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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Paul Manafort Gets 3 Years, 11 Months in Prison; U.S. Commander Thinks ISIS Will be Back in Syria; Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired March 08, 2019 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:05] JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: Four years in prison, but that's better than expected for Paul Manafort. The one-time Trump campaign chair avoids a virtual life sentence for now and Democrats are lashing out.
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: A measure condemning hate passes the House but does not mention Ilhan Omar. Can Nancy Pelosi get her caucus back in order?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Michael Jackson. It's true. I'm with your father in a mental institution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: A classic "Simpsons" episode will never be seen again. Producers pulling the plug after a disturbing documentary about Michael Jackson.
BRIGGS: And on this International Women's Day a basketball star keeps his promise. His promise? Well, Steph Curry making shoes available for girls.
Great for Steph this morning. Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Dave Briggs.
DEAN: Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean. It's 30 minutes past the hour.
Well, never has a four-year sentenced seemed so short. That was the prison term handed down to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. The sentence imposed for defrauding banks and the government, and for failing to pay taxes on millions he earned from political consulting in Ukraine.
BRIGGS: Forty-seven months is the longest sentence stemming from the Mueller probe but it is well short of what was expected even though as the judge noted Manafort did not express regret for his crimes.
CNN crime and justice reporter Shimon Prokupecz with more from Washington.
SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Good morning, Dave and Jessica.
Paul Manafort received 47 months in prison, much lower than the recommendation of prosecutors who had asked the judge for 19 to 24 years. The judge calling the sentencing guidelines out of whack, gave Manafort a nearly four-year prison term.
Now Manafort, he spoke briefly, telling the judge how prayer and faith have helped him get through this time and asked the judge to be compassionate. He told the judge that the last two years have been the most difficult years for his family and him.
And the judge said that he thought the sentence and recommendation was in fact excessive, adding that he believed Manafort lived an otherwise blameless life, was a good friend and generous person to others before he handed down the sentence.
Now Manafort, he is due back in court next week in D.C. for a separate case where he's expected to get up to 10 years in prison -- Dave, Jessica.
DEAN: Shimon, thank you.
The judge also gave Manafort credit for nine months served which reduces the sentence even further. As Judge T.S. Ellis read the sentence, there was no visible reaction from Manafort or from his wife Kathleen who was watching in the gallery. After the hearing Manafort was wheeled out of the room. His eye seeming blood shot.
Democrats quickly criticized the judge's 47-month sentence as far too short to fit the crime. Remember many of them are the same Democrats who warned President Trump's attacks on judges threatened the justice system.
BRIGGS: Now it is true the sentence was considerably below the sentencing guidelines and many lawyers object that less well-known defendants get harsh sentences for far lesser crimes, but Judge Ellis argued his sentence was more in line with those imposed on others convicted of similar crimes. He said, quote, "I'm convinced that it's a just sentence for that conduct."
DEAN: Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democrats looking to move forward after the House overwhelmingly passes a very broad measure condemning hate. It caps off a week of bitter infighting within the party over how to respond to comments by Representative Ilhan Omar. She linked Jewish money to congressional support for Israel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: One resolution addressing these forms of hatred not mentioning her name because it's not about her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: The resolution was revised and expanded repeatedly this week, and it wound up covering hatred toward Jews, Muslims, African- Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian-Americans, Hindu, Sikhs, the LGBTQ community and immigrants.
BRIGGS: Twenty-three Republicans voted against it, claiming it was too broad. They wanted it focused only on anti-Semitism. And despite voting for the resolution, some Democrats actually agreed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ELIOT ENGEL (D), NEW YORK: I wish we had had a separate resolution about anti-Semitism. I think we deserved it. I think it was wrong not to have it. I don't think we should mix everything. No member of Congress should be making anti-Semitic statements. No member of Congress should be saying hurtful things and then not apologizing for them.
REP. TED DEUTCH (D), FLORIDA: Why are we unable to singularly condemn anti-Semitism? If Jews' families were persecuted or attacked or killed are talking about how anti-Semitic words can lead at their most hateful and violent extremes, then it's anti-Semitism.
Now take my word for it, if you continue to do that, then please understand that an anti-Semite will hear those words as a dog whistle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[04:35:02] BRIGGS: The week-long debate over the hate resolution overshadowed all other Democratic initiatives like climate change and health care. Those proposals are expected to be rolled out in the coming months.
