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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Sources: Trump Wants to Use Migrants to Retaliate Against Democrats; Julian Assange Awaits Extradition to the U.S.; Arrest in Louisiana Church Burnings; Trump Says North Korea Sanctions at Fair Level. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired April 12, 2019 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:01] DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Sources tell CNN President Trump wanted to release detained migrants into sanctuary cities in hopes of hurting Democrats.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Julian Assange facing extradition to the U.S. where more charges could await the WikiLeaks founder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (D-IN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If he wanted to clear this up, he could come out today and say he's changed his mind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg taking on the vice president of the United States and surging in two new 2020 presidential polls.
ROMANS: More legal trouble in Chicago for "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett.
Welcome back to EARLY START, everybody, this Friday morning. I'm Christine Romans.
BRIGGS: Happy Friday, my friend. I'm Dave Briggs. 4:30 Eastern Time.
We start with the ongoing immigration battle. CNN confirming last night the Trump administration pushed the Department of Homeland Security to release detained migrants into so-called sanctuary cities. Sources tell us the aim was partly to retaliate against Democrats who oppose President Trump's plans for a border wall.
The president personally pushed then Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to follow through on the plan. Sources say she resisted. An analysis by DHS lawyers concluded the plan would be illegal. That ultimately killed it. A DHS official confirmed there was such a proposal, telling CNN, quote, "These are human beings, not game pieces."
ROMANS: Meantime, Vice President Pence touring the border in Arizona exclusively with CNN. He says the Trump administration has no plans to return to separating families as a way to deter illegal immigration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The president made it very clear this week we're not rethinking bringing back family separation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Pence's comments contradict multiple sources who tell us the president was considering more extreme measures to enforce a zero tolerance immigration policy. Among the proposals the president considered to deter migrants, once again separating children from their parents at the border.
BRIGGS: Julian Assange in custody in British this morning. Police in London yesterday dragged the WikiLeaks founder out of the Ecuadorian embassy where he's been living for under asylum for seven years under asylum. He's been charged with jumping bail and now awaits extradition by the United States.
For more on the events leading up to the arrest and everything that's happened since, we go live to London and CNN's Isa Soares.
Isa, good morning.
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Dave. That's right, after more than 2,487 days holed up inside the Ecuadorian embassy beside me, Julian Assange has gone from one confined space to another. This time going to a police cell. He's waiting to hear his fate and you'll find out his fate in fact in roughly three weeks on May 2nd. Now he was found guilty as you clearly pointed out on the charge of skipping bail back in 2012, and he could get as much as 12 months in prison, but this charge, this extradition charge on May the 2nd, that's when he'll find out whether indeed he'll go to the United States, and if he does, if he is extradited, he could get as much as five years.
Now the DOJ said this is only one charge, and this relates to him conspiring in 2010 with Chelsea Manning to steal military secrets, and in particular, the DOJ went on to say to assist Manning in cracking it past -- enabled them to get into Pentagon computers that led to that leak of government secrets.
Now governments here will be looking -- rather the judge here will be looking at various aspects of the case. One of them will be whether he faces -- whether he is extradited, could there be a death penalty. Also is this politically motivated, but also looking at how he was involved. So lots of factors to consider here, although the DOJ has said as well in the last 24 hours, and this is worth pointing out to our viewers that more charges are forthcoming.
Now we have heard from WikiLeaks -- from the WikiLeaks editor said this is politically motivated and therefore persecution would also hurt. From the lawyer for Julian Assange, he said they'll be fighting this every way possible, saying this was a bad day, it was a bad day for journalists right around the world -- Dave, Christine.
BRIGGS: Isa Soares, live for us in London, 9:34. Thank you.
So what about the president's relationship with WikiLeaks? Well, during the campaign, the president routinely applauded them for their role in dumping stolen documents from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Listen to what he said back then.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: WikiLeaks, I love WikiLeaks. This WikiLeaks stuff is unbelievable. It tells you the inner heart. You got to read it. It's been amazing what's coming out on WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks is fascinating. This WikiLeaks is like a treasure-trove.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: So that was then, and this staggeringly is now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I know nothing about WikiLeaks.
[04:35:01] It's not my thing. And I know nothing really about him. It's not my -- it's not my deal in life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: All right. Hillary Clinton also reacting to Assange's arrest. Here's what she said at an event in New York City last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: He has to answer for what he has done, at least as it's been charged. I do think it's a little ironic that he may be the only foreigner that this administration would welcome to the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: To laughter there. Clinton adding it's not about punishing journalism, it is about assisting the hacking of a military computer to steal information from the United States government.
