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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Paul Manafort Sentenced To 47 Months In Prison; Broad Anti-Hate Measure Passes The House; Putin Clamps Down On Free Speech; "Simpsons" Episode With Michael Jackson Pulled; $273 Million Jackpot Winner Left Lottery Ticket In Office. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired March 08, 2019 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00] JESSICA DEAN, CNN ANCHOR: Four years in prison, but that's better than expected for Paul Manafort. The one-time Trump campaign chairman avoids a virtual life sentence for now, and Democrats are lashing out.
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: A measure condemning hate passes the House with no mention of Ilhan Omar. But, can Nancy Pelosi get her caucus back in order?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL JACKSON, SINGER-SONGWRITER, VOICING THE CHARACTER LEON KOMPOWSKY, "THE SIMPSONS": 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 never underestimate the kindness of strangers. A New Jersey man has 273 million reasons to thank a stranger who found and turned over his winning lottery ticket.
Would you return numbers if you found them on a counter?
DEAN: I would, yes. I'd feel guilty.
BRIGGS: You're a wonderful human being. I'm not so sure I would.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Dave Briggs.
DEAN: Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean. It is 30 minutes past the hour.
Well, never has a 4-year sentence seemed so short. That's the prison term handed down to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. That 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's well short of what was expected, even though, as the judge noted, Manafort did not express regret for his crimes.
CNN's Marshall Cohen was in that courtroom yesterday. He joins us live from Washington. Good to see you, Marshall.
MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Thanks.
BRIGGS: That judge, T.S. Ellis -- those three little words that no one thought they'd hear -- lived an "otherwise blameless life." Paul Manafort, who defrauded the government, had a life of crime -- knowingly committed crimes.
Take us into that courtroom yesterday.
COHEN: Sure. Well, I'm not sure everyone agrees with Judge Ellis on those three critical words but it was a gripping ordeal yesterday in northern Virginia -- three long hours.
The defendant, Paul Manafort, was quite stoic throughout -- didn't express much reaction. His wife and some of their friends were there as well to give them support.
Not much of a response when the judge was basically dressing down some of the prosecutors from Mueller's team and elsewhere in the Justice Department. He's made it clear from the beginning he's no fan of special prosecutors. It's bigger than Mueller. He thinks they have too much power.
At the end of the day, the judge made it clear that he had to give Paul Manafort a sentence that was on par with what other tax criminals get. And even though the recommendations were as high as 25 years -- a potential life sentence there -- he decided to go with something much shorter -- four years with credit for time served -- it would be closer to three.
Now, this isn't the final say. There will be another judge next week in Washington, D.C. that could tack on an additional 10 years. But that's completely up to her discretion on whether to do that on top or at the same time.
DEAN: And, Marshall, I want to get a little more into that as well because these charges that he was sentenced for stemmed from the Mueller probe but they're not, themselves, directly related to Russia. You're looking at them right now. These are more financial crimes.
But why does this matter in the Russia investigation at large, and then how does next week kind of play into all of that?
COHEN: Sure. Well, you make a good point and it's something that the judge actually brought up unprompted. And it was very interesting at the beginning of the hearing. He said let's just be clear. Paul Manafort is not accused of colluding with the Russian government.
That's something you've heard from Manafort's lawyers and, frankly, you've heard that a lot from the president as well.
But this fits into the bigger picture because this is one of the last big things to take care of. It's one of the last things that Mueller's team still has on their plate. They've got the one next week and eventually, they'll have to close up shop and submit that final report.
One clue that they gave yesterday -- they said Manafort's cooperation, all of 30 hours, wasn't that helpful. So if there's folks out there hoping to see some surprising bombshells or titillating details from inside the Trump campaign, they suggested that Paul Manafort didn't have much to say on that.
DEAN: Very interesting.
BRIGGS: So we await those. That D.C. sentencing is really key here and the potential for New York State charges. A lot still to come here.
Marshall Cohen, great to have you here this morning.
Let's now turn to CNN White House reporter Sarah Westwood live in Washington as well. Good morning, Sarah.
