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New Day

Fmr. Sen. Joe Biden (D) Delaware leads Dem field in new 2020 poll, Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) South Bend, Florida makes big gains in new 2020 national poll, Sen. Cory Booker (D) New Jersey makes case to voters at CNN Town Hall, Mayor Wayne Messam (D) Miramar, F.L. announces 2020 presidential bid, FDA proposes new mammogram standards, Trump announces FBI and Justice Department probe of Jussie Smollett. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired March 28, 2019 - 06:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[06:30:00]

[06:33:15] JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEW DAY: All right, breaking political news. A brand-new poll from Quinnipiac on the 2020 race for president, where do the democrats stand right now? Big movement for one candidate. Let's get the forecast.

CNN Senior Politics Writer and Analyst, Harry Enten, is here. Sir?

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER AND ANALYST: Sir. Here's the movement, right? Look, Biden, Sanders, O'Rourke, Harris, Warren, all the same. But look who is now tied in fifth place, it's Mayor Pete Buttigieg, there we go, I think I got it right, at 4 percent. This is the highest he has been in a national poll so far. His previous high was 1 percent. You might say, okay, that's not a lot of movement necessarily, but when you're right at the edge, right near at 0 percent, a three-point move from 1 to 4 is most definitely statistically significant.

This, of course, follows, we spoke about it last time I was here that a lot of people have been searching his name on Twitter - I'm sorry, on Google. We've certainly also seen in the early primary states some polls of perhaps different quality also show him moving up. So right now, if you're looking for one candidate who's moving up in the polls and has momentum, it's Mayor Pete.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN NEW DAY: Do you have a sense of what is allowing him to leapfrog some others?

ENTEN: You know, the CNN Town Hall pretty much started this entire thing. And when people saw him and heard what he was saying, a lot of people started searching him on Google. There's been a lot of sort of natural movement, right. He's not necessarily gotten a lot of national press vote. He's getting more of it. It's just seems that there's a lot of organic interest in him.

BERMAN: In the words that I want people to notice here are statistically significant. For someone like you, Harry, to say that, this movement matters. One other thing I want to point out, if you put up the top line. I mean, the numbers for Beto O'Rourke are good also. I mean, he only jumped in the race a couple of weeks ago. And this is higher than any had been in many national polls.

ENTEN: Most definitely. We've pointed this out before. Since his launch, we've seen a lot of movement up for him.

[06:05:01]

He was pulling about 5 percent, 6 percent before. He's basically doubled that. That's about the same launch boost step of Harris and Sanders got.

CAMEROTA: Also, if you're right now at home and you are Vice President Joe Biden watching, you're going to get in because that's also good for somebody who's not in the race.

ENTEN: Yes. If he sees a raise in his polling once again, something like these other three, he would be a clear leader in this field. He is right now the front runner. The question is, does he actually get a boost when gets in.

BERMAN: I assume he's at home. I have no information --

CAMEROTA: I assume he's watching.

ENTEN: He's not at my house.

CAMEROTA: I just assume he's watching.

BERMAN: All right. We also -- CNN has some interesting polling about the Barr summary of the Mueller report.

ENTEN: Yes. So, look, we spoke about this earlier where I said it probably wasn't going make a difference in your 2020 vote. This poll that was taken after it came out clearly makes the case. Very, very clearly, 85 percent said it made no difference. Only 8 percent said it would be more likely to vote for Trump, 6 percent less likely. This difference is is not statistically significant. Most people think it will make no difference in their vote. And also look at this, the Trump approval ratings. This is my average, before the report came out and now today, 43 percent, 43 percent, no movement.

BERMAN: When you dig into the numbers inside this polling, what do you find?

ENTEN: Right. So I think this is kind of clear, right. You know, how do they see the conclusion? Only 45 percent say it has exonerated him, which is what the President has claimed, close to the actual truth. 55 percent say he's not exonerated but conclusion unproven. And I think this kind of gets at why there hasn't exactly been a lot of movement was that is basically the same number that 45 percent that say he's been exonerated is the same that we saw in Quinnipiac earlier this year where 44 percent said there was no collusion. People basically had their conclusions and they are sticking to it. And one reason why that might be? Look at this. You know, a lot of people when you hear good news, you kind of listen. And when you don't, you tune out. Before -- right now, what we see is that republicans have heard of great deal about the Mueller report compared to democrats. Before the report came out, democrats were actually paying much closer attention. The democrats are tuning out. Republicans are tuning in.

CAMEROTA: Confirmation bias.

ENTEN: You got that right.