BRIGGS: President Trump seizing on the attorney general's claim that his presidential campaign was spied on and carrying it much further. Refresher now, here's what AG Bill Barr told a congressional committee on Wednesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM BARR, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I think spying on a political campaign is a big deal. I think spying did occur. I think spying did occur.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Barr later said he was not claiming there was improper surveillance only that he was concerned about it, but on Thursday President Trump seemed to blow right past that distinction eagerly embracing the spying claim.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I think what he said was absolutely true, that there was absolutely spying into my campaign. I'll go a step further, in my opinion, it was illegal spying, unprecedented spying and something that should never be allowed to happen in our country again, and I think his answer was actually a very accurate one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Meantime former FBI director James Comey said at a cyber security conference he was baffled by Barr's use of that spying word.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES COMEY, FORMER FBI DIRECTOR: I really don't know what he's talking about when he talks about spying on the campaign. It's concerning because the FBI and the Department of Justice conduct court-ordered electronic surveillance. I have never thought of that as spying and the reason I mentioned I don't know what he means by that is if the attorney general has come to the belief that that should be called spying, wow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Comey said that Barr's reference to spying will make it harder to presume he is standing up for truth and facts.
ROMANS: The Senate Republicans had shut down Herman Cain's Federal Reserve Board bid and he hasn't even been formally nominated yet. Senator Kevin Cramer said Thursday he would vote no to confirm Cain. GOP Senators Mitt Romney, Coy Gardner and Lisa Murkowski also opposed to Cain's nomination. The GOP's slim majority of 53 votes means Cain's nomination is now dead on arrival. No Democrats are expected to back the president's controversial choice.
Cain is currently undergoing a background check. So is Trump's other controversial Fed pick, Stephen Moore. Moore defended himself against accusations that he is unqualified for the role yesterday and then with our own Erin Burnett he contradicted his own record.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN MOORE, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD NOMINEE: I'm not in favor of gold standard. I'm in favor of using commodities as a forward looking indicator for where prices are.
Let me just say that's -- yes, I like the idea of going to a gold standard and restoring, you know, value.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: There's more clips just like that. Two more clips of Moore saying he was in support of the gold standard.
BRIGGS: The city of Chicago is suing actor Jussie Smollett in an effort to recoup $130,000 for the investigation of what police say was a staged hate crime attack. The civil suit comes after the actor refused to pay the bill to cover the cost of police overtime. The suit says more than two dozen police officers and detectives spent more than 1800 overtime hours working on the Smollett case.
The city officer wants Smollett to pay $1,000 for each false statement he made to police and cover attorney's fees and other legal costs. No comment from Smollett's attorney on the suit.
ROMANS: More legal trouble for attorney Michael Avenatti. He has been indicted on 36 counts of embezzlement and fraud. Federal prosecutors alleged Avenatti stole millions of dollars from clients including one, a paraplegic, from whom Avenatti withheld a settlement payment of $4 million.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK HANNA, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA: As it turns out, within months after receiving the settlement proceeds in early 2015, Mr. Avenatti had drained the entire $4 million payment from his trust account using significant portions of these funds to finance his coffee business, his auto racing enterprise, and his own personal lifestyle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Avenatti says he intends to plead not guilty to new federal charges. Just last month he was named in a scheme to extort as much as $25 million from Nike.
BRIGGS: All right, ahead the blizzard that struck from the Rockies to the plains has now turned deadly. We'll have the latest for you, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:44:01] ROMANS: Officials in Louisiana have made an arrest in a series of fires set at historically black churches. They say the 21- year-old suspect has no criminal history and is the son of a law enforcement officer. He's a fan of a rock music genre called black metal which officials say has a documented association with church burnings in other parts of the world.
CNN's Josh Campbell filed this report from Louisiana.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Christine and Dave, the community here in St. Landry Parish breathing a sigh of relief after authorities announced an arrest in the investigation of three church fires at predominantly African-American churches here in Louisiana. The suspect is a 21-year-old local resident who also happens to be the son of a sheriff's deputy.
Authorities leaving little doubt that they got their man.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUTCH BROWNING, LOUISIANA STATE FIRE MARSHAL: This community is safe again. We are extremely, unequivocally confident that we have the person who is responsible for this tragic crimes on these three churches.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMPBELL: The suspect Holden Matthews faces three counts of arson. These are state charges that each carry a maximum of 15 years in prison.
