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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

White House Staffer: 25 Security Clearance Denials Overruled; Stamped at Nipsey Hussle Memorial; Trump Punts Health Care Until 2020; UNC Women's Coach and Staff Put on Leave; John Calipari Agrees to Lifetime Contract with Kentucky. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired April 02, 2019 - 05:00   ET

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

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Democrats ready to yield subpoena power. Security clearance, the unredacted Mueller report topping the agenda.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking overnight, a stampede at a memorial for rapper Nipsey Hussle.

[05:00:02] 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.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

Good morning.

BRIGGS: Good morning. Good morning to all of you. I'm Dave Briggs. It is Tuesday, April 2nd, 5:00 a.m. in the east.

We start in the nation's capitol where House Democrats turning to subpoenas to obtain information on two critical fronts, security clearances and the Mueller report. First on those clearances, a White House whistleblower tells 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 has worked with Republican and Democratic investigations.

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.

Now, a source tells CNN both Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are on the list of 25. Important to note here, 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 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: 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 is sending a subpoena even though Kline's attorney says his client is willing to be interviewed voluntarily.

ROMANS: And now to the Mueller report. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler is finalizing a subpoena for the full unredacted version. Nadler is not saying whether the subpoena will actually be issued before the Attorney General William Barr releases a redacted report. That's expected to happen later this month. Now, 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 that 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.

BRIGGS: 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 spotted in a 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 panic and chaos. Reports of shots fired do not appear to be accurate. ROMANS: At least 19 people are being treated at hospitals, two are in

critical condition, and at least one person was hurt after a car hit them. L.A. police briefly went on tactical alert, responded to the scene with riot gear and batons, rocks and bottles were thrown at officers, injuring one officer. At least one person has been detained for disorderly conduct. Nipsey Hussle was killed Sunday in a shooting near a 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.

President Trump now pivoting on health care again. He now says a new Republican health care plan will not be introduced until after the 2020 election. He insists Republicans are hard at work on a plan to replace Obamacare, even though there's zero evidence another plan is on the way.

BRIGGS: 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. The administration reversed course last week, and agreed with the Texas judges 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.

[05:05:03] ROMANS: All right. No one seems to know whether President Trump plans to follow through on his threat to close the border with Mexico. Even the White House admits it's anyone's guess. Presidential adviser Stephen Miller is telling surrogates Mr. Trump has not decided yet. Mueller says it depends on how the week goes.

The president vowed to act this week if Mexico does not step up and stop all illegal immigration. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is bowing out of a G7 meeting in Paris to deal with the situation at the southern border.

BRIGGS: Administration officials telling CNN a border shut down could be catastrophic and doubt how realistic it is to shut down parts of the border. A growing number of migrant families are surrendering to U.S. border agents in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. Customs officials say they are doing their best in a bad situation especially for young children caught up in the crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAUL ORTIZ, DEPUTY CHIEF PATROL AGENT: We are doing everything we can in our power to ensure that they're safe. That's all. We want to let them know they're safe now.

I'm father. I'm a grandfather. Somebody needs to do something about this. This goes on each and every day. Our officers are dealing with this each and every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: The White House is considering appointed a border or immigration czar to oversee efforts to contain and manage the migrant surge, closing the border could drive more undocumented immigrants to cross illegally between legal ports of entry.

ROMANS: An economic calamity, that's what the Chamber of Commerce says would happen if the president shuts the border with Mexico. The chamber says it would tank markets and hurt the U.S. economy even if it were just a short period of time.

Here's what at stake: trucks and railroads carrying $1.7 billion in goods every single day back and forth across the border supporting 5 million American jobs. U.S. manufacturers have supply chains that crisscross the U.S., Canada and Mexico, imports of auto parts, computer hardware, produce like avocados, strawberries and mangoes would suffer. The U.S. would run out in three weeks.