We await a presidential tweet because it's 2019. Is this good news for the White House considering what T.S. Ellis said? And Marshall just reminded us he was not convicted for anything to do with Russian colluding in the presidential election.
SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well certainly, the president's former top campaign official going to jail for any amount of time is politically problematic for the president. This is the longest sentence imposed related to the Mueller investigation so far. It's still a significant amount of time even if it's far less than what Manafort could have potentially gotten if the judge had followed sentencing guidelines exactly.
[05:35:12] And the president has been highly critical of Manafort's treatment throughout the process and Kellyanne Conway sort of alluded to that last night. A top adviser to the president saying that in her opinion, Manafort had so far been treated more harshly than people who had committed similar crimes.
And the president has always accused political bias of surrounding the harsh treatment of Paul Manafort. And so, perhaps, they could continue to allege that although the relatively lenient sentence could sort of preclude that argument from carrying a lot of weight moving forward.
DEAN: And, Sarah, what about a presidential pardon for Paul Manafort? That's something that's been buzzing around. And we heard Marshall talking about how prosecutors said he really wasn't all that helpful. We know that it's been alleged he was lying to prosecutors.
What do you know about that? What's the White House saying? What are you hearing? WESTWOOD: Well, all along, the White House has really tried to avoid engaging in these discussions about a pardon. They haven't taken it off the table but certainly, President Trump hasn't been signaling directly that he is going to pardon anyone involved in the investigation.
And, you know, pardons are part of the conversation separately in the case of, right now, Michael Cohen, the president's former attorney who is, right now, facing some scrutiny after making claims to Congress about his lawyer potentially advising him to seek a pardon.
But in the Manafort case, it's not -- at least, lately -- been as much a part of the conversation, particularly because Manafort's crimes are the most serious of anyone who's been implicated. They stretch back years and it's a pattern of deliberate breaking of the law.
A lot of the other crimes that you see are process crimes.
BRIGGS: Yes.
WESTWOOD: A lot of the other convictions of guilty pleas that you've seen in this case. In Manafort, though, this is really serious lawbreaking that we saw.
BRIGGS: We have not seen a hot stove this president is not willing to reach out and touch. I don't think anyone should be surprised if a presidential pardon is coming.
But let's turn now to Congress, and this past week has been a mess for Democrats as they try to figure out what to do with those perceived anti-Semitic remarks from Ilhan Omar. They passed a resolution condemning hate that does not much mention Ilhan Omar, the freshman congresswoman from Minnesota.
So have they put this thing behind them, and how indicative of it is the split in the entire party as we move forward?
WESTWOOD: Well, it's interesting because this Democratic House caucus is so diverse. It has Democrats that were elected in counties that Trump won in suburban districts where there are more Republicans than Democrats. And also, you have some really progressive members -- new freshmen who are just further left than anyone who had been in the House before.
And so, I think that the unity Democrats showed toward -- in the beginning of the year during the shutdown fight when they first came into Washington, that really covered up the fact that you are dealing with what could be a very fractious Democratic caucus with Democrats that run the spectrum of the party.
And now, you are seeing some of those divisions start to play out when you have something as divisive as allegedly anti-Semitic remarks.
BRIGGS: Yes.
WESTWOOD: That's going to expose the fractions that already existed. DEAN: Definitely.
BRIGGS: Twenty-three Republicans voted no because they say it wasn't broad -- it was too broad. But it seems like Democrats seem to agree with them. Here's some reaction.
(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 whose 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.
And take my word for it. If you don't do that, then please understand that an anti-Semite will hear those words as a dog whistle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: And those comments really kind of illustrating this.
But, Sarah, you heard from -- you're hearing from Democrats, and you alluded to this, that the party is really showing some fault lines on this where they're starting to fracture in different ways.
What does that mean for the Democratic caucus moving forward?
WESTWOOD: Well, there have been some hard feelings about the way this was handled from leadership because initially, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi came out and said that there would be a resolution condemning, specifically, anti-Semitism.
And then there were progressive members who rallied around Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and said she was being unfairly targeted. And so, as part of the Democratic caucus who says that the fact that this resolution condemned all hate broadly, it was watered down. That it didn't take on the issue of anti-Semitism, which is very real and problematic, head on.
