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New Day

North Korea Demands Pompeo be Removed from Talks; Teen Who Threatened Columbine Found Dead; Pelosi and Schumer Call for Mueller to Testify; Investigation Ramps Up at Notre Dame. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired April 18, 2019 - 06:30   ET

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


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[06:33:42] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We do have some breaking news for you.

North Korea calling for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to be replaced in future negotiations. The demand comes one day after the North says it test-fired a new tactical guided weapon.

CNN's Will Ripley is live in Hong Kong with all of the breaking details.

What have you learned, Will?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's very interesting timing, Alisyn, that North Korea starts to turn up the pressure on President Trump just hours before the Mueller report is released. And you have to wonder how closely they're following developments in Washington given the fact that they are now demanding that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo be yanked out of the whole equation when it comes to denuclearization talks. And they're basing it on his testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which the North Koreans say was disrespectful toward their leader, Kim Jong- un. This is a major diplomatic setback.

We know the North Koreans watch very closely what happens in the United States and they know that this is a tricky time for President Trump. And now, for them to insist that the secretary of state is no longer someone they can talk to about getting rid of nuclear weapons, after Pompeo has traveled to North Korea repeatedly, met with Kim Jong-un repeatedly, hosted North Korean delegations to the United States repeatedly, and now either President Trump acquiesces to this demand or perhaps the North Koreans will decide, they're not going to sit down and talk with the United States anymore. They blame Pompeo in part for the breakdown in talks in Hanoi when President Trump decided to leave the summit without a deal.

[06:35:05] And, at the same time, North Korea is also starting to hint towards a more militaristic posture. They tested a tactical weapon. They say -- we don't know what kind of weapon, but we know that Kim Jong-un ordered that test. And the day before, he supervised a combat drill with air force pilots. It's a not so subtle signal, Chris, from Kim Jong-un to President Trump of what could happen, of what else he could be testing if diplomacy continues to go down this road.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Our reporting is that the U.S. government didn't verify any type of test. And in the day of diplomacy through strength, this probably helps the secretary of state with the administration.

Will, thank you very much.

So, Denver-area schools are going to re-open today after a teenager who made threats was found dead in an apparent suicide. The FBI is investigating this website now believed to be connected to the teen who was said to be infatuated with the Columbine massacre.

CNN's Scott McLean live in Littleton, Colorado, has more on this.

This is shaping up to be a disturbed person, as authorities say, which is probably code for mental illness.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It sure seems that way, Chris. The FBI is also still investigating to make sure that no one else was involved. They are also looking into that website which CNN cannot verify that it belongs to Sol Pais.

On it there are drawings, some scanned journal entries. Many of those drawings show guns. In one case there was a drawing of a person in a trench coat holding a gun, a potential reference to the Columbine shooting that happened here 20 years ago. And one that authorities said that she was infatuated with.

Now, that combined with a pretty odd travel schedule made her seem like a threat. She bought three one-way tickets from Florida to Colorado on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. She got on that very first flight. And when she got here, she went to a gun store less than two miles from this high school. She bought a shotgun. The store owner said that she passed two background checks and raised no red flags.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH RAYBURN, GUN SHOP OWNER: I'm just glad it's -- it's come to an end. I was really -- I haven't been able to sleep since finding out the news. And I'm just glad nobody got injured.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLEAN: Now, the FBI was able to track down her location thanks to the taxi driver or the ride share driver who took her there. Why she chose that spot in the mountains is pretty unclear. They also don't understand the fascination with Columbine. One school official said that this school continues to attract all kinds of unwanted guests and unwanted attention and really seemed exasperated when he said, this is not a tourist attraction.

Now, you mentioned schools will be back open today, but it is pretty hard to overstate the disruption associated with having more than half a million kids out of class. The FBI was asked whether this was perhaps an overreaction. They said that, look, parents should be grateful that the school system kept their kids safe.

Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: It's true. But, I mean, of course, we do feel for those kids. I mean we feel for those kids who must live in some sort of heightened sense of anxiety all -- at all times.

