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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
New Revelations About Lion Air Disaster; Brazilian President Visits White House; Video Surveillance of New Zealand Mosque Attacks Shows Panic; Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired March 20, 2019 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:18] DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, the Lion Airplane that went down off Indonesia last year nearly went down the day before. Who stepped in to save that day?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Republicans if they're in a certain group, there's discrimination. I was never a fan of John McCain and I never will be.
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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump airing his grievances and stands by as Brazil's president lashes out against gays and the free press.
BRIGGS: And a warning from FedEx, trade tensions losing to a big slowdown in shipping, a major bellwether of the economy worldwide.
ROMANS: The FDA approves the first drug to treat postpartum depression but you'll need some patience and tens of thousands of dollars. A potential real important development for the many, many women.
Good morning, welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
BRIGGS: Good morning, everyone. I'm Dave Briggs. Wednesday, March 20th. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East. We start with some breaking news overnight.
Stunning revelations about the doomed Lion Air flight that went down off Indonesia last October, killing 189 people. Bloomberg reporting that when the same plane encountered trouble a day before, the crew got help from an unexpected source. It was an off-duty pilot who happened to be traveling in the cockpit.
ROMANS: CNN has previously a flight crew experienced issues on the 737 Max 8 a day before the Lion Air crash, the same plane. But that disaster is under renewed scrutiny following last week's Ethiopian Airlines crash.
CNN's Mellissa Bell, live in Paris, she's got the details for us. So what can you tell us about this? MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine, what we're
learning from this reporting from Bloomberg is that this same plane that was to crash at the end of October last year plunging into the Java Sea just after takeoff with 189 people on board had just a day before in a Bali to Jakarta trip and that this third pilot, one that was off-duty, we're hearing, was in the cockpit. And it was he who managed to disable that automatic flight system that when the sensors kept to the fact that the plane looked like it might be falling essentially pushed the nose down.
This particular pilot, according to this latest reporting, Christine, was able to show the other pilots how to disable that particular system. Now that matters right now because here in Paris, the black boxes from that latest Ethiopian Airlines crash of that same Boeing are being investigated. The data has been downloaded and it will be read. We know that there are similarities between the trajectories of the two doomed flights. And so that question of the system now very much on the heart of the investigations here.
And what we now know is that pilots had struggled in the past. Some managing to compensate that system, to overcome it, to disable it, and others tragically failing to do so.
ROMANS: Melissa Bell for us in Paris with those details. Thank you for that.
BRIGGS: Badly in need of an ally, the president found one at his front door. Jair Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil who's combative political persona echoes the president's own, fawned over his American counterpart at the White House yesterday. The scene as strange and unsettling as you might expect, there was diplomacy between the pair. President Trump announced the U.S. will designate Brazil a major non- NATO ally, which will help it purchase military equipment.
ROMANS: The two leaders then echoed each other, airing a litany of grievances. Mr. Trump denounced big social media companies. He complained they are biased against the GOP.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It seems to be if they're conservative, if they're Republicans, if they're in a certain group, there's discrimination. A big discrimination. I see it absolutely on Twitter and Facebook. And I will tell you there is collusion with respect to that because something has to be going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The president's statement came hours after Facebook apologized to White House social media director Dan Scavino for briefly blocking some features on his account. Facebook said its automated systems mistook Scavino for a bot.
BRIGGS: Then the so-called Trump of the tropics smeared his role model on several topics including the free press.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAIR BOLSONARO, PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL (through translator): May I say that Brazil and the United States stand side by side in their efforts to ensure liberties and respect to traditional family lifestyles, respect to God our creator, against the gender ideology or the politically correct attitudes and against fake news.
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BRIGGS: That came on the heels of President Trump again refusing to let John McCain rest in peace.
[04:05:03] He tweeted twice about the late senator over the weekend and was asked about it in the Oval Office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I'm very unhappy that he didn't repeal and replace Obamacare it as you know, he campaigned on repealing and replacing Obamacare for years, and then it got to a vote and he said thumbs down. I think that's disgraceful. Plus there were other things. I was never a fan of John McCain and I never will be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: That did not sit well with many people. Among them the man who lost the 2008 Republican nomination to McCain, Senator Mitt Romney. "I can't understand why the president would once again disparage a man as exemplary as my friend John McCain." And McCain's widow, Cindy, posting a truly hateful message received from a stranger.
I'm going to let you read it for yourself here. It is certainly ugly. Only these are the parts that are suitable for television, if you call it suitable. Mrs. McCain commented, "I want to make sure all of you could see how kind and loving a stranger can be. I'm posting her note so her family and friends could see."