[05:40:00] Others who say that the controversy surrounding Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has been blown out of proportion. Some sensing even racism in the attacks on her.
So I don't know that the resolution passed this week resolves a lot of those hard feelings about the way this was handled and the fact that the progressives seem to have won out over some of the more moderate Democrats in this case.
BRIGGS: I'll tell you what. They have not put it out in terms of Trump T.V. They will continue to beat this issue every minute of every day, so they've got to figure it out to get their house in order.
Sarah Westwood, thanks for being here. Have a great weekend.
DEAN: Thanks, Sarah.
Well, the 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.
Now, this idea is to put more decision-making power in the hands of patients, posting rates so consumers can shop around, and it could lower co-pays or deductibles.
BRIGGS: The Department of Health and Human Services seeking public comment. That request has been largely overlooked because it was buried in a 700-page draft resolution 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, doctor groups, and insurers, but is likely very popular with the American public.
DEAN: Former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper officially launching his presidential campaign in Denver. He's casting himself as a pragmatic leader but also appealing to the party base with progressive positions like universal health care and also 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), 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our country stops making progress when we hunker 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 name off the list for 2020. Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown telling 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. Three CNN town halls Sunday night live from South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.
Former congressman John Delaney at 7:00; Tulsi Gabbard, congresswoman, 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 continue to await Joe Biden's possible entry, "The New York Times" says it's 95 percent sure it happens.
DEAN: Yes, and real close. Everybody with an eye on that.
BRIGGS: That will take up all the oxygen.
DEAN: That's right.
A black man is cleaning his own property when police got involved. Take a look.
(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)
[05:47:08] DEAN: Vladimir Putin touts himself as a strong man but it seems he fears his power is eroding at home. A new law there clamps down on free speech. The bill would outlaw so-called fake news in the place that pretty much started that idea.
Senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen joins us live from Russia with the latest on this -- Fred.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi -- good morning, Jessica.
You know, one of the things we have to keep in mind is that Russia is already pretty tight as far as free speech is concerned. Anybody who's ever been in a demonstration against the government here in Russia knows how many people get detained at those.
And now, it seems as though the Russian government is clamping down even more -- fake news and disrespect of the government.
And the way all of this is supposed to work is that the Russian prosecutor general's office is supposed to monitor the Internet and monitor all of the T.V. stations that can be seen here in Russia and see if there's anything that is disrespectful to the government -- or fake news, as they put it. Of course, also including, most probably, criticism of Vladimir Putin.
Then tell whichever platform that was on that it needs to be removed or they'll get fined and in the worst case, up to 15 days of administration detention. That, of course, on top of existing laws here in this country that really make free speech very difficult for a lot of people.
And you're absolutely right. It comes at a time when Vladimir Putin is facing historically low approval ratings here in Russia. It's still pretty high for Western standards. He's hovering somewhere below 60 percent.
But he's certainly feeling maybe his grip on power might be waning somewhat and this might be one of the reactions that we're seeing right now, Jessica.
DEAN: Very interesting, Fred. Thanks so much.
BRIGGS: All right, 5:48 Eastern time and a 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 monthly 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 one percent, and the Nasdaq declined a little over one percent.
The February jobs report is due in a couple of hours. Economists predicting another strong month of job gains. The economy added 304,000 jobs in January, the 100th straight month of gains.
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 to Rent the Runway's 10 million members.
Starting this summer, Rent the Runway members will have the option of renting 26 different West Elm bundles. Members can choose how long they want to keep the bundle and will 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.
[05:50:00] So, you decide. Will you rent blankets, pillow, and covers?
DEAN: And then send them back?
BRIGGS: I don't know. Yes, I guess.
DEAN: Try them out, you know?
BRIGGS: Hey, I'm old school.
DEAN: You don't like that shade or whatever --
BRIGGS: Yes.
DEAN: -- back it goes.
BRIGGS: Give it a shot.
DEAN: All right. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEAN: An all-time classic "SIMPSONS" episode featuring Michael Jackson's voice is being pulled from circulation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACKSON: Hello? Who is this?
