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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Nadler Preparing Subpoena for Unredacted Mueller Report; Stamped at Nipsey Hussle Memorial; Trump Punts Health Care Until 2020; UNC Women's Coach and Staff Put on Leave; Another Round of Brexit Gridlock. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired April 02, 2019 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[04:30:13] DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Democrats ready to wield subpoena power. Security clearances and the unredacted Mueller report topping the agenda.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, a stampede at a memorial for rapper Nipsey Hussle. Police have now named a suspect in his murder.
BRIGGS: Another pivot from the president on health care, turns out he doesn't want a plan to replace Obamacare until after the 2020 election.
ROMANS: And trouble for a storied college basketball program. A hall of fame coach and her staff have been benched at the University of North Carolina.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
BRIGGS: Good morning. Good morning, everyone. I'm Dave Briggs, 4:30 Eastern Time on a Tuesday.
We start in the capital, House Democrats turning to subpoenas to obtain information on two critical fronts. First, security clearances. A White House whistleblower telling House investigators senior officials overruled concerns raised about 25 individuals whose clearances were initially denied.
On Monday, House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings released a memo on the interview with Tricia Newbold. In 18 years on the White House staff, she's worked with Republican and Democratic administrations.
ROMANS: She told investigators the 25 individuals had a wide range of serious disqualifying issues involving foreign influence, conflicts of interest, concerning personal conduct, financial problems, drug use, and criminal conduct. A source tells CNN both Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are on that list of 25. It's important to note the president is legally entitled to order a security clearance for anyone he wishes.
Chairman Cummings comparing the clearance overrides to Hillary Clinton's use of a private e-mail server as secretary of state.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS (D-MD), HOUSE OVERSIGHT CHAIRMAN: If the violations are accurate, and I do think they are, as Ms. Newbold has told us, I think this is a million times worse. What you have here are people who literally have the top secrets of the world, and they have not been properly cleared. That should alarm each and every American.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Jared Kushner responded last night on Fox News.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JARED KUSHNER, SENOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: Over the last two years that I have been here, I have been accused of all different types of things, and all of those things have turned out to be false.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: He was not asked if President Trump intervened on his behalf.
Now, that's apparently a reference to conclusions in the Mueller report which has not been seen by Congress or the public. Chairman Cummings plans to issue a subpoena this morning demanding an interview with Carl Kline. He served as the personnel security director at the White House during the first two years of the Trump administration. Cummings sending a subpoena even though Kline's attorney says his client is willing to be interviewed voluntarily.
ROMANS: The second subpoena is for the Mueller report. House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler finalizing a subpoena for the full unredacted version. Nadler is not saying whether the subpoena will actually be issued before Attorney General William Barr public releases a redacted Mueller report. That's expected to happen later this month.
BRIGGS: Today is the deadline Democrats set for Barr to provide the full Mueller report and its underlying evidence to Congress. Barr says he is working with Mueller to finish redacting the report. According to the attorney general, those redactions include grand jury material, sensitive intelligence material, information from ongoing investigations, and information that could damage the reputations of people not charged in the Mueller probe.
ROMANS: All right. Breaking overnight, police in Los Angeles have named a suspect in the shooting death of rapper Nipsey Hussle. Authorities say the gunman, identified as Eric Holder was last spotted in the 2016 white four door Chevy Cruze, license plate number 7RJD742.
Also overnight, a stampede at the rapper's memorial. At this point, it's not clear what exactly sparked it. Police call it a panic and chaos, and reports of shots fired do not appear to be accurate. BRIGGS: At least 19 people are being treated in hospitals. Two are
in critical condition. At least one person was hurt after being struck by a car. L.A. police briefly went on tactical alert and responded to the scene with riot gear and batons. Rocks and bottles were thrown at officers including one of them, at least one person has been detained for disorderly conduct.
Nipsey Hussle was killed Sunday in a shooting near the clothing store the rapper owned in L.A. The LAPD will hold a press conference to discuss the investigation and a surge of violence in the city.
ROMANS: President Trump pivoting on health care again. He now says a new Republican plan will not be introduced until after the 2020 election.
[04:35:02] He still insists Republicans are hard at work on a plan to replace Obamacare, even though there is zero evidence another plan is on the way.
Now, the president says a vote will be taken right after the election when he believes the GOP holds the Senate and wins back the House.
BRIGGS: The administration reversed course last week and agreed with a Texas judge's ruling that the entire Affordable Care Act should be scrapped. Previous failed attempts to repeal Obamacare proved to be a galvanizing force for Democrats in the 2018 midterms.
