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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen Resigns; Trump Names McAleenan as Acting DHS Secretary; Larry Kudlow: Threat of Tariffs on Mexican Cars is a Warning that Should Be Heeded; Kudlow Defends Trump's Federal Reserve Nominations; U.S. Tourist Kidnapped in Uganda Freed; White House Fights the Release of Trump's Taxes; Democrats Seek Six Years of Trump's Tax Returns; Obama Says He's Concerned About Rigidity of Party Progressives; Cory Booker Raises $5.1 Million in Donations; Buttigieg Calls Out VP Pence at LGBTQ Fundraiser in Washington; American Airlines Cancels 737 Max Flights into June; Boeing Announces 737 Production Cut from 52 to 42 Per Month; DNA Proves a Man Who Claimed to Be Timmothy Pitzen was a Fraud; Three Killed in Phoenix Fire Truck Crash; Lawmakers Blocked from Migrant Children Facility; Motel 6 to Pay $12 Million to Settle Lawsuit; Illinois Raises Age for Tobacco Purchases; Scientists Capture a 17- Foot Long Python in Florida; Texas Tech Versus Virginia for National Title Tonight; Baylor Wins Women's National Championship. Aired 5- 5:30a ET
Aired April 08, 2019 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:00] DAVE BRIGGS, CO-HOST, EARLY START: Is on the way --
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CO-HOST, EARLY START: A good one here --
BRIGGS: And that is all day sports is --
ROMANS: Right --
BRIGGS: In the downside --
ROMANS: Good morning and welcome to EARLY START, I'm Christine Romans --
BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs, 4:59 Eastern Time, Monday, April 8th, good everyone, we start with the breaking news out of the nation's capital. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, she is out. Nielsen has become the face of the president's hard line stance on immigration.
They were together at the border on Friday, but he has become increasingly frustrated with the crisis at the border and the growing number of migrants from Central America. Apprehension is almost a 100,000 by the way last month. Just days ago, the president abruptly withdrew the nomination of Ron Vitiello to head up ICE and he cut aid to Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala for failing to extend the tide of migrants.
ROMANS: A senior administration official tells CNN Nielsen quote, "believed the situation was becoming untenable with the president making unreasonable and even impossible requests." One person close to Nielsen says she felt in limbo for the last week, and it wasn't her choice to leave. For more, we turn to White House correspondent Boris Sanchez.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Dave and Christine, a source close to Kirstjen Nielsen tells CNN that she did not resign willingly. We are told that she was under pressure from President Trump to hand in her resignation letter. We're also told that she didn't fight to try to keep the job and she didn't grovel or beg the president to stay in her post as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
We understand that Nielsen came to this Sunday meeting at the White House not expecting to have to resign, but prepared to do so. In fact, I want to read you a portion of her resignation letter. Listen to this, quote, "despite her progress in reforming homeland security for a new age, I have determined that it is the right time for me to step aside.
I hope that the next secretary will have the support of Congress and the courts in fixing the laws which have impeded our ability to fully secure America's borders and which have contributed to discord in our nation's discourse. Our country and the men and women of DHS deserve to have all the tools and resources they need to execute the mission entrusted to them. I can say with confidence, our homeland is safer than when I joined the administration."
A White House official told me that frustration was mounting on the White House's side as well. They said quote, "it's about time. I'm told that President Trump was rarely happy with Nielsen's work. She was brought in at the behest of former Chief of Staff John Kelly, and when he left the administration in December, the door was open for her to be replaced.
But I'm told that President Trump was happy with her performance during negotiating sessions over the government shut down with Democrats, but ultimately that faded away and the president wanted to restart -- wanted her to restart button on his Department of Homeland Security deciding to force Kirstjen Nielsen to resign. Dave and Christine?
ROMANS: All right, Boris, the White House thank you for that. Nielsen says she will stay on the job at DHS until Wednesday to ensure orderly transition. President Trump announcing Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan and will become acting DHS Secretary.
That presents a bit of a problem, McAleenan's appointment skips over acting DHS deputy Secretary Claire Grady who is legally next in line for the post. So, she will have to go in order for McAleenan to assume the role.