BART SIMPSON, "THE SIMPSONS": I'm Bart Simpson. Who the hell are you?
JACKSON: I'm Michael Jackson.
SIMPSON: The Michael Jackson? No way.
JACKSON: It's true. I'm with your father in a mental institution.
SIMPSON: Uh-huh, and is Elvis with you?
JACKSON: He could be. It's a big hospital.
SIMPSON: Oh, come on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:55:00] DEAN: In the 1991 "SIMPSONS" episode, Jackson voiced a character named Leon Kompowsky who was in a mental institution with Homer Simpson.
BRIGGS: "SIMPSONS" producers 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 calls 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."
DEAN: 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 threatening to shoot me because I'm picking up trash. I hope that --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's picking up trash and you have your hand on your gun? Go home.
(END VIDEO CLIP) DEAN: Video shows the officer confronting a man who was holding a bucket and a metal trash grabber. The officer thought the tool was a weapon and that's when he called for backup.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're on my property with your weapons drawn threatening me at the place that I (bleep) sleep. How do you feel about that? How do you feel about that?
(Bleep) what to do -- shoot me?
POLICE OFFICER: No. No's going to shoot you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Or you're going to tase me and arrest me, and beat the (bleep) out of me like every other (bleep)?
Don't tell me what to do. Get off my property. Get off my property.
POLICE OFFICER: I'm asking you your name.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get off my property.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Boulder police say the man was uncooperative and unwilling to put down a blunt object.
The officer at the center of the incident, who has not been identified, has been placed on administration leave.
BRIGGS: Today is International Women's Day and NBA star Steph Curry marking the occasion by making good on a promise he made to a young girl.
Nine-year-old Riley Morrison wrote to Curry last fall. She asked why his signature shoes were only sold in boys' sizes. Curry told her he would do something about it. And today, the Curry 6 United We Win shoe by Under Armour making its debut.
DEAN: The new shoes will be a blend of purple and deep orchid. They also have a soft liner that Riley helped design. Yesterday, Curry surprised Riley with her own pair of United We Win shoes.
Proceeds will go toward a scholarship the Curry Family Foundation created for college-bound female students in the Bay Area.
BRIGGS: Congress is divided, in case you didn't notice, but how divided? Well, they're arguing about this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Nickelback singing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: That, of course, is Nickelback, one of the more divisive rock bands, as it turns out, for two decades.
So why bring this up in the context of Congress? Well, yesterday, on the House floor, 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, of the 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 -- if 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. One more reason why there's a difference between Democrats and Republicans, clearly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Just one more reason. No punches were thrown and no one broke into song.
DEAN: A New Jersey man who won a $237 million Mega Millions jackpot can thank a stranger for his good fortune. Mike Weirsky bought the winning ticket last week but he became distracted by his phone and ended up leaving the tickets behind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE WEIRSKY, WINNER, MEGA MILLIONS $237 MILLION JACKPOT: I put the tickets down and put my money away and did something with my phone, and just walked away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Weirsky returned to the store last Friday before the drawing. It turns out a Good Samaritan found the tickets and left them there for him.
Mike says he's been unemployed for 15 years and just divorced last October.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WEIRSKY: She just called me today and told me she's taking me back to court.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Yes, I think he's pretty serious there.
DEAN: Yes, he looked serious. BRIGGS: Mike told reporters he plans to buy a new pickup truck and plans to buy his mother a new car and remodel her home. No word if he's going to repay his ex-wife for supporting him for those 15 years.
DEAN: I guess the courts are going to figure that out.
BRIGGS: What a story.
DEAN: Well, thanks for joining us, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean.
BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. Good to have you here, my friend.
DEAN: Thanks.
BRIGGS: "NEW DAY" starts right now. Enjoy the weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His sentence was unjust, and unreasonable, and unprincipled.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is absolutely no evidence Manafort was involved with any collusion.
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D), CONNECTICUT: The judge has demonstrated some hostility before now to Mueller. There's going to be another reckoning for Manafort.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: This is an opportunity to declare opposition to anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim statements.
ENGEL: I wish we had had a separate resolution about anti-Semitism.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the second time, I am debating a resolution.
END