BERMAN: Very good. That's a great -- that's one of the --

ENTEN: Determine, my goodness. We're rubbing off on each other. Maybe I'll dress nicer next time around.

CAMEROTA: Impossible. Thank you, Harry.

BERMAN: Thanks, Harry.

ENTEN: Thanks.

CAMEROTA: Senator Cory Booker making the case to voters at the CNN Town Hall last night. How did he do? CNN's Rebecca Buck is live in South Carolina with more. Give us the highlights, Rebecca?

REBECCA BUCK, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Alisyn. Well, electability has been at the center of this democratic primary for president and it was also in the spotlight at the CNN Town Hall last night.

The very first question for Senator Cory Booker right out of the gate was how can a candidate who talks about love and unity beat someone like Donald Trump. Cory Booker, of course defending his approach saying, he doesn't believe bringing more hate is the way to beat hate but instead by bringing love and hope.

Still we saw something very interesting from Booker last night on the campaign trail. He doesn't like to attack Donald Trump. He doesn't even like to mention him by name at most of his events. But last night, Booker drew a stark contrast and used stark language to talk about the President. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D), N.J.: For him to fail even to condemn Nazis or even to talk about white supremacy as a problem in this country, to me, that is being complicit in the violence that is happening and I find that unacceptable and repugnant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCK: So the other component of this, the electability question though is going to be, can your campaign show that you have the tools to go the distance. The end of the first fundraising quarter is coming up in just a few days. And the Booker campaign, as all the others, is hoping that they can post some big numbers. This Town Hall was a huge opportunity for them to boost their fundraising at the last minute. Of course, we're waiting on those numbers but we'll update you all as soon as we have them. John?

BERMAN: All right, Rebecca Buck for us in South Carolina. Rebecca, thank you very much.

We have breaking 2020 news, a new candidate about to announce their bid doing it exclusively on New Day. Find out who it is next.

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[06:43:03] BERMAN: Breaking news in the 2020 race this morning. A new Democratic Mayor is entering the contest. Wayne Messam, Mayor of Miramar, Florida, just put out this video moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR WAYNE MESSAM (D) MIRAMAR, F.L.: America belongs to all of us. The promise of America belongs to all of us. That's why I'm going to be running for president to be your champion.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm very proud of you.

MESSAM: The same prospects of the American dream that my father was able to achieve, we need to bring that back for every American.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Joining us now is Mayor Wayne Messam, again, the mayor of Miramar, Florida. Mr. Mayor, thank you so much for being with us this morning. And just to be blunt about this, I think a lot of people are seeing this announcement and are saying who, from where? Explain.

MESSAM: Well, good morning, John. How are you? You know, John I'm from Miramar, Florida, one of the - a major city in the state of Florida. I'm the son of immigrants. My father came to this country from Jamaica as a contract sugar cane cutter, cutting cane for 75 cents a roll of sugar cane, chasing the American dream. And I'm living that American dream.

But I see that American dream slipping away for a lot of Americans. You know, I had an opportunity to play football at Florida State, national champion for legendary coach Bobby Bowden. I actually started a construction business with my wife and we actually are climate conscious business. And now, I'm the mayor of a major city of Florida with one of the fastest growing economies.

You know, as mayor, while other cities are losing jobs and manufacturing to China, we actually are taking jobs away from China. We passed a living wage in our city. I guided our city through hurricane Irma. I'm suing the State of Florida so local mayors can be able to fight and advocate for gun control in their cities.

[06:45:02]

And right now, we're actually fighting oil drilling right outside of our city.

So these are very important issues that have national implications and I'm looking forward to be that agent of change for the American people. I'm so excited to launch my candidacy to be the President of the United States.

BERMAN: And just by means of comparison, Miramar has a population of, what, 140,000, roughly?

MESSAM: Yes. We're approaching 150,000 residents. We are a major city in South Florida. We have one of the fastest growing economy in America.

BERMAN: And the reason I bring that up, mayor, because South Bend, Indiana, where Pete Buttigieg is from, and we just showed a poll showing him with major movement in the democratic race has fewer residents. That's why I was bringing that up. So Miramar is a city that is growing with significant population.

I want to put up another poll here because CNN has asked democratic voters the quality they most want to see in a democratic nominee. And 49 percent say a good chance to beat Trump. That is the most important quality according to the last CNN poll. And my question to you, and I put this to all democratic candidates, why are you the best democratic candidate, in your mind, to beat President Trump, better in your mind than the other democratic candidates?

