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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Attorney General Barr Says A Redacted Mueller Report Is Coming Soon; April Blizzard From Denver Through The Dakotas; Neck-And-Neck Race For Israeli Prime Minister. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired April 10, 2019 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:31:15] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM BARR, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I don't intend at this stage to send the full unredacted report to the committee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The attorney general set to face more questions today about how much of the Mueller report Americans will ever see.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVEN MNUCHIN, TREASURY SECRETARY: I am not afraid of being fired at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump's Treasury secretary insists no one is telling him what to do about releasing the president's tax returns.
ROMANS: Israel's prime minister locked in a virtual tie with the man who wants to replace him in an election that's still too close to call.
BRIGGS: Another bomb cyclone could drop a blizzard from Denver through the Dakotas. Tens of millions under some kind of wind or weather advisory in America today.
ROMANS: Wow.
BRIGGS: And two feet of snow on the way for parts of the Midwest and Central Plains on this April 10th.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Dave Briggs.
ROMANS: I grew up in Iowa and every few years there's one of these crazy April weather events and then in two weeks you're wearing shorts.
BRIGGS: Well --
ROMANS: That's life in the Midwest.
BRIGGS: Eighty in Denver, yesterday; 20s today.
ROMANS: I know, I know.
I'm Christine Romans. Thirty-two minutes past the hour this morning.
We begin though with Attorney General William Barr back on Capitol Hill this morning.
Yesterday, he was grilled by a House subcommittee for hours. Most of the questioning focused on special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. Democrats demanded to know what's in the Mueller report, how much of it Barr will release, and when.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARR: My original timetable of being able to release this by mid- April stands. And so I think that from my standpoint, by the -- within a week, I will be in a position to release the report to the public. I don't intend at this stage to send the full unredacted report to the committee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Barr says there will be four types of redactions in the report, color-coded for convenience. Grand jury material, classified information, material related to ongoing investigations, and what he calls information that harms the privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties.
Barr also refused to say whether he's given the White House a sneak peek at the Mueller report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NITA LOWEY (D-NY): Did the White House see the report before you released your summarizing letter? Has the White House seen it since then? Have they been briefed on the contents beyond what was in your summarizing letter to the Judiciary Committee?
BARR: I've said what I'm going to say about the report today. I'm not going to say anything more about it until the report is out and everyone has a chance to look at it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: House Democrats say they will quickly seek the full Mueller report as soon as they receive Attorney General Barr's redacted version.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JERRY NADLER (D-NY): Congress has need of the entire report, including the grand jury material, including all the -- including everything. And I presume we're going to get the redacted report within a week. When we do so, if we don't get everything, we will issue the subpoena and go to court.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Today is the deadline for the Treasury Department to turn over President Trump's tax returns to Congress.
Treasury Sec. Steven Mnuchin testifying on Capitol Hill, admitting his department has consulted with the White House about the request. That set off a fiery exchange with Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters. Mnuchin insisting no one in the Trump administration is telling him what to do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MNUCHIN: I have had no direct conversations with the president or anybody else in the White House about this. Our legal department has consulted with the White House, as they would and as I believe would be normal.
[05:35:02] That is not taking direction from the White House. I don't view that as interference. It was not specific to the president's -- anything related to the president's tax returns other than the expectation of getting this request.
REP. MAXINE WATERS (D-CA): You're not afraid that you will be fired if, in fact, you release the returns?
MNUCHIN: Well, I'm not afraid of being fired at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Mnuchin and Waters sparring when the Treasury secretary insisted on leaving the hearing. He said he had a prior appointment. More on that exchange later in EARLY START.
BRIGGS: Ooh, I can't wait.
Let's bring in "Washington Post" congressional reporter Karoun Demirjian, a CNN political analyst. Good morning --
ROMANS: Good morning.
BRIGGS: -- to you, Karoun.
KAROUN DEMIRJIAN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Good morning.
BRIGGS: I know you have your popcorn ready though for what's happening today. Bill Barr back on Capitol Hill, Senate Appropriations Committee this time.
Regarding the release of the Mueller report, what question remains unanswered and where does the focus go today? DEMIRJIAN: Well, we're going to see probably more pressure on Attorney General Barr to clarify what his interactions were with the White House, to get more specific about what is actually in that report beyond the summary that he gave, and to give a legal justification for why he's not saying that he's willing to go to a judge and try to get that grand jury material released, which for the Democrats is really key.
I think you'll see a lot of pushback from Barr as you did at the House Appropriations Committee yesterday, but there's some experienced questioners on the Senate Appropriations who are on the Judiciary Committee. That was not a factor yesterday because a lot of the House members that you saw have not been on those panels that are looking into those probes of Trump and various aspects of it.