CUOMO: Right. And we never get past this dynamic. You know, once again, somebody was emotionally disturbed, code for mental illness. You're going to find out it was ignored. She didn't want treatment. People around her couldn't get her to get treatment.

CAMEROTA: I know.

CUOMO: Access to guns

CAMEROTA: We've seen this horrible movie before.

CUOMO: Yes.

CAMEROTA: All right, it is a landmark day in American political history. Congress and all of us are about to get our first look at the Mueller report. Democrats have a new request of Robert Mueller. We'll tell you what that is, next.

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[06:42:31] CAMEROTA: Democrats are already angry with Attorney General Bill Barr about holding an upcoming press conference this morning before he releases the redacted Mueller report. Moments ago, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a joint statement about what they want to see happen next.

We are back with Abby Phillip, John Avlon, David Gregory and Laura Coates.

This is hot off the presses. I will read you Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer's statement right now. They say, Attorney General Barr's regrettably partisan handling of the Mueller report, including his slanted March 24th summary letter, his irresponsible testimony before Congress last week and his indefensible plan to spin the report in a press conference later this morning -- hours before he allows the public or Congress to see it -- have resulted in a crisis of confidence in his independence and impartiality. We believe the only way to begin restoring public trust in that handling of the special counsel's investigation is for Special Counsel Mueller himself to provide public testimony in the House and Senate as soon as possible. The American people deserve to hear the truth.

Laura, is this possible?

Well, first of all, we know that Robert Mueller and his team have declined to be at that press conference. Not sure what we should read into that this morning. But can and should Robert Mueller -- is there any reason Robert Mueller won't go in front of Congress to answer these questions? LAURA COATES, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I think the only thing about

whether he will or will not go is whether it will actually be a productive conversation. If he's going to stonewall by virtue of saying, I'm going to reference the report or I'll leave it in the hands of William Barr as the attorney general, or I'm not going to be able to be comprehensive and holistic, then it really would be an exercise in futility.

I don't see Robert Mueller, given his track record, becoming the next James Comey. There's no forthcoming book as far as I can see where he's going to be an open book and literally have a book about this conversation.

Having said that, nothing really precludes him from actually testifying before the House or the Senate because he can actually be responsive to a certain extent. Now, he will have the same constraints about areas that probably along the four lines of redactions that Barr has identified about ongoing investigations, certainly classified information for the public's eye and public's viewing. But the idea that he could not testify is false. But he could. The problem is, will he actually be totally forthcoming? I could absolutely see, Alisyn, as I'm sure everyone can, the idea that if he's not at this press conference, if he didn't have a hand in drafting that four-page distillation/summary, if whatever is said at this press conference continues to have a partisan spin perhaps, I could see him wanting to come forward to clear the air and ensure that the last 22 months were not in vain.

DAVID GREGORY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.

[06:45:06] ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, it does seems like the fact that Mueller has declined to weigh in at all of these junctures, you know, Barr did testify that Mueller was given an opportunity to weigh in on his four-page summary and declined to do so, also declined to be at this press conference, it seems to be a sign that Mueller doesn't want to get involved in this aspect of the investigation. That he's done his work. He's put it all on paper. He has made it available to the people who it's supposed to be available to and he's going to let that -- let that speak for itself and not try to backseat drive while Attorney General Bill Barr is supposed to be handling this aspect of it.

CUOMO: Yes.

PHILLIP: The question is, does he respond to requests from Congress? And I think it will probably be a request. It could also be some sort of way to potentially compel him to testify. But will he respond to that? And he potentially will, because that's part of the oversight process. I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be willing to just sit down and say what he knows about what was put into this report. And there are some really important, unanswered questions about the choices he made not to compel the president to testify and the choice he made to, as a result of that, not make a conclusion about obstruction. I think he can answer those things.

CUOMO: Well, that's the big one. That's the big one. If he didn't want to be part of this process, he would not have put it the way he put it in the report about obstruction of justice.

And, really, that was the only thing I've seen the AG do. And I guess he had to do it. That wasn't a favor to the president. When he parroted the language --

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.