DEAN: And Trump administration is considering a move that would reveal the actual cost of your health care for the very first time. It would require hospitals, doctors and other providers to publicly disclose the secretly negotiated prices they arrange with insurance companies. The idea is to put more decision-making power into the hands of patients. Posting rates so consumers can shop around could lower co-pays or deductibles.
BRIGGS: The Department of Health and Human Services is seeking public comment. That request has been largely overlooked because it was buried in a 700-page draft regulation released last month on improving patient access to electronic health records. The move is likely to meet fierce opposition and possible legal challenges from hospitals, doctors, groups and insurers.
DEAN: Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper officially launching his presidential campaign in Denver. He is casting himself as a pragmatic leader. He also appealed to the party base with progressive positions like universal health care and closing tax loopholes used by corporations and the wealthy. Hickenlooper says beating President Trump is essential but it's not enough.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN HICKENLOOPER (D-CO), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our country stopped making progress when we hunkered down on opposite sides of the continental divides, red versus blue, rich and poor, urban and rural. It's time to end this American crisis of division.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: And you can scratch one other name off the list for 2020. Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, he told advisers his listening tours in early primary states helped him see he wasn't fully committed to a long shot primary campaign.
And this programming note. Not one, not two, but three CNN town halls Sunday night live from South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Former Congressman John Delaney at 7:00, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard at 8:00, and Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 9:00. Jake Tapper and Dana Bash moderate Sunday night starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.
As we all await Joe Biden and some potential announcement in the next, who knows, week or two. It will suck all the oxygen out of the entire field.
DEAN: Yes.
BRIGGS: We'll wait.
DEAN: And I think everybody is just waiting until he makes his decision.
BRIGGS: Yes. Change the game,
DEAN: Ninety-five percent there. They say.
BRIGGS: That's what he says.
DEAN: Ninety-five percent there.
Michael Cohen is suing the Trump Organization. The president's former lawyer and fixer says after he started cooperating with federal investigators, his former employer stopped paying his legal bills as required under his contract. Cohen says he's owed a total of nearly $4 million. The Trump Organization calls it a desperate money grab and says it doesn't owe Michael Cohen one penny.
Meantime, an administration official says the Justice Department may have to take a hard look at whether Cohen perjured himself. Last week he testified he never asked the White House about a pardon, a claim his own attorney seemed to contradict late Wednesday.
BRIGGS: Cameras in the Supreme Court? Well, not any time soon, according to Justices Samuel Alito and Elena Kagan. The two appeared before House lawmakers Thursday. Video from inside the court is something members of Congress and public interest groups have long advocated. But both justices say the topic hasn't even been discussed in recent years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELENA KAGAN, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: If seeing it came at the expense of the way the institution functioned, that would be a very bad bargain.
SAMUEL ALITO, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: Lawyers would find it irresistible to try to put in a little sound bite. That would detract from the value of the arguments in the decision-making process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: And the Supreme Court has put links to audio recordings on its Web site at the end of each week's hearings.
Costco had a blowout holiday quarter. A sign it can hold its own against biggest competition Amazon. Costco says its sales grew 7.4 percent last quarter compared to a year earlier. Its profit also grew. Costco joining Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy among retail winners during the holiday stretch. Staved off Amazon by keeping prices low and investing in its Kirkland signature brand.
The wholesaler also plans to raise its minimum wage to store workers to $15 an hour. It will also increase pay for supervisors and started offering paid parental leave for hourly employees. Amazon bumped up its wage to 15 bucks an hour last year.
DEAN: A black man is cleaning his own property when police get involved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's picking up trash and you have your hand on your gun. Go home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: What Boulder Police are saying now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:44:00] BRIGGS: An all-time classic "Simpsons" episode featuring Michael Jackson's voice is being pulled from circulation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello? Who's this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Bart Simpson. Who the hell are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Michael Jackson.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Michael Jackson? No way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's true. I'm with your father in a mental institution.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh-huh. And is Elvis with you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He could be. It's a big hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ah, come on. If you're really Michael Jackson --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: In the 1991 "Simpsons" episode Jackson voiced a character name Leon Kompowsky who's in that mental institution with Homer Simpson.
DEAN: Producers James Brooks, Matt Groening and Al Jean decided to pull the "Stark Raving Dad" episode after watching the HBO documentary "Leaving Neverland" which details graphic sexual abuse allegations against the late pop star. Producer James Brooks called it a treasured episode but, quote, "There are a lot of great memories we have wrapped up in that one and this certainly doesn't allow them to remain."