The chamber also notes U.S. exports more to Mexico than it does to China. Think about that, we export more to Mexico than we did to China, and those imports from Mexico are things like parts and tools that feed America's factories.

This president, though, has a very simplistic view of trade. Imports are bad, trade deficit means the U.S. is losing money.

That's a bad thing. The U.S. ran a trade deficit last year of $81 billion with Mexico. Now, American manufacturers and farmers are reeling from higher costs because of tariffs and retaliatory tariffs from China. This could make that worse.

BRIGGS: Two competing disaster relief bills failing to make it through the Senate. The first proposal from Republicans voted down. Democrats argued it did not provide enough aid for Puerto Rico. President Trump tweeting the people of Puerto Rico are great but the politicians are incompetent or corrupt. Their government can't do anything right.

ROMANS: The second measure passed the Democratic controlled House months ago but failed narrowly in the Senate. Republicans criticizing it for not including enough flood relief money for the Midwest. Members of both parties now in a precarious spot. They are open to attacks from the opposing party for blocking much needed disaster aid.

BRIGGS: Boeing 737 MAX jets will remain grounded for weeks. The FAA announcing the plane manufacturer needs more time to work on a software fix. It was supposed to be submitted last week but we're told Boeing concluded additional work is needed.

Boeing is not saying why it's time line for the software fix changed but an aviation source tells CNN the company discovered an additional piece to address in the final review of the new software. The 737 MAX fleet is grounded worldwide after similar crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people in a five-month span.

ROMANS: Baltimore's Democratic mayor, Catherine Pugh, taking an indefinitely leave of absence. She is 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. Now, 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 returned $100,000, and cancelled the book deal, and resigned from the health system board.

BRIGGS: 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 now been confirmed in 15 states from January 1st to March 28th. In many cases, they're being linked to travelers who brought measles back from other countries.

The outbreaks casting a spotlight on the anti-vacs movement. Experts say it has lowed vaccination rates, enough in some areas that threaten so-called herd immunity that protects everyone.

[05:10:02] Officials in Rockland County, New York, banned unvaccinated people from public places last week to help contain the threat.

ROMANS: Stunning news for one of the most storied programs in college basketball, the University of North Carolina has placed its hall of fame women's coach and her assistants on paid administrative leave. Now, the school says it's due to, quote, issues raised by student athletes and others. Officials say a law firm will lead a thorough and prompt review of that 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 through her attorney, she will cooperate fully with that review.

BRIGGS: No real theories about what's behind it all.

ROMANS: Not yet, no.

BRIGGS: Ahead, a viewer may have given life saving advice to "Inside Edition" host Deborah Norville.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBORAH NORVILLE, HOST, "INSIDE EDITION": An "Inside Edition" viewer reached out to say she had seen something on my neck, it was a lump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: More on Norville's diagnosis, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:15:08] ROMANS: All right. Important news on fundraising numbers. Two Democrats blowing the lid off expectations when it comes to the 2020 election. Senator Kamala Harris collecting $12 million. Pete Buttigieg raking in $7 million, according to their respective campaigns. Now, the haul by Buttigieg is particularly impressive given his lack

of name recognition. As CNN political analyst Ryan Lizza points out, look, he's mayor of a city of $100,000, and 159,000 donors. She, Kamala Harris, a U.S. senator with 40 million constituents and 218,000 donors.

BRIGGS: Meanwhile, Joe Biden fending off another accusation of inappropriate conduct from a female accuser. Amy Lappos telling her Biden pulled her close to rub noses with her in 2009 fundraiser in Greenwich, Connecticut. 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 tells reporters she does not believe the allegations disqualify the Biden from becoming president.

Senator Dianne Feinstein telling Manu Raju: He's a tactile person, he grabs you, holds your arm, that kind of thing, that's it.

BRIGGS: The Census Bureau has prepared two versions of the national survey next year. One includes a highly controversial citizenship question. The other does not. The government says it faces a July 1st deadline for printing the forms. Two federal judges ruled the Trump administration added the "are you a citizen" question improperly and ordered it removed.