ROMANS: Shoppers spent a little less last month signaling the economy could be slowing down, at least the consumer. Data from the Commerce Department showed retail sales fell 0.2 percent in February.
Sales for January were revised higher to a 0.7 percent increase. Shoppers cut back on purchases of furniture, clothing, groceries, electronics and applies. But they bought more cars. Sales at dealerships rebounded after declining nearly 2 percent in January.
Retail sales have slowly begun to rebound after the unusually large drop in sales for December that worried so many people. Economists note the delay may reflect a processing of tax refunds. Earlier filers saw smaller refunds under the new tax law. Cold and wet weather could have hurt sales. Online sales rose just under 1 percent.
BRIGGS: Today, the Senate will take steps toward using the so-called nuclear option to speed confirmation of presidential nominees. It's not clear when the actual detonation, so to speak will take place. The change will limit debate on nominees below cabinet and Supreme Court level. Republicans plan to use the nuclear option to change rules by a simple majority vote instead of the typical 60-vote threshold.
ROMANS: Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeting this, the president's nominees deserve due consideration in the Senate. Democratic partisan obstruction needs to stop. Now, that does not jive with what he used to believe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: It's the Senate's constitutional right to act as a check on a president and withhold his consent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: That was Mitch McConnell in 2016. He, of course, blocked President Obama's Supreme Court pick Merrick Garland saying it was an election year and voters would decide at the polls.
BRIGGS: Why Merrick Garland trended on Twitter all day.
Baltimore's Democratic mayor, Catherine Pugh, taking an indefinitely leave of absence citing a battle with pneumonia. The announcement comes as she faces a scandal over a major purchase of a children's book she wrote.
Republican Governor Larry Hogan asking the state prosecutor to investigate the sales of tens of thousands of copies of "Healthy Holly' to the University of Maryland Medical System. The health system bought the books while Pugh was a member of its board. The medical system has paid Pugh half a million dollars since 2011 to author books for Baltimore school children. Pugh recently returned $100,000, cancelling the book deal, and resigned from the health system board.
ROMANS: Measles cases in the United States soaring to their second highest level since the disease was eliminated in the year 2000. A total of 387 individual cases have been confirmed in 15 states from January to March 28.
Now, the Centers for Disease Control says six outbreaks, defined as three or more cases are ongoing in California, New Jersey, New York, and Washington state. They are being linked to travelers who brought measles back from other countries.
Officials in Rockland County, New York, banned children from public places last week, trying to contain the threat.
BRIGGS: Stunning news from one of the most storied programs in college basketball. The University of North Carolina placing its Hall of Fame women's coach and her assistants on paid administrative leave. The school says it's due to issues raised by student athletes and others.
Officials say a law firm will lead a thorough and prompt review of the program's culture. Sylvia Hatchell, head coach of the women's team, has been at UNC for 33 seasons. She was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. Hatchell says in a statement from her attorney general, she will cooperate fully with the review.
A legend, a thousand wins but no theories about the wrongdoing:
ROMANS: Another legend, a TV legend, Deborah Norville, a viewer may have given life saving advice to her. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBORAH NORVILLE, HOST, "INSIDE EDITION": An "Inside Editor" viewer reached out to say she had seen something on my neck, it was a lump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: More on Norville's diagnosis, next.
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[04:43:44] ROMANS: Big first quarter fundraising efforts are coming in, and two Democrats blowing the lid off expectations when it comes to the 2020 election. Senator Kamala Harris collecting $12 million for her presidential bid. Pete Buttigieg raking in 7 million. This is according to their respective campaigns.
The haul by Buttigieg is particularly impressive given his lack of name recognition. As CNN political analyst Ryan Lizza points out, he is a mayor of a city of 100,000 and had 159,000 donors. She is a U.S. senator and she had 218,000 donors.
BRIGGS: Meanwhile, Joe Biden fending off another accusation of inappropriate conduct from a female accuser. Amy Lappos telling the "Hartford Courant" Biden pulled her close to rub noses with her. He was vice president at the time. A Biden spokesperson referred CNN to a statement the former vice president issued on Sunday claiming: Never did I believe I acted inappropriately.
ROMANS: Several influential women coming out in support of Biden. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi telling reporters she does no believe the allegations disqualify Biden from becoming president. Senator Dianne Feinstein, telling CNN's Manu Raju: he's a tactile person, he grabs you, he holds your arm, that kind of thing. That's it.
[04:45:01] BRIGGS: Meghan McCain, whose father was a close friend of Biden's, tweeting: Joe Biden is one of the truly decent and compassionate men in all of American politics. I wish there was more empathy from our politicians, not less.