BRIGGS: The suspect in the fatal shooting of an Illinois sheriff's deputy is now in custody after an hours-long standoff with police.
[04:45:03] Deputy Jacob Keltner, a 13-year veteran of the McHenry County Sheriff's Office, was gunned down while serving a warrant at a hotel where that suspect was staying. The suspect Floyd Brown was arrested after a standoff. That followed a police chase on an interstate through Illinois. Police say he crashed his car and barricaded himself in the vehicle for several hours. He will now face a state and federal murder charges.
DEAN: God wanted to acquit a woman charged with sex trafficking. That's what a Texas judge actually told a jury. Now that judge has been publicly warned by the state's judicial commission.
In January of last year, Judge Jack Robison was presiding over the trial of Gloria Ramiro Perez. He walked into the jury room at the end of deliberations and told those jurors he'd been praying about the case. Robison said God informed him the defendant was innocent. He then asked jurors to reverse their guilty verdict. They refused.
Robison told the judicial panel he'd been under extreme stress. And doctors say Robison had been suffering from a mental condition, but that it was temporary.
BRIGGS: Police in Boulder, Colorado, launching an internal investigation after an officer pulled a gun on a black man collecting trash on his own property.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take your hand off your gun.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're on my property with a gun in your hand like you're going to shoot me because I'm picking up trash.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's picking up trash and you have your hand on your gun? Go home.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRIGGS: A witness recorded the video and it shows the officer confronting a man who was holding a bucket and a metal trash grabber in the front of a yard of his townhouse complex. The officer thought the tool was a weapon and called for backup.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You came on to my property with your weapons drawn threatening me at the place where I (EXPLETIVE DELETED) sleep. How do you feel about that? How do you feel about that? (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Why, you're going to shoot me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no one is going to shoot you --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Or you're going to taze me and arrest me and beat the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of me like every other (EXPLETIVE DELETED) person. Don't tell me what to do. Get off my property. Get off my property.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm asking your name.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get off my property.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Boulder Police in a statement say the man was uncooperative and unwilling to put down a blunt object. They say officers took no further action once it was determined the man had a legal right to be on the property. The officer at the center of the incident who has not been identified has been placed on administrative leave.
DEAN: One of the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives is behind bars this morning. Lamont Stevenson was arrested early Thursday by police in Maryland. He was charged in 2014 with killing his fiance and her dog. Stevenson was last seen at the Maine Amtrak station in northern Jersey on the day of her death. He was also wanted for murder just this week. Police in Washington had a warrant for Stevenson's arrest in connection with a fatal stabbing. They discovered the body of the woman and her dead cat Wednesday.
BRIGGS: Today is International Women's Day. NBA star Steph Curry marking the occasion by making good on a promise he made to a young girl. 9-year-old Riley Morrison wrote to Curry last fall. She asked why his signature shoes were only sold in boy sizes. Well, Curry told her he would do something about it. Today the Curry 6 "United We Win" shoe by Under Armour makes its debut.
DEAN: The new shoes will be a blend of purple and deep orchid. They also have a sock liner that Riley helped design with two girls playing basketball and the words "Be Fearless" and "Girl Power." Yesterday Curry surprised Riley with her own pair of "United We Win" shoes. Proceeds will be go toward a scholarship the Curry Family Foundation and Under Armour created for college-bound female students in the Bay Area.
BRIGGS: Good stuff. Congress is divided. Well, we know that but how divided? Well, we
found out yesterday on the House floor.
See, that's of course Nickelback. A polling firm determined in 2013 Congress was less popular than some pretty bad things including lice, root canals and those Canadian rockers. So why bring this up? Well, this is what happened yesterday on the House floor when Democrat Mark Pocan and Republican Rodney Davis were debating a voting rights issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARK POCAN (D), WISCONSIN: Only four wanted to keep this provision. Everyone else wanted to change this. Out of 77,000. That's probably about the percent of people who think Nickelback is their favorite band in this country. It's pretty low. And I think if you look at -- is Nickelback is your favorite band? I apologize to the gentleman.
REP. RODNEY DAVIS (R), ILLINOIS: Why would you criticize one of the greatest bands of the '90s?
POCAN: Wow. All right.