It will be a different story. You'll have more experienced prosecutors who are more steeped in that information questioning Barr, and so there could be a lot more sparring today.
ROMANS: More sparring. Is there a risk, though, the Democrats are maybe out over their skis and if he says there's going to be a color- coded redacted --
BRIGGS: A "USA Today" version, yes.
ROMANS: -- report that's coming --
DEMIRJIAN: Right, we don't know the colors.
ROMANS: -- coming for them next week, I mean, why not just wait? Why not not push too hard here?
DEMIRJIAN: I think there's a really (sic) urgency. The Democrats are feeling an urgency at this point to try to set the stage for whatever this -- whatever this report may say.
I think they feel that the stage has already been -- the dye has been cast, in a way, because the president has been saying that's it's a complete and total exoneration.
ROMANS: (INAUDIBLE).
DEMIRJIAN: Right. Of course, they do not accept that and it's not even in the letter of what Barr wrote to them -- that it's actually total exoneration.
But there is this preconception already that exists in the public and that will color the way the public digests this report, which is not going to be complete.
We know that there will be redacted information in it. Barr has said so. He has said he's going to be even providing the full story to members of Congress who could then see what's actually been redacted and spin to the public as they interpret the report.
So this is not over and because there will be future issues to debate and futures things to disclose -- at least, in Democrats' estimation of where this is going to go -- there is some value to setting the stage for whatever they receive as maybe not being the full story because those -- these concerns that they are articulating may still be out there.
BRIGGS: The White House, all the while, is focused on one issue and that is immigration and the southern border. Nearly 100,000 apprehensions at the southern border last month alone.
And the president really ratcheting up the rhetoric regarding asylum seekers at the southern border -- listen.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I'll tell you something. Once you don't have it, that's why you see many more people coming. They're coming like it's a picnic because let's go to Disneyland.
President Obama separated children. They had child separation. I was the one that changed it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Asylum seekers headed to Disneyland.
Karoun, where are we headed with the asylum policy and the rhetoric from the president, and the immigration issue as a whole from the White House.
DEMIRJIAN: Yes, the president's spinning his own recent history on this matter given that his administration came under fire for the family separations and for the --
BRIGGS: Yes.
DEMIRJIAN: -- kind of cavalier reaction to the amount of time that they said they were going to take to even identify which kids they were.
The president is also doing an all-out assault right now, at least in terms of his rhetoric, on the asylum system, saying that it should be thrown out and start all over again because he thinks that people are abusing it.
It's certainly a tool that people who arrive at the border can use in order to be able to cross the border because legally, we have to process an asylum claim. But the president's approach has been skip over the judges -- just ignore the process instead of trying to expedite --
BRIGGS: Yes.
DEMIRJIAN: -- that. And so some of the things he's proposing actually could further complicate what he's identified as the problem of asylum seekers at the border instead of addressing it. You can't change the laws that quickly in Congress on anything and especially, on this emotional of an issue. It does not seem likely that there's any will to do what the president says he wants and the more sand he throws at this, the more difficult it actually may be to get through all the processing claims that are arriving every day.
ROMANS: All right.
BRIGGS: What can he get his acting DHS chief to do to circumvent the law or ignore it is the remaining question.
ROMANS: Karoun Demirjian, CNN political --
[05:40:00] DEMIRJIAN: Right, yes.
ROMANS: -- analyst, nice to see you. Thank you for being -- coming up so early for us this morning. Thanks.
BRIGGS: Appreciate it.
DEMIRJIAN: Thank you.
BRIGGS: All right. Next, a bizarre Capitol Hill spat you have to see to believe.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRIGGS: Five forty-four Eastern time.
And another bomb cyclone developing out of the Rockies this morning and that means an April blizzard from Denver all the way through the Dakotas.
Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri tracking it for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Christine and Dave, good morning, guys.
What an incredible pattern here when it comes to the significance in the wide-reaching impacts of this storm system across the Western U.S., the Plains, the Intermountain West. Not only do we have winter weather watches, winter storm warnings, and also blizzard warnings in place, but it even includes the Denver Metro as we go in towards this afternoon and this evening.
[05:45:13] And, of course, blizzard warnings mean blizzard conditions imminent or occurring. We know by the afternoon hours certainly, the likelihood increases there across eastern Colorado and portions of Nebraska, on into Kansas.
But, quiet conditions so far this morning but the elements will come together inside the next 18 to 24 hours. But the perspective across this region, significant snowfall for an extended period. And, of course, the interstates going to be severely impacted by this system. And the band of activity here shifts off towards portions for the Upper Midwest as we go in from Wednesday night into Thursday morning, so that's where the area of interest will be. And, in fact, Minneapolis could see one of its snowiest days for the month of April on record if over seven inches come down, and that's precisely what is in store across portions of Minneapolis.