MESSAM: Well, you know, first off, Trump doesn't deserve to be reelected. America has lost its footing internationally and he's made a lot of promises that haven't been kept for America. But when you look at mayors, our mayors get the job done. We don't have the luxury to shutdown our governments. And when you look at what we're doing in the city of Miramar in terms of bringing high wage jobs to America, taking jobs away from China. We're actually taking head on on issues in terms of gun control, issues in terms of our environment, these are really important issues.

And America needs an individual who will look at the issues that are important to the American people with a sense of urgency of today. The gradualism is not accepted. And I'm not convinced that the solutions are coming from Washington. And that's why I think why the polls are showing the American people are looking for someone who has actually done the work and are closest to the people and can beat Donald Trump.

BERMAN: Let ask you one of the major issues that you are running on is student debt, in erasing, to a certain extent, student loans, $1.3 trillion in student debt that is out there. How are you going to do that?

MESSAM: Well, you know, when you look at the $1.5 trillion in outstanding student loan debt is crippling on American people, it's hampering our economy, there's been a lot of talk about high costs for access to college. But before we -- of course, those are important issues, but we have to address the $1.5 trillion that Americans owe right now.

And when you contemplate the nearly $2 trillion in tax cuts to the rich and to corporations, repeal of that is more than enough resources to be able to handle that outstanding debt. Let's give American people a second chance at that American dream, the same American dream that attracted my parents to this country and that I'm having the ability to lead.

And American people deserve a shot to be able to make the decisions, like to buy a home, to be able to have access to healthcare. Seniors are actually making the decision whether to fill their prescription or to buy some food to eat. America, we are better than that. And we need the leadership that will make these issues a priority and have the political will to solve these issues for the American people.

BERMAN: Mayor Wayne Messam from Miramar, Florida, thank you for being with us. We wish the best of luck and look forward to continuing this conversation.

MESSAM: Thank you. And I look forward to getting our message out to the American people.

BERMAN: Thanks, Mayor. Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: And he just did.

BERMAN: Yes.

CAMEROTA: All right, there you go. The FDA proposes new mammogram standards for the first time in 20 years. Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us what has changed next.

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[06:50:00]

[06:52:52] CAMEROTA: Here's To Your Health. The FDA is proposing changes to mammogram standards for the first time in more than two decades. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here to explain what is changing. Sanjay?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn. Yes, this is interesting. We've talked about mammograms a fair amount on this show. But the idea now that they are making these new recommendations specifically to notify women if they have particularly dense breast tissue.

Now, this is something that has been more subjective, women may be told that they have high density but weren't really sure what to do with that information. Take a look at these images. On the left is low breast density and the right is the highest density. About half the women over age 40 are going to have significant breast density. And the problem, Alisyn, is it can make it challenging to interpret a mammogram and it can also increase a woman's chance of developing breast cancer. So the question is what should women do about it?

And what the FDA is proposing is two things. One is that there should be an objective sort of notification to the woman that, you know, you have particularly dense breast tissue, and two, there might be added imaging studies, such as 3D imaging study, ultrasound or MRI, even to better give a woman an idea of what the risk for breast cancer is or if they have something suspicious in their breast. That's really what this is about.

In the past, it's been very subjective, not entirely sure what to do with this information. Women were told they may have dense breast tissue but there was no follow-up. This is trying to make a clear follow-up for women

CAMEROTA: But just so I'm clear, the clear follow-up, once you're told, then what are you supposed to do as a patient?

GUPTA: Well, if you have -- they say, look, we don't think that we can interpret this particular mammogram because of the density, there are other types of imaging studies. So 3D -- this is just a two- dimensional image you're looking at with a mammogram. With three- dimensional imaging, you could look at the breast tissue from different angles. MRI scan is a different type of imaging study that's different than mammography that can give a better idea of what's happening or if there's something suspicious, and also ultrasound.

[06:55:00]

So these are the three types of studies that could be added to that.

CAMEROTA: Okay, got it. Sanjay, thank you very much. And I want to remind everybody, join Dr. Sanjay Gupta as he journeys across the world to find the secrets of living better. His all new CNN original series, Chasing Life, premiers Saturday, April 13th at 9:00 P.M. only on CNN.

BERMAN: Right. We have breaking news in the Jussie Smollett investigation. President Trump just made a major announcement, we think. What the president said and what it means, that's next.

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[06:59:42] CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your New Day. And we do start with breaking news at this hour because President Trump has just weighed in on the Jussie Smollett case. He's announcing an FBI and Justice Department investigation into this controversial case.

BERMAN: Chicago's top prosecutor is defending her decision to drop all the charges against the actor who is accused of staging a hate crime attack on himself. Our Ryan Young is live in Chicago with the breaking news, Ryan.

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