[04:50:01] One more reason why there's a difference between Democrats and Republicans. Clearly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
BRIGGS: Pocan called Davis brave for admitting he is a Nickelback fan. No punches were thrown. No one broke into song. Up next, we will debate Coldplay on the House floor, ahead.
DEAN: I like his genuine surprise. Like, wow, OK.
BRIGGS: It was actually a nice moment for Congress' latest endeavors.
DEAN: Yes. Very human. Right.
BRIGGS: All right. Ahead, Airbnb has struck a deal with HotelTonight that will help bolster its boutique hotel business. CNN Business is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:55:05] DEAN: A stark warning from the top U.S. general overseeing military operations in the Middle East. He says despite massive territorial losses, the fight against ISIS is, quote, "far from over."
CNN is covering the fight Baghouz, the terror group's last stronghold in Syria as thousands flee the area.
CNN's Ben Wedeman is live in eastern Syria with the latest -- Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica. Well, General Votel definitely has a point because what we've seen is in speaking with many of the ISIS fighters who have surrendered so far is that yes, they accept defeat for now, but they see that in the long term they believe that ISIS will come back and come back with a vengeance.
What is happening is that the subjects of the so-called Islamic State are now being dispersed around this area. Tens of thousands have gone to -- the women and children have gone to what amounts to an internment camp to the north of here. The men are sent to a prison that is increasingly crowded as a result of these recent exoduses of these people, ISIS families, ISIS fighters and others from that last town of Baghouz.
So that is really the long-term challenge here is what do you do with tens of thousands of people who still remain faithful. They still stand firm to the twisted ideology of the Islamic State. Now as far as the situation today, we understand that no one has come out. No civilians, no families, no fighters from the town of Baghouz. We've been hearing a lot of planes overhead.
What we've heard persistently from the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic forces is that as soon as all the women and children are out of that town, they will have a final operation, but we have heard that witnesses saw just yesterday there are still a lot of women and children in that town. So when exactly that operation is going to take place to put an end to ISIS' territorial entity is not at all clear -- Jessica.
DEAN: All right. Ben, thank you.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau under fire in a growing corruption scandal seven months before national elections there. He maintains there was no inappropriate pressure on the now former minister of justice and attorney general to cut a deal with a construction company accused of bribery. Thousands of Canadian jobs were potentially at stake instead. Trudeau cites an erosion of trust and a breakdown in communications. The justice minister resigned last month.
BRIGGS: All right, 4:57. Let's check on CNN Business this morning. Global markets mostly lower. Asian markets fell as China's export industry suffered its worst month in three years, hurt by the trade war and a slowing global economy. Chinese exports plunged 21 percent in February, the weakest month in performance since February 2016.
European markets opened lower as trading begins there. Wall Street futures pointing lower as well. Markets closed lower Thursday for the fourth straight day of losses. The Dow dropped 200 points. The S&P 500 fell just under 1 percent. The Nasdaq declined a little over 1 percent.
The February jobs report due in a couple of hours and economists predicting another strong month of job gains. The economy added 304,000 jobs this January. The 100th straight month of gains.
Airbnb has struck a deal that will help bolster its boutique hotel business. Airbnb announced it will buy HotelTonight, a last-minute hotel booking start-up. HotelTonight, best known for its app and Web site that allows customers to book discounted hotel rooms ranging from boutique hotels to large chains on short notice.
The price of the deal was not disclosed, but HotelTonight was last valued at $463 million in 2017. That would make it Airbnb's biggest acquisition. The purchase will help Airbnb expands its business as it gears up to go public.
Soon you'll be able to rent home decor instead of buying it. West Elm announcing it will partner with Rent the Runway to offer a selection of pillows, blankets and covers for Rent the Runway's 10 million members.
Rent the Runway has disrupted the fashion industry by offering women's designer dresses, tops and jeans rentals for a monthly fee. Starting this summer, Rent the Runway members will have the option of renting 26 different West Elm bundler. Members can choose how long they want to keep the bundle and also get a discount if they want to buy it. West Elm hopes the partnership will help attract Rent the Runway's younger customer base.
Are you game for renting pillows, blankets and covers?
DEAN: You know, if you're just -- yes. If you're starting out.
BRIGGS: OK.
DEAN: Or you want to like try something out, see how you feel.
BRIGGS: All right. I'm old school.
DEAN: And then you get a discount.
BRIGGS: It sounds odd to me. But yes. I'm sure it will be a huge hit.
DEAN: We'll see.
All right. Well, EARLY START continues right now.
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