BRIGGS: Just deplorable.
ROMANS: That is the level of discourse in America.
BRIGGS: All right. Senator Elizabeth Warren all in on a plan to do away with the electoral college. The Democratic candidate telling voters in Birmingham, Alabama, they should push their lawmakers to sign on to a compact that would award electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote. Twelve states and D.C. are in so far but the compact cannot take effect unless they get enough states to force 270 electoral votes that, of course, is the number needed to win the presidency.
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SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Here's a job for you in Alabama. Start pushing your state legislature to sign on as well. No, tell them this. Don't laugh. This is not a red versus blue. You can do this at the state level. Look, if nothing else, you make them a little uncomfortable about it, right?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: President Trump, of course, won the electoral college in 2016 and claims he would have won the popular vote if not for voter fraud. Naturally, he's taking the side on the issue tweeting, "Campaigning for the popular vote is much easier. I used to like the idea of the popular vote but now realize the electoral college is far better for the U.S." In fact he has tweeted in the past that the electoral college is a disaster. But now he sees a different perspective.
BRIGGS: A new addition to Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign is drawing some criticism. Sanders announced Tuesday that David Sirota, investigative reporter, is being hired as senior adviser and speechwriter. He began erasing old tweets many which attacked rivals. Sirota has been informally adviser the Sanders campaign for the past month just before his new role was announced.
He began erasing old tweets many of which attacked Sanders' 2020 rivals including John Hickenlooper, Beto O'Rourke and Cory Booker. Sirota has not responded to our request for comment.
And a programming note here, CNN will host a presidential town hall tonight with former governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper. Dana Bash moderates live from CNN center in Atlanta. That's tonight, 10:00 Eastern Time here on CNN.
ROMANS: All right. Growing trade tension bad news for FedEx. FedEx reported its most recent quarterly earnings were $797 million. That's more than a 27 percent drop compared to last year. The problem the trade war between U.S. and China, tariffs and counter-tariffs. The higher costs for trucks. It's more expensive to move freight. The looming Brexit deadline has also slowed the pace of trade. And the worker shortages are the downside from a strong labor market.
And there's this from FedEx earnings report. This is I think the most telling paragraph of all, slowing international macro economic conditions and weaker global trade trends continue. That's bad. The good news, the U.S. domestic economy is strong and trade talks between the U.S. and China do resume next week. That's according to an administration official.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and the trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, they're going to Beijing for discussions meant to finalize an agreement. It's then expected the Chinese delegation would then come to Washington for more talks. Now the two sides hope to reach an agreement to be signed in late April at Mar-a-Lago.
BRIGGS: California Republican Devin Nunes standing by his decision to sue Twitter for $250 million. He claims Twitter is allowing users to spread defamatory statements and insists the social media site harbors an anti-conservative political agenda. Nunes appears to be having a cow, if you will, over a parody account on Twitter known as Devin Nunes Cow. The author likes to poke fun at the congressman but Nunes says it's all a plot to derail his reelection campaign. Even the senior judicial analyst to FOX News says Twitter is doing nothing illegal but Nunes is forging ahead anyway.
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REP. DEVIN NUNES (R), CALIFORNIA: What we're talking about here is defamation.
[04:10:01] And so if it's with reckless disregard for the truth and with malice, it doesn't matter if you're figure in the public or not. Not only have I been defamed. It's been multiple times, hundreds and thousands of times.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Nunes went on to say he's going after numerous other media organizations in the coming weeks.
BRIGGS: All right. The FDA approving the first drug to treat postpartum depression. Zulresso will be administered as continuous intravenous infusion over the course of 60 hours. It rebalances hormones that spike during pregnancy and plummet after child birth. The drug has been shown to work within hours. The treatment will cost on average $34,000 per patient before discounts. Postpartum depression affects 1 in 9 new mothers. The medication will be available in June.
And, well, I'm really curious how insurance companies are going to handle that. You know?
BRIGGS: Yes. That's the ultimate question with that cost.
Ahead, three kids saved from a burning building in Iowa. They had to jump from a window in the arms of police.
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[04:15:18] ROMANS: Breaking overnight, a sheriff's deputy killed, an officer injured during a shoot-out with a suspect in Kittitas, Washington. It unfolded as deputies tried to stop a car after receiving a complaint. When the driver failed to stop a chase ensued. The vehicle ultimately came to a stop. Gunfire was exchanged. Right now the deputy's name is not being released. The suspect was also shot and he's being treated at a hospital.