But notice back around the Dakotas there, into South Dakota, upwards of two feet of snow possible here in the heart of April -- guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right, we'll look forward to that -- or not look forward to that. Thanks so much for that, Pedram.
All right, the race for prime minister of Israel too close to call at this hour. About 97 percent of votes have been counted and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conservative Likud Party is ahead of the former general Benny Gantz's Blue and White Party by less than half a point. Both sides have already claimed victory.
Let's turn to CNN's Michael Holmes. He has been following this election for us. He is live in Jerusalem.
Too close to call, neck-and-neck -- all of those old cliches work here.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, they really are neck- and-neck when it comes to the head-to-head, and it actually could be days though before this all gets sorted out and I'll explain why.
But first of all, you had the bizarre sight of both these leaders, Netanyahu and Gantz, both appearing before their supporters last evening here in Israel claiming victory and doing it with great confidence. But, of course, one of them will be right; the other one will be wrong.
At the moment, Benjamin Netanyahu appearing to have the easier path to forming a coalition. Coalitions is what it's all about in Israeli politics.
Now, Netanyahu is the one who looks like he's going to have enough support from the smaller parties who won seats to get to the magic number of 61.
Benny Gantz, of Blue and White, he could pull a rabbit out of the hat by getting other parties who would traditionally go with Likud to maybe defect to his side. Deals can be done. It is a longshot, though.
It's fair to say Netanyahu favored to win the one-to-one to form a coalition. Not a done deal yet.
Interestingly, too, let's not forget that Benjamin Netanyahu is facing corruption and bribery allegations. They're hanging over him -- a possible indictment coming down the line in the months ahead, which makes it all the more fascinating that he has been elected.
If this was an election that was a referendum on Benjamin Netanyahu and he was still elected and won more seats than he did in 2015 -- well, I guess that referendum went in his favor, Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Michael Holmes in Jerusalem for us. Thank you so much.
BRIGGS: All right. Some major fireworks at a House hearing on Tuesday. Treasury Sec. Steve Mnuchin and Congresswoman Maxine Waters squabbling after Mnuchin insisting on leaving the hearing to keep open a previous appointment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MNUCHIN: I've sat here for over three hours and 15 minutes. I've told you I'll come back. I just don't believe we're sitting here negotiating when I come back. We'll follow up with your office.
How long would you like me to come back for next time? I've told you I'll accommodate you.
WATERS: I appreciate that and I appreciate your reminding us of the length of time other secretaries have been here. This is a new way and it's a new day --
MNUCHIN: Yes, well the --
WATERS: -- and it's a new chair --
MNUCHIN: OK, well --
WATER: -- and I have the gavel at this point. If you wish to leave, you may.
MNUCHIN: And I would just say that the previous -- when the Republicans -- they did not treat the secretary of the Treasury this way. So if this is the way you want to treat me then I'll rethink whether I voluntarily come back here to testify, which I've offered to do.
WATERS: Mr. Secretary, I want you to know that no other secretary has ever told us the day before that they were going to limit their time in the way that you're doing. So if you want to use them as examples, you have acted differently than they have acted. And as I have said, if you wish to leave, you may.
MNUCHIN: If you'd wish to keep me here so that I don't have my important meeting and continue to grill me, then we can do that. I will cancel my meeting and I will not be back here. I will be very clear if that's the way you'd like to have this relationship.
WATERS: Thank you. The gentlemen -- the secretary has agreed to stay to hear all of the rest of the members. Please cancel your meeting --
MNUCHIN: OK, so just let's be clear to the press and to the -- WATERS: -- and respect our time. Who is next on the list?
MNUCHIN: I am canceling my foreign meeting. You're instructing me to stay here and I should cancel my foreign --
WATERS: No, you just made me an offer.
[05:50:00] MNUCHIN: No, I didn't make you an offer.
WATERS: You made me an offer that I accepted.
MNUCHIN: I did not make you an offer -- just let's be clear.
WATERS: Well, you --
MNUCHIN: You're instructing me. You are ordering me to stay here. You can either --
WATERS: No, I'm not ordering you, I'm responding. I said you may leave anytime you want and you said OK, if that's what you want to do I'll cancel my appointment and I'll stay here. So I'm responding to your request. If that's what you want to do --
MNUCHIN: That's not what I want to do. I told you I --
WATERS: What would you like to do?
MNUCHIN: What I've told you is I thought it was respectful that you'd let me leave at 5:15, which is the current period of time --
WATERS: You are free to leave anytime you want. You may go --
MNUCHIN: OK, well then please --
WATERS: -- anytime you want.
MNUCHIN: Please dismiss everybody. I believe you're supposed to take the gravel (sic) and bang it. That's the appropriate --
WATERS: Please do not instruct me as to how I am to conduct this committee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Maxine Waters has been a frequent target of President Trump. He's ridiculed her on Twitter and at campaign rallies.