BRIGGS: If McAleenan becomes temporary DHS Secretary, there would be five acting cabinet level officials, that's a quarter of the cabinet. A source tells CNN's Pamela Brown, one of the reasons Nielsen stayed on the job this long was to repair her image. She felt she had become the face of the administration's child separation's policy, even though that was a Jeff Sessions' idea.
Over the weekend, we learned that could take up to two years to identify potentially thousands of additional immigrant families that U.S. authorities separated at the southern border. And late last night, more threats by the president to shut down the border, tweeting "Mexico must apprehend all illegals or we will have no other choice. Our country is full."
ROMANS: President Trump threatening tariffs on Mexican autos, if Mexico doesn't keep Central American migrants out of the U.S. A head scratcher, since the new trade deal, the president signed with Mexico, USMCA removes tariffs. Economic adviser Larry Kudlow downplayed the contradiction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KUDLOW, WHITE HOUSE ECONOMIC ADVISER: He is saying if need be, he may have to take emergency steps to deal with that. He is not about to do it, he's pulled back a wee bit, he's just issuing a warning, and if you know this president as I do, you better listen to him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Trump said Friday, he would override that pending USMCA deal to impose a 25 percent tariff on Mexican cars taxes on auto parts, could have a crippling effect, nearly every U.S. car is built using foreign parts. Kudlow also defended Trump's controversial nomination to the Federal Reserve Board.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KUDLOW: President Trump has every right to put people on the Federal Reserve board with a different point of view. He wants people on the Fed who share his philosophy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he is --
KUDLOW: This is not a political issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:05:00] ROMANS: Several economists and business leaders have expressed concerns that Stephen Moore and Herman Cain are not the most qualified candidates. They worry the president wants to pack the independent Fed with loyalists.
BRIGGS: From concern to big relief as an American tourist and her guide are returned alive. They were abducted in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park last week. These pictures capture just moments after Kimberly Endicott and her guide were rescued from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Officials say the handover was quiet and peaceful and both are in good health. Reports say a ransom was paid for their release by the tour company Wild Frontiers. Now, governments avoid paying ransom often fearful they will encourage more kidnappings.
At this point, it's not clear who the kidnappers are or who they worked for. And whether Endicott was targeted because she's American. The U.S. military did provide support to Ugandan security forces, including intelligence and surveillance.
ROMANS: All right, the White House is prepared to fight the release of the president's taxes. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal has already requested six years of Mr. Trump's personal returns. He is citing a little known part of the tax code in his request to the IRS.
Neal is also asking for tax returns from eight of the president's business entities. But acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney says that is not going to happen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be clear, you believe Democrats will never see the president's tax returns.
MICK MULVANEY, ACTING CHIEF OF STAFF: Oh, no, never, nor should they. Keep in mind that's an issue that was already litigated during the election. Voters knew the president could have given his tax returns, they knew that he didn't and they elected him anyway.
Which of course is what drives the Democrats crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: President Trump did lose the popular vote. The president's story of course is different than that. He insists he can't release his returns because, well, he's still being audited. That's a claim that has never been verified. He said it since early 2016. You can be sure Democrats are looking into it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DAN KILDEE (D), MICHIGAN: We are looking very carefully right now as to whether or not the IRS is properly auditing and enforcing tax law on the president of the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Trump Attorney Jay Sekulow says Democrats have no legitimate legislative purpose for pursuing the president's tax returns, and he insists there's no legal requirement for a president to release them.
ROMANS: A blunt warning for Democrats from Barack Obama. The 2020 candidates have played nice so far, but as they start jockeying for position on policy and other matters, he worries they could end up taking each other down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One of the things I do worry about sometimes among progressives in the United States, maybe it's true here as well, is a certain kind of rigidity where we say I'm sorry, this is how it's going to be, and then we start sometimes creating what's called a circular firing squad where you start shooting at your allies because one of them is straying from purity on the issues.
And when that happens, typically the overall effort and movement weakens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Senator Cory Booker's fundraising numbers released this weekend, his $5.1 million haul falling short of most candidates reporting so far, including South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
BRIGGS: A recent surge has vaulted Buttigieg into the national conversation. He appeared over the weekend at an event for a group that supports LGBTQ candidates. The South Bend, Indiana mayor who is gay, using the occasion to call out Vice President Mike Pence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG, SOUTH BEND, INDIANA: My marriage to Charleston(ph) has made me a better man, and yes, Mr. Vice President, it has moved me closer to God.