CUOMO: Direct quote of Mueller saying, I cannot exonerate, which wasn't his job to find innocence. It was whether or not he could make a case.

If Mueller wanted to stay out of it and just let the report speak, he would have said, no prosecution on obstruction, because that's the job of a prosecutor.

AVLON: And the fact that Barr picked that as one of his 101 words to use in his four-page summary I think is also significant. This is not going to be all sunshine and light for the president.

But the key question ono -- one of the key questions on the obstruction is, did Mueller intend to kick the question to Congress, because he felt that within the Justice Department guidelines there is no way to charge and indict a sitting president.

One of the many questions that the report later today may offer insight into, Mueller's thinking, his strategy and what they found. And that's why all the spin wars around this stuff are really just an intentional attempt to distract. And whether Mueller -- I think it's significant, Mueller, who has a very close relationship with Barr historically, they're friends, whether he's taking a side step because he wants to keep the integrity of the report and his -- and his investigation and whether he can help heal some of the divisions of the country and the suspicions by testifying in front of Congress. I think that would be appropriate.

CUOMO: Yes.

And, Alisyn, don't you think that there's like this one step -- just to take one step to the other side of the ledger for a second. Pelosi, Schumer especially because he's in the Senate, this surprise about Barr. Who was it Maya Angelou, believe him the first time? This is what he does. He did it at the Office of Legal Counsel.

AVLON: Yes.

CUOMO: He did it as AG under Bush. They gave him a pass in the confirmation hearings.

CAMEROTA: That's such a great point.

CUOMO: I mean he only had three Democrats vote for him.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

CUOMO: But, why are they so surprised? CAMEROTA: We talked about this in the "Reality Check" yesterday. He

has a long history of also misrepresenting or not summarizing accurately things that he's tasked with summarizing.

AVLON: Yes.

CAMEROTA: And so the idea that he was this straight shooter, which you kept hearing over and over, may not have been accurate.

CUOMO: I guess it was all relative because it was coming on the heels of Whitaker.

AVLON: Yes, that's exactly right.

CUOMO: And Session. So we were like, well, it's got to be better than that.

AVLON: That's -- it's a compared to what proposition.

CUOMO: Or not.

AVLON: So they may have given him a pass on some of the due diligence like that OLC memo where he really did offer a primary conclusion document that, once it was subpoenaed, it was found out he had left out a lot of critical information.

CAMEROTA: Go ahead, David.

GREGORY: But Mueller is not going to be mute today. He wrote the book. That's what we're all going to be poring over is the book on what he found and what this investigation is and what the bottom line is.

The -- the issue is how many questions arise from his analysis. And we just put it out on the table. Why didn't he decide the obstruction of justice question? Why would he leave it saying that there's evidence on this side, there's evidence on that side. You know, not enough to prosecute, but I don't exonerate him either? It's clear that Mueller wants to protect the integrity of this investigation and the legacy of this investigation.

He didn't subpoena the president. Perhaps he should have. Perhaps he was out lawyered in that regard. He was certainly beaten up throughout this process and never responded. Maybe he was behind the leak saying, well, Barr didn't exactly give you everything about what's going to be in this report, but now this report will -- will get a full airing.

So whether he cooperates, I think the first step will be, how many questions arise from what his conclusions are in the report. What else has to be asked, what he's leaving out. Because I think, at the end of the day, Mueller does want this report to be able to stand the test of time, to say, no, this was actually a rigorous process and a good process for everybody involved.

CUOMO: I mean 400 pages.

COATES: You know -- CAMEROTA: Yes.

CUOMO: That tells -- that tells you something.

All right, let's take the next step in the analysis here after a quick break.

[06:50:01] Investigators are trying to figure out which way they're going to look in the direction with Notre Dame. We know that the renovation was going on. We know it was old. To hear that they're looking at the electrical system won't surprise us. But you need to know the facts because this can never happen again.

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CUOMO: Police in Paris getting their first look at the ravaged interior of the Notre Dame