I think yesterday, between the Ted Lieu and Candace Owens exchange and that, Twitter in Congress officially became one, Romans. They merged.
ROMANS: All right, let's get a check on "CNN Business" and your leading indicator this morning.
Four-dollar gas is nearly a reality for more Americans. New data from AAA shows the average price of gas in California up five percent to $3.83 a gallon in just the last week. The nationwide average is now $2.75. That's up -- look at that -- 11 percent in the last month.
Taking a look at stocks around the world, global markets are mixed this morning on concerns about global growth and new trade tensions between the U.S. and the European Union.
On Wall Street, you've got futures up just slightly here ahead of the release of the Federal Reserve's March minutes.
The Dow fell 190 points Tuesday, again dragged down by Boeing, which lost another 1 1/2 percent. The S&P 500 snapped an 8-day winning streak, closing down a little bit. The Nasdaq declined as well.
All right. Trade is slowing and so is economic growth worldwide. The IMF -- the International Monetary Fund -- is warning the global economy is in what it calls a delicate moment. The IMF cut its growth forecast for the year to 3.3 percent. That's down from 3 1/2 percent.
Now, while growth is slowing, the IMF says a pickup is on the horizon. Growth is expected to recover next year unless policy missteps get in the way.
The organization said, quote, "The main priority is for countries to resolve trade disagreements cooperatively, without raising distortionary barriers that would further destabilize a slowing global economy."
Bank of America employees are getting a raise. The bank announced it's raising its minimum wage to $20.00 an hour for its more than 205,000 employees. Paychecks will climb to a March -- May first and then they'll start climbing -- continue climbing after that until 2021.
U.S. employers are competing in a tight labor market where fewer people are looking for work. The unemployment rate stood at 3.8 percent last month.
Bank of America declined further comment on that wage increase.
I've seen so many industries doing this. You first saw it in retail --
BRIGGS: Yes.
ROMANS: -- Walmart, Gap. All these companies started raising their minimum wage.
And then you saw it in the food service industry. And then you saw some places like New York City demanding that you have $15.00 minimum wages. But these companies are doing it themselves to keep good people.
BRIGGS: Great news in the economy.
Ahead, did Ted Cruz jinx Texas Tech? The tweet that some say cost the team a national championship.
ROMANS: Plus, could Danny and Sandy ride again in a new "Grease" movie?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:57:57] BRIGGS: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz getting ripped on social media but not for his politics.
Texas Tech fans accuse Cruz of jinxing the team's chances of a national title game with this tweet. Cruz posted this selfie in the stands with 35 seconds left in the game and Texas Tech up by one point.
Of course, they went on to lose to Virginia in overtime and it's all Ted Cruz's fault --
ROMANS: All right.
BRIGGS: -- says Twitter.
ROMANS: Says Twitter.
Paramount looking to recapture some greased lightning. A prequel to the classic 1978 musical "Grease" is in the works, titled "Summer Nights."
We will be humming that all day here -- you're welcome.
"The Hollywood Reporter" says the movie will tell the story of how Danny and Sandy, the characters played by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John -- how they met.
A "Grease" sequel tanked at the box office in 1982 so maybe better hopes for a prequel. Fox aired a live version of "Grease" in 2016.
Which Grease character are you?
BRIGGS: I am Danny and you, my friend, are Sandy.
ROMANS: What are Berman and Alisyn?
BRIGGS: Rizzo and Kenickie.
ROMANS: All right, all right.
BRIGGS: That's right. Here's Rizzo and Kenickie with "NEW DAY" right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As it stands, this race is too close to call.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has a pretty clear path. The center-left is looking bleak.
BARR: I don't intend to send the full unredacted report to the committee.
NADLER: If we don't get everything, we will issue the subpoena and go to court.
WATERS: I have the gavel at this point. If you wish to leave, you may.
MNUCHIN: Can you clarify that for me?
WATERS: Yes. Clarify is this.
MNUCHIN: So are this --
WATERS: If you wish to leave, you may.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All that, and there's a "Grease" prequel.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: I know we have a lot of news to get to, but I grab the Rizzo mantle --
BERMAN: Yes.
CAMEROTA: -- and run with it. I'm excited about it.
BERMAN: I don't want to be Kenickie --
CAMEROTA: Why not? Kenickie was great.
BERMAN: He's the worst character in the movie.
CAMEROTA: I liked Kenickie.
BERMAN: The worst. Sid Caesar's a better character in the movie than Kenickie.
CAMEROTA: You can be Sid Caesar.
BERMAN: Yes. I don't want to be Sid Caesar either. I don't want to be either of them. I want to be Danny.
CAMEROTA: All right, we -- obviously, there's a debate.
Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Wednesday, April 10th, 6:00.
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