ROMANS: Now, the government does not ask citizenship in 70 years. Democrats say asking that question will lower response rates among immigrant households and could result in undercounts that could affect congressional apportionment and federal funding, among other things.

BRIGGS: Tonight, a vigil will be held in Robbinsville, New Jersey, the hometown of a South Carolina college student murdered over the weekend. Samantha Josephson's body was found in a field hours after she got into a vehicle she mistook for her Uber. The 21-year-old died from multiple sharp force injuries. A funeral will be held for Josephson on Wednesday. The suspect identified as Nathaniel David Rowland faces murder and kidnapping charges.

ROMANS: "Inside Edition" host Deborah Norville revealing she will undergo cancer surgery, years after an eagle eye viewer spotted a lump on her neck.

(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: Norville said the lump grew cancerous. She says it was localized and will not require chemo. She asked viewers for prayers both for her and her surgeon.

BRIGGS: Our prayers with her this morning.

Ahead, a school with a rich basketball history offered rich money to John Calipari. He's staying at Kentucky, though. You won't believe for how long. Coy Wire tells us in the 'Bleacher Report".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:22:48] ROMANS: South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg taking a break from exploring a possible White House run to officiate the marriage of a couple just hours before the bride delivered a baby. Mayor Pete says Mary and Gabe approached him with a special request Monday to marry them before the woman's 9:00 a.m. appointment for a C section. Buttigieg recounted the experience, posted the pictures of the wedding and newborn, Jade Catherine Jones (ph), beautiful baby.

Buttigieg says it's moments like this he will miss when his term as mayor comes to an end.

BRIGGS: He doesn't have to stop doing that, right? I don't think.

OK. March Madness for the women, all down to the Final Four. Coy Wire has that story in the "Bleacher Report" this morning.

Good morning, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you.

It all started in the road to Tampa was 64 teams. Now the field is set, Dave. We know two of the top seeds will be advancing.

You have the defending national champs, Notre Dame, they were on their way to disaster. They scored just 26 points in the first half but ended up scoring 26 in the third period alone to a roll to a victory over Stanford. They will now face the giant of UConn and Baylor and Oregon who is going to their very first Final Four.

We have to talk about John Calipari, he was reportedly offered a $48 million deal over six years to become UCLA's head coach. It looks like he is now going to be a member of big Blue Nation for a long time. The school announcing they locked him up to a long-term contract that will ensure he stays in Lexington. The deal reportedly ten-year extension as head coach followed by as a paid ambassador for the rest of his life.

He's already the highest paid coach in college hoops, reportedly making $9.2 million just this season. That's 25 grand a day.

The GOAT has tweeted, Tom Brady finally joined Twitter, doing so on April Fools Day, announcing he's he tiring. He followed by asking if that was a bad joke, and shenanigans continued.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson welcomed to Twitter by super-imposing Tom's face on a viral photo of himself wearing a fanny pack.

[05:25:06] Tom responded, super imposing The Rock's face on his now famous so flattering photo from the 2000 NFL combine, saying it looks like you skipped leg day.

All right. Speaking of The Rock, trending number two on bleacherreport.com, an artist who created a portrait of Dwayne Johnson using a dumbbell as a brush. He's got black paint, uses the edge of the weight for the fine lines, and this artist named Bou Bou Design on Instagram. You can see captures the Rock's likeness in jaw-dropping fashion.

I need to see what he can actually do with a brush, Dave. But that is incredible stuff. More trending news on bleacherreport.com. Check it out.

BRIGGS: What a talent, he got on bicep day too, a great workout and great portrait all in one.

Coy Wire, great story, my friend. Thank you.

Romans, over to you.

ROMANS: That's pretty good.

All right. Twenty-five minutes past the hour, folks. The power of subpoena times two, Democrats want information on security clearances and the unredacted Mueller report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END