BRIGGS: Florida prosecutors offering a plea deal to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and the 24 other men accused of soliciting prostitution at a Jupiter day spa. To get the charges dropped Kraft and the others would have to admit that they would have been found guilty at trial. It's not clear if the 77-year-old billionaire would accept such a deal, though. Kraft has denied through a spokesman that he committed any crime. He's due in court for his arraignment on March 28th.
ROMANS: Four tanks are still burning at a massive chemical fire in Texas. A thick plume of black smoke billowing from the Houston area storage facility for more than three days now. Fire officials don't know how long it will take for the fire to burn itself out. Now the smoke can be seen for miles over the Deer Park community where those tanks are located. And now there are concerns about the air quality. The Deer Park Independent School District cancelling classes today under pressure from parents. The nearby La Porte School District cancelling classes today as well.
BRIGGS: Devastation in Nebraska. The state's governor submitting an expedited emergency declaration formerly from the catastrophic floods. At least 95 percent of Nebraska still reeling from last week's storms. Vice President Mike Pence surveyed the flood damage across the state yesterday. He said he's going to make sure all federal resources are made available to the state.
ROMANS: This is five days under water and isolated for some of these communities. Flood records have been shattered in 17 places in Nebraska. Check out this time lapse video in the city of Lincoln. Flooding restricting the city's water supply and swallowing an entire power pool.
The "Wall Street Journal" estimates farmers are losing $1 million a day in the flooding. They're already reeling from the trade war with China. This has been really tough for the agriculture industry. Real -- just a real run of bad luck for American farmers.
BRIGGS: They are heroes in blue. Police in Des Moines, Iowa, responded to an apartment fire early Tuesday. Heavy smoke prevented them from entering a build so they positioned themselves outside and caught three children who were dropped from a third floor window who escaped the flames.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Send them down. I got them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drop them. Keep going.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: None of the children or the officers were injured. Des Moines Police Department gave a shout-out on social media to the live saving officers Cole Johnson, Craig Vasquez, Tyler Kelly and Casey Sanders.
ROMANS: Some of those cries just heartbreaking.
All right. A CNN exclusive. New surveillance video shows security camera footage as Friday's terror attacks in New Zealand unfolded.
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[04:22:56] BRIGGS: Two hundred people are now confirmed dead in what could prove to be the deadliest tropical storm cyclone ever to hit anywhere in Africa. Mozambique hit last week by cyclone Idai, a category 2 storm. The government is expecting a death toll of more than 1,000. Eight agencies say more than 90 percent of the city of Beira has been destroyed. The country's president declaring a state of emergency and three days of national mourning beginning today. ROMANS: CNN has obtained surveillance video that sheds more light on
the terrorist attack in New Zealand. It was recorded at a property close to the first targeted mosque.
I want to warn you here, some of these images may be disturbing.
CNN's Ivan Watson live in Christchurch with the exclusive details.
It was so horrific that the gunman, of course, was live-streaming this from his perspective. What do we know from this adjacent property? What new does it reveal?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is going to show us that the gunman, the suspected terrorist, as he was leaving the first mosque that he targeted, he was opening fire at victims while driving. Take a look.
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WATSON (voice-over): Security camera footage from what was soon to become New Zealand's darkest day. This video from March 15th shows people casually strolling past at 1:42 in the afternoon. It's filmed from a camera on a hotel located around 300 meters from the Al Noor Mosque.
Seconds later a series of gunshots ring out from what appear to be two different types of firearms. And even though this is the start of a deadly terrorist attack, passersby still have no idea what is unfolding nearby.
It isn't until nearly four minutes later that pedestrians show signs of alarm. And then this car appears. The driver honks his horn to get pedestrians' attention and then shoots through the passenger side window at a man on the sidewalk.
[05:25:04] The hotel owners say they shared this security camera footage with the New Zealand police. Police won't comment on the video during the ongoing investigation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: So what have we learned here? One thing, you can hear sirens and that matches what the police have said which is that about five, six minutes after the first emergency call, they were already on the scene responding to this terror attack. Number two, it reveals how determined, how desperate this suspected terrorist was to kill people. That he stopped his car and shot through the window of his vehicle. Not even lowering the window at a passerby before roaring off then.
The police say that they were able to apprehend him within 21 minutes of the first emergency call. So barely -- not even a half hour had passed during that time. And yet, this determined killer was able to murder at least 50 people. And maim and wound many, many more - - Christine and Dave.
ROMANS: All right. Our hearts are with New Zealand this morning. Thank you so much for that, Ivan Watson, in Christchurch.
BRIGGS: Difficult to see.
Breaking overnight, the Lion Air that went down off Indonesia last year nearly crashed the day before. Wait until you hear who kept the Boeing jet in the sky.
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