(APPLAUSE)
Speaking only for myself, I can tell you that if me being gay was a choice, it was a choice that was made far above my pay grade. And that's the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand, that if you've got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Buttigieg says he wants to quote, "change the channel from this mesmerizing horror show that is happening in Washington.
ROMANS: And just so he weaves religion in --
BRIGGS: Often --
ROMANS: Unprompted, he weaves religion in --
BRIGGS: Almost every interview --
ROMANS: All right, Boeing now, more trouble for Boeing this morning. American Airlines announcing it is now cancelling flights all the way into early June due to the grounding of the 737 Max. American had already cancelled flights through late April.
[05:10:00] It says that by protectively -- proactively rather, cancelling more flights, it can better rebook for people. The airline has 24 737 Max jets in its fleet. Boeing now says it is cutting back production on all 737s and from 52 a month to 42. The 737 Max was grounded indefinitely worldwide after those two fatal crashes killed 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
BRIGGS: All right, ahead, his son went missing nearly eight years ago, now, after a false sighting, James Pitzen says some good may have come of last week's hoax.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES PITZEN, FATHER OF TIMMOTHY PITZEN: Exposure will help get his face right back out there. He's alive somewhere, I know he is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: We are now hearing from the father of Timmothy Pitzen; the boy who went missing in Illinois nearly 8 years ago. James Pitzen tells "NBC News", there may be an upside to the hoax last week by a 23-year-old man who claimed to be his son.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PITZEN: Exposure will help him get his face right back out there. He's alive somewhere. I know he is. You can't give up hope. As soon as you give up hope, then what should I do, declare him dead? I mean, I'm not going to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[05:15:00] BRIGGS: Timmothy would be 14 years old now, he went missing when his mother took him out of school, brought him to a motel and ultimately killed herself. Last week, the man claiming to be Timmothy surfaced in Kentucky, but DNA test proved he was a fraud.
ROMANS: Horrific accident in Phoenix leaves three people dead including a six-month-old baby. Authorities say a fire truck en route to a structure fire on Sunday morning collided with a Pickup. An adult man and woman in the Pickup were killed along with the baby. The cause of the accident under investigation.
Reports say the fire truck had its lights and sirens on, three firefighters were taken to the hospital, they are said to be in stable condition.
BRIGGS: Three members of Congress say the Trump administration is blocking their access to a Homestead, Florida, facility housing unaccompanied migrant children. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Donna Shalala and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell all represents South Florida. They say a new law entitles them to get in.
The Department of Health and Human Services confirms access is being denied, they say a two-week notification is required before any visit. The government announced last week the center will expand its capacity from 2,350 beds to 3,200. The congresswoman say that expansion merits immediate scrutiny.
ROMANS: Motel 6 will pay $12 million to settle a lawsuit after several locations provided guest lists to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Between 2015 and 2017, seven Motel 6 locations in Washington State shared personal information, violating guests' expectation of privacy.
The State Attorney General's office says the disclosures resulted in ICE investigating many guests with Latino-sounding names. A Motel 6 spokesperson confirms the settlement and says the chain would continue to enforce its guest privacy policy.
BRIGGS: Illinois is raising the legal age for purchasing Tobacco products. Governor J.B Pritzker signing legislation Sunday that raises the legal age from 18 to 21. The new law takes effect July 1st. Illinois joins a growing list of states adopting tobacco 21 policies.
New laws are already in effect in six states, they are set to take effect in four additional, including Illinois. Teen smoking rates have declined over the years, but public health advocates warn the popularity of vaping threatens to reverse all that progress.
ROMANS: Right, that right there is one colossal snake. Scientists just captured a record-length python in Florida. The Burmese python is one of the largest snake species in the world. This one, a female was more than 17 feet long, she weighed 140 pounds and had 73 developing eggs.
This is the largest python ever found and removed from the big Cyprus National Reserve, this is near Miami. Now, Rangers credit research and new tracking technology. They think Judas snakes
BRIGGS: Judas snakes --
ROMANS: They use male pythons with radio transmitters to locate the breeding females. So instead of killing the males, they found that maybe they could let the males lead them to the big mamas with all the eggs, and I don't know what happened to that snake. I mean, there isn't --
BRIGGS: Yes, we don't --
ROMANS: There's -- they do euthanize these things. There's a program in South Florida that started I think last year, two years ago --
BRIGGS: Put that thing in a zoo, I'll go see that --
ROMANS: It's big --
BRIGGS: But the guy will bring you down, ladies --
ROMANS: She is big --
BRIGGS: We will bring you --
ROMANS: Oh, yes --
BRIGGS: Down, ultimately -- ROMANS: Never trust the boyfriend.