Also actress and #metoo activist, Alyssa Milano, the same Alyssa Milano who sat behind Christine Blasey Ford when she testified at Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearing says: I'm proud to call Joe Biden a friend, I have been fortunate to accompany him to events with survivors where he has listened to their stories, empathized with them and comforted them.
ROMANS: All right. Four people found dead at a North Dakota business and police are investigating this as a multiple homicide. The bodies of three men and a woman discovered early Monday morning at RJR maintenance and management in Mandan, that's near Bismarck. Police say it's unclear how they died. They believe this is an isolated incident. RJR which manages properties posted a short statement on its Facebook that reads, we will be closed today.
BRIGGS: One person injured when a car crashed into a huge concrete railing that fell from an overpass in Chattanooga, Tennessee. These frightening pictures from what state transportation department officials call a once in a lifetime accident. Two interstate ramps shut down at one of the busiest intersections in the country, I-25 west, and I-75 North split. The overpass bridge built in 1959 was last suspected in July 2018. Officials say permanent repairs will take weeks.
ROMANS: Putting a spotlight on America's infrastructure there, folks.
All right. "Inside Edition" host Deborah Norville says she will undergo cancer surgery today, and she has a viewer to thank.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORVILLE: And a long time ago, an "Insider Edition" viewer reached out to say she had seen something on my neck. It was a lump. Well, I had never noticed the thing, but I did have it checked out. The doctor said it was nothing, a thyroid nodule.
And for years it was nothing, until recently it was something.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: She says that something was a cancerous lump. It is localized and she will not require chemotherapy. She asked viewers for prayers, both for her, and her surgeon.
All right. Amazon is slashing prices on hundreds of products at Whole Foods again. CNN Business has the details on how much you will save, next.
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[04:51:47] ROMANS: All right. A major political setback for Turkey's president, Recep Erdogan. His party losing control of the Turkish capital of Ankara in a local election fight. Preliminary results also show the opposition narrowly ahead of Erdogan's justice and development party in Istanbul. That's the country's, you know, largest city.
Erdogan has dominated Turkish politics since becoming prime minister back in 2003, and defeating Istanbul would be particularly stinging. That's where Erdogan launched his political career as mayor in the 1990s. The president says there are lessons to be learned from mistakes in this election.
BRIGGS: More gridlock on Brexit with ten days to go until what could be a no deal departure from the E.U. Members of parliament voting on number of alternatives, the British Prime Minister Theresa May's withdrawal deal, but none got a majority.
CNN's Nic Robertson live for us at 10 Downing Street in London this morning.
Nic, front page story in the "New York Times" about the economy already pulling back, jobs going elsewhere, banks making preparations. But are we any closer to a deal or a no deal?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: We're not. Right now, the cabinet is in session. It's called a political session. They began doing it about an hour or so ago.
That meeting began perhaps a half hour ago, political because none of the senior civil servants are sitting beside the ministers because this isn't about running government departments. It is about the politics of where we are right now, and that is a divided cabinet for Theresa May, based on what she heard last night. No votes on all of those issues that were supposed to be indicative of the options going forward from a customs union to a Norway type arrangement, to a second referendum. All of those rejected.
So, Theresa May today has a cabinet split. Those who are pressuring her and they're in the majority of the moment, pressuring her to leave the European Union next Friday without a deal, with all the impact that would have on business in the U.K. and Europe, and those others within her cabinet that are pressuring her to go for a longer extension, perhaps bolting on to something like the customs union which lost by three votes in that indicative vote last night. It's not clear where this is going to end today.
The possibility of resignations from within the cabinet, a possibility of a snap election, the task for the prime minister having to decide, going down to the line at some point over the next ten days before Britain is supposed to leave the European Union. Something will have to become clear, some clarity maybe later today. We have said that before.
BRIGGS: We have indeed, the closer we get, the murkier this one gets. Nic Robertson live for us in London, thanks.
ROMANS: All right. Global stocks are mostly high after strong manufacturing data from China. You can see Shanghai in particular and Hong Jong having decent sessions with Tokyo closing a little bit lower.
On Wall Street here, futures are slightly slower, a direction list after what was a very good day. Markets finished strong on the first day of the second quarter. The Dow up nearly 330 points, that's more than a percent. That's the highest close since October for the Dow. The S&P 500 up more than 1 percent, the Nasdaq up better.