[04:45:01] Now the lingering question is what role federal investigators will play and if this will indeed be labeled a hate crime. We spoke to an official at the NAACP who is labeling this in their mind as domestic terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BISHOP JOHN W. MILTON, NAACP: The issue of terrorism is facing people in fear, and with the historical context of black church burnings, the people were facing fear. We cannot look at the situation here in St. Landry Parish as an isolated incident. If we could, that would be great. But because it has to be coupled with the historical context of black church burnings and more recent activities all around the country, yes, it's definitely domestic terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMPBELL: Although the suspect has been taken into custody, we're told by law enforcement that the forensic aspect of this case continues. Very much remains an ongoing investigation -- Christine and Dave.
BRIGGS: All right, Josh. Thank you. Good stuff.
New concerns about the way police officers are trained to patrol high schools in Chicago after two officers are caught on video punching then dragging a student down a staircase. We do want to warn you, though, these images are a bit disturbing.
It happened back in January. A family attorney says the officers then punch 16-year-old Dnigma Howard and shocked her with a stun gun multiple times. The video contradicts the officer's original story that Howard attacked them. The family is filing a federal lawsuit claiming the city, its public schools, and the two officers violated Howard's civil rights. Officials say the officers are no longer working at the school. Police and the school district say investigations are underway. ROMANS: All right. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signing a so-called
Heartbeat Bill into law, banning abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Now in many cases, that's as early as six weeks. That's before many women even know they are pregnant. Courts have consistently struck down all such laws most recently in Iowa in January. DeWine acknowledging the same fate awaits this law, but he says he hopes the Supreme Court uses the case to overturn "Roe v. Wade."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): The purpose of this bill is really to have a vehicle for the United States Supreme Court so that should it be ready to do so it could revisit some of those prior rulings. The United States Supreme Court will ultimately make a decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: A previous Ohio heartbeat bill was vetoed just last December by former Governor John Kasich on his way out of office. He of course is now a CNN contributor.
BRIGGS: All right. That monster spring snowstorm has knocked out power over for tens of thousands and it hovers over the northeastern -- northern plains, excuse me, and Upper Midwest. Parts of South Dakota and Minnesota could see as much as 30 inches of snow before the storm shifts north to Canada. Schools are closed today in Minneapolis, Fargo, North Dakota. It's closed all nonessential city offices due to the blizzard-like conditions.
In Denver a pickup truck driver was killed Wednesday when police say he lost control of the truck and slammed into a snowplow.
ROMANS: All right. A Minnesota state trooper got a sense of the treacherous conditions created by the storm as he responded to a jack knife tractor trailer passing wind gusts knocked the trooper to the ground as he was trying to direct traffic. The state patrol says he was not injured thankfully but the video is a reminder of the conditions caused by this snowstorm.
The blizzard conditions will slowly wind down across the Midwest today just in time for some possible severe weather in the south.
Meteorologist Derek Van Dam has the forecast.
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Great Friday morning, Dave and Christine.
Although our winter storm is starting to die down, we're still feeling the effects of our brutal blizzard across the northern plains, and some of the heftier snowfall and stronger winds stretches into the Great Lakes as well.
You can see the watches and warnings still in effect. Breezy conditions wrapping in behind the storm system and a cold front marching eastward that will eventually bring showers to the East Coast later tonight and into the day on Saturday.
Double-check your flight plans out of Chicago all the way to Minneapolis. Winds in excess of 30 to 40 miles per hour as the system starts to wind down and move further north. By this evening we'll have a few showers move into the New York City region. It will pick up in intensity later tonight and into the early morning hours of Saturday.
But I want to start focusing on the southern states. We have the potential for severe storms today across central portions of Texas, but it really fires up into Louisiana and parts of Arkansas for the day tomorrow. That's where the Storm Prediction Center has a moderate risk of severe weather. Sixty-three today in the Big Apple.
Back to you.
ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Derek.
Two new polls revealing Democratic hopeful Pete Buttigieg gaining ground in some early voting states. A Monmouth University poll of likely Iowa caucus-goers finds support for the South Bend mayor at 9 percent. He registers 11 percent in a new poll of New Hampshire voters.
Joe Biden, who is yet to formally enter the race, and Senator Bernie Sanders stand at the top of the pack. Analysts say the new poll show Buttigieg has managed to emerge from the crowded field. Buttigieg who is gay and married is set to appear on "Ellen" later today.
[04:50:04] He has more to say about his state's former governor, Vice President Mike Pence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUTTIGIEG: I'm not critical of his faith. I'm critical of bad policies. I don't have a problem with religion. I'm religious, too. I have a problem with religion being used as a justification to harm people, and especially in the LGBTQ community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Pence responding, he says the mayor should know better than to criticize him and his faith. He says Buttigieg is just calling him out in a bid for attention.
BRIGGS: I don't get that sense.
Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren rolling out a plan to make sure big corporations don't pay zero in taxes. The new tax would hit America's 1200 most profitable companies, including Amazon. The online retailer earned a record $10 billion last year but it paid no federal income tax because of deductions it can carry forward from money it lost in earlier years.
Warren blames relentless lobbying for all the corporate loopholes. Under her plan, corporations would pay an additional 7 percent tax on earnings above $100 million. For Amazon that would have been almost $700 million last year.
This will certainly be attacked as a job killer, would it be?
ROMANS: Well, a lot of people have been saying that with all this corporate tax cuts and then you have big companies who don't pay any taxes at all because they have this, you know, provisions to carry losses from early years, it's just not fair. You know, you're blowing up the deficits so the companies can get all these benefits, you know.
BRIGGS: Yes.
ROMANS: All right. We'll see.
Mickey Mouse and Darth Vader all in one place. More on Disney's new edition in CNN Business next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:56:05] BRIGGS: President Trump says he wants sanctions on North Korea to remain in place but doesn't want to increase them. During an Oval Office meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, President Trump said right now sanctions are at a, quote, "fair level."
CNN's Paula Hancocks live in Seoul with more.
Paula, good morning to you, and it sounds as though the president is not ruling out a third summit?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Dave. This is what we've been hearing from President Moon as well talking about that potential third summit. They both agreed that this top down approach of the leaders basically dictating exactly what's happening, the working level talks following suit, is the way to go forward but as you say, the sanctions decision was that the U.S. president said they are at a fair level.
That is not something that North Korea is going to want to hear. They have been saying this week that they want those sanctions lifted and certainly this is something that is a sticking point for them. We also saw a little bit of distance between the U.S. and South Korean leaders. President Trump saying he wants the big deal, he wants complete denuclearization. And we know that the South Koreans would be happy with a more step-by-step process. A smaller deal just to keep the momentum going.
Although the U.S. president did say that that could be possible. But certainly at this point, it seems a little premature to be talking about a third summit. But President Moon said as soon as he gets back to Seoul, he will be trying to talk to Kim Jong-un and trying to set up a summit between the two leaders of South and North Korea to try and keep this momentum going and try and get these talks back together.
Remember that President Moon has staked a lot of his credibility on this working -- Dave.
BRIGGS: All right. Just about 6:00 p.m. there in Seoul. Paula Hancocks live for us. Thank you.
ROMANS: All right. Just about the top of the hour, let's get a check on CNN Business this Friday morning. Global markets if you look around the world, they are mixed this hour. On Wall Street, watching futures there, pointed a little bit higher here. There was little change in markets on Thursday. The Dow fell about 14 points, the S&P 500 flat, the Nasdaq fell slightly, basically directionless.
By the way, if you haven't already filed your taxes this weekend, tax day is Monday.
The details about Disney Plus are finally here. Disney's new streaming service will launch November 12th. It will cost $6.99 a month. There's a lot of content coming with this service. Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, "The Simpsons," as well as all the classics like "Bambi," "The Jungle Book," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves," "Aladdin." All of that will be available on the service. Disney said it expects to have 60 million to 90 million subscribers by the end of fiscal year 2024.
Now the eighth and final season of "Game of Thrones" doesn't start until Sunday and it's already hit Twitter.
There have already been more than 15 million tweets about the HBO series this year. The fantasy series has racked up more than 200 million tweets since it first premiered in 2011. It's really one of those shows that has amazing fan engagement with social media. Forbes reported season eight is the most expense with a $90 million budget. The final season premiers April 14th.
It's just six episodes. They sort of split the last, you know, season into two. I think it's just -- I don't know, not since "The Sopranos" has there been such anticipation for the final season of the show.
BRIGGS: It's your point about the social media engagement. That's why I wake up every time it airs and wonder, what am I missing.
ROMANS: I know. And I am now --
BRIGGS: Because it's blowing I've never seen the show.
ROMANS: I am now caught up. I was a late --
BRIGGS: Yes.
ROMANS: A late comer to the whole "Game of Thrones" thing. And now I don't know what I'm going to do on Monday morning. I'm going to have to turn off all social media to make sure I don't find --
BRIGGS: You may have to call in sick.
(LAUGHTER)
BRIGGS: My friend, and just --
ROMANS: I would not go that far. I'm not that much of a fan. BRIGGS: Bosses are watching this morning.
ROMANS: Yes.
BRIGGS: You can't admit to it.
EARLY START continues right now with the latest on the immigration battle.
Sources tell CNN President Trump wanted to release detained migrants into sanctuary cities in hopes of punishing Democrats.
[05:00:00]
