise alarms about opioid addiction and an epidemic of teen vaping.
Health Secretary Alex Azar says that public health of our country is better off for the work of Scott and the entire team in the FDA. The president saying Gottlieb has helped lower drug prices and get a record number of drugs approved and on to the market. BRIGGS: President Trump signing an executive order aimed at
preventing veteran suicides. The administration prevents initiative creates a cabinet-level task force to address the disturbingly high number of military veterans who take their own lives.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Veteran suicide is a tragedy of staggering proportions. Hard to believe an average of 20 veterans and service members take their lives every single day. Who would believe that's possible?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: According to the latest figures, the veteran suicide rate in the U.S. increased nearly 26 percent between 2005 and 2016.
ROMANS: All right. There is a new youngest self-made billionaire. And she comes from a famous family. CNN business is next.
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[04:52:31] ROMANS: All right. Las Vegas, the final stop on Melania Trump's three-state tour to promote her Be Best initiative. The first lady getting personal during a town hall Tuesday on opioid addiction. She said she frequently talks to her 12-year-old son Barona about the dangers of drugs.
No stranger to stories swirling around the White House, the first lady did make this plea.
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MELANIA TRUMP, FIRST LADY: I challenge the press to devote as much time to the lives lost and the potential lives that could be saved by dedicating the same amount of coverage you that do to either gossip or trivial stories.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Mrs. Trump shared the stage with former Fox News anchor Eric Bolling whose teenage son died of a drug overdose in 2017.
BRIGGS: R&B singer R. Kelly tearfully denying sexual abuse allegations. Kelly pleaded not guilty to ten counts of felony aggravated sexual abuse of young girls.
Here's R. Kelly in an interview with Gayle King of CBS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
R. KELLY, SINGER ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ABUSE: Use your common sense, don't -- forget the blogs, forget how you feel about me. Hate me if you want to. Love me if you want.
But just use your common sense, how stupid would it be for me with my crazy past, what I've been through, right now, think I have to be a monster, hold girls against their will, chain them up in my basement and don't let them eat and don't let them out.
Quit playing. Quit playing. I didn't do this stuff. This is not me. I'll fight for my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Prosecutors say the charges against Kelly span 1998 to 2010. He faces three to seven years in prison for each count if convicted.
ROMANS: Today's search efforts will become recovery efforts in Alabama after an outbreak of catastrophic tornados in Lee County killed 23 people Sunday. The victims range in age from 6 years old to 89. Authorities say the death toll could rise. There are seven or eight people still unaccounted for.
One woman who lost five of her family members is volunteering at a command and supply center she says to help get her mind off of it.
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MAKITHA GRIFFIN, LOST FAMILY MEMBERS IN TORNADO: I'm here volunteering, to help my community off. It keeps my mind off of stuff because this is the thing, real life. We see this somewhere else, not like here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Two large corporations who wish to remain anonymous have announced they will pay for the funerals for all 23 tornado victims.
[04:55:11] BRIGGS: City council meeting in Sacramento getting a little heated, days after the district attorney decided not to charge the police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark. The unarmed black man was gunned down in his grandmother's backyard last year. Police say they thought she saw a gun flash that turned out to be a cell phone.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra standing by his decision not to charge the officers. He shows evidence shows a basis for belief they were in imminent danger. The U.S. attorney's office and FBI will now be examining that case.
ROMANS: Racing has been suspended indefinitely at California's famed Santa Anita racetrack. Twenty-one horses have died at Santa Anita since December. The latest, a 4-year-old filly training had to be euthanized Tuesday. Officials say it will give time for a consultant time to inspect the surface.
California has endured an unusually harsh rainy winter, 16 inches have fallen in Arcadia, the home of the tracks, since late December. The heavy rains could be a factor in the horses' deaths.
BRIGGS: Asbestos has been found in three cosmetic products from Claire's, the FDA advising not to use the store brand eye shadows, compact powder, and contour palette. Claire's which sells makeup and accessories for teens and younger children says it has pulled the affected products, along with any talc based products. For its part, the company has disputed the FDA's findings, saying it mischaracterized fibers in the products.
You may have seen yesterday the trailer for the final season of "Game of Thrones" was released. No spoilers here but while you were sleeping, Stephen Colbert used the trailer as inspiration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're coming, 81 document requests in the expanding Trump probe. A daring attack launched by House Dems. This spring, brace yourself. Subpoenas are coming. Shame of thrones, the final season?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: All right. Let's get a check on the game of business this morning, CNN Business.
Global markets mixed as investors watch for developments on any kind of a trade deal with China. You can see global markets there on Wall Street, futures pointing slightly lower. Stocks ended Tuesday, you know, little change. The Dow down 13 points, S&P 500, Nasdaq, just also slightly lower.
There were strong retail earnings that were interesting. So, Americans aren't tired of shopping just yet. Target shares of 5 percent best year since 2005. Kohl's, 7 percent. Great holiday sales there.
This afternoon, President Trump will take part in America Workforce Policy Advisory Board meeting. That board includes top bosses from Walmart, Apple, Lockheed Martin, IBM, Visa and Home Depot.
There's a new, youngest, self-made billionaire and it's stirring up some controversy. At 21, Kylie Jenner is the youngest self-made billionaire ever. And she dethrones Mark Zuckerberg who was given that title at 23.
Now, some argue that Jenner couldn't be self-made because she's Kylie Jenner. She comes from a wealthy, well-known family, and is riding the coattails of her famous half-sister Kim Kardashian West who really charged the way there. Now, according to "Forbes," Jenner's company is worth $900 million, and she owns 100 percent of it. Wow.
BRIGGS: Brilliant.
ROMANS: GE stocks sank after the CEO showed the disappointing guidance. GE's CEO Larry Culp said industrial cash flow will be negative in 2018. That was enough to send stock plunging more than 7 percent. GE investors expected some bad news in 2019. It's a transition year but cash flow wasn't expected to be negative for the entire year.
BRIGGS: To kind of put you on the spot, is Kylie Jenner self-made? ROMANS: Look, $900 million is a lot of money. Yes, I'll say yes.
BRIGGS: I'll agree with you there. Twitter will disagree with you.
ROMANS: A rare agreement between Dave and I.
BRIGGS: Let us know what you think @earlystart on Twitter.
We continue right now.
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ROMANS: First, Jared, now, Ivanka. CNN has learned the president overruled officials to get his daughter a security clearance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Instead of doing so many things that they should be doing, they want to play games.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: The White House pushing back on investigations by House Democrats. The strategy could involve withholding documents.
ROMANS: North Korea has begun rebuilding part of a long-range missile test facility. Work began right around the summit between the president and Kim Jong-un.
END