[04:55:03] Today, by the way, is something called Equal Pay Day. This symbolizes how far into the year women have to work to earn what men earned in the previous year, when you look on average at the pay disparity between men and women, today is the day women caught up with men from last year on average.
All right. Saudi Aramco is the world's most profitable company. The Saudi oil company made $11 billion last year according to Moody's. It is the first public disclosure of earnings by Aramco in the decades that it's been owned by the Saudi government.
For comparison, Apple, the world's most profitable public company made $59.4 billion last year, just over half as much as Aramco. Aramco planned to go public would have been the largest initial public offering ever but the offer never happened.
Amazon is slashing prices on hundreds of products at Whole Foods for the third time in two years, price cuts go into effect tomorrow, mostly focusing on produce here. Amazon and Whole Foods said customers will save an average of 20 percent on select items, including greens, tomatoes and fruits.
Amazon has tried to revamp Whole Foods whole paycheck image since it bought the grocery brand two years ago. Prices have risen for three straight months.
Meanwhile, Walmart and Costco, they have lowered their prices, putting pressure on Amazon. There's a big fight in that space.
Burger King has a plan to bring in new customers vegetarian whoppers. Think about that for a moment. This is not an April fool's joke. Burger King announced Monday it would launch the Impossible Whopper, made with plant based patties with impossible foods this week. The burger will be tested in 59 locations in the St. Louis area. If all goes well, Burger King will roll out the Impossible Whopper nationally.
Burger King is not the first place to try impossible projects. They served up at nearly 6,000 U.S. restaurants, including White Castle and Fat Burger locations. It makes me so hungry to talk about burgers, vegetarian or otherwise, at 5:00 a.m.
BRIGGS: You got a meatless burger --
ROMANS: Yes.
BRIGGS: It did sound like an April Fool's joke.
ROMANS: It did.
BRIGGS: But I hear they're actually --
ROMANS: My producer says that it's real.
BRIGGS: Yes.
All right. An April nor'easter will hit New England tonight and tomorrow.
Meteorologist Ivan Cabrera with the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN CABRERA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, guys. Good morning.
We're tracking a coastal low, in fact, about a month ago, this should be a bone fide snow event. I think some of us could see snowfall as a result as the low continues to move up the coast, tonight into tomorrow, for interior New England. For the Southeast and the mid- Atlantic, Carolinas we're talking heavy rain. But it's also going to be accompanied with wind. This will be a coastal storm, aka, nor'easter right.
And notice right here on the western edge of it, especially the hills of Massachusetts, Connecticut getting in on a little bit of snowfall, and that would be kind of a wet snow heading into tonight into early Wednesday. But right along the 95 corridor, it is going to be rain and it's going to be gusty winds and I think that will be an issue with the airports as we head through tomorrow morning.
Look at the warm up, we woke up with 20s and 30s on Monday. So, this is an improvement. High temperatures back into the 50s and 60s, and that warming trend will continue over the next several days. So, that Atlanta, back into the 70s, we're pushing 70 degrees in D.C. through the middle part of the week -- guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Thanks for that, Ivan.
All right. On this morning, after news from the April fools files, Tom Brady joins Twitter Monday, and in his first tweet announced he was retiring, and followed up with is this a bad joke. Clearly, the New England Patriots were not amused. The team responding with a GIF of Steve Carell on his days in "The Office".
Then there was a former FBI director, James Comey, tweeting this photo with a message: I'm in, we need someone in the middle, #2020, and adding, could you imagine a president who used this website to make dad jokes rather than to hurl insults? With the #votedem2020.
BRIGGS: Georgia Congressman John Lewis in April Fool's announcements told he planned to grow a beard to avoid being mistaken for Congressman Elijah Cummings. His statement noting, it comes after years of baldist press reports that confused the two famously clean shaven African-American members of Congress.
McDonald's unveiling its newest menu item, the mcpickle burger, stuck with pickles layered between melted cheese, ketchup sauce, and toasted sesame seed buns.
And finally, the U.S. Open announced the issuance of puppies to its ballperson team from the 2019 tournament. They say all breeds are welcome, and that one in particular social media said that's a pretty good idea. I watch that.
ROMANS: Anybody get you on April Fool's yesterday?
BRIGGS: No.
ROMANS: No, me either.
BRIGGS: No dice.
ROMANS: All right.
EARLY START continues right now.
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BRIGGS: Democrats ready to yield subpoena power. Security clearance, the unredacted Mueller report topping the agenda.
ROMANS: Breaking overnight, a stampede at a memorial for rapper Nipsey Hussle. Police have now named a suspect in his murder.
BRIGGS: Another pivot from the president on health care.
END