BRIGGS: That's a lesson. Virginia versus Texas Tech, the winner will wear the college basketball crown for the first time. Andy Scholes has a championship preview in the "BLEACHER REPORT" live from Minneapolis.
[05:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRIGGS: And then there were two. The NCAA tournament all goes down to nine. Texas Tech taking on Virginia for the championship. Andy Scholes live out with the final four in Minneapolis with more on the BLEACHER REPORT, good morning my friend. Tight one and a half point spread Virginia, you got them.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS REPORTER: Yes, well, we're hoping for a good game on the way tonight, Dave, neither -- no matter who wins, we're going to see some history, right? Because neither Texas Tech or Virginia have ever won a men's college basketball championship. And for Texas Tech, this would be huge because they never won a men's championship of any kind.
The only team sports title they have to their name was a women's basketball title, and that was way back in 1993, and that team still so revered in Lubbock, Texas, that they named a freeway after their coach Marsha Sharp. Now, unfortunately, some of the students at Texas Tech are not accustomed to handling the success yet after Saturday's big win.
Some of them were setting fires and turning over cars near campus. And I asked the Red Raiders team yesterday on what they thought about those images and what message they have for their fellow students going forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[05:25:00] MATT MOONEY, GUARD, TEXAS TECH: Don't burn down Lubbock, you know, before we can get back. You know, I just hope nobody is hurt, but you know, I heard it was crazy out there.
JARRETT CULVER, GUARD, TEXAS TECH: It's one of the moments you don't do nothing crazy, but I mean keep the city there for us when we get back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Calm down, it seems like they're losing their minds. Sometimes you just have to like chill out a little bit. I'm glad that they're having fun, but like I said, they've got to kick out, calm down a little bit, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm a little bit scared.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: Now, Virginia meanwhile trying to complete one of their biggest redemption stories in sports history. They were the joke of the tournament last year, becoming the first team ever to lose their 16-seed, but they continued to lose that and use that embarrassment as motivation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYLE GUY, VIRGINIA GUARD: Well, I just think with what happened last year, everyone had a -- everyone has their why? But now we all have the same why? Not every team use opportunity to experience a hardship like that together. So I think it brought us closer together. Obviously, coach talks about how it made him a better coach.
And I have said it multiple times, it made me a better player and a better person, so, you know, we just had to -- the same goal in mind, that we're willing to do anything to obtain it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCHOLES: All right, you may want to mix in a nap at some point today. The championship game, a late one, Red Raiders and Cavaliers tip off 9:20 Eastern. The women's championship meanwhile taking place last night in Tampa, Notre Dame looking for back-to-back titles, taking on Baylor, this one an absolute nail biter under ten seconds to go.
Chloe Jackson going to get the lay up to go, Baylor would win 82-81 as their third national title in school history, first since 2012. And if Texas Tech wins tonight, that means for the first time since the women's tournament came around, the big 12 conference would own both --
BRIGGS: Wow --
SCHOLES: Basketball championships. How about that, Dave? And you know --
BRIGGS: Yes --
SCHOLES: I lived in Lubbock, Texas, for three years, Dave, I am mildly concerned for the city if the Red Raiders win tonight because now we saw --
BRIGGS: Mildly?
SCHOLES: What happened Saturday, yes, it could be a wild scene.
BRIGGS: I think there were four cars flipped over, I saw some tweeting that they felt they had broken a record. Come on, kids, just have a good time out there. Andy Scholes, 16 hours from now --
SCHOLES: Oh, no --
BRIGGS: That game tips, you need a nap, too, my friend, so go catch one. Romans, what's coming up?
SCHOLES: Oh, it will happen.
BRIGGS: All right, man --
ROMANS: All right, thanks, guys. What's coming up, President Trump fortifying his tough stance on the border. The Homeland Security Secretary has paid the price, Kirstjen Nielsen forced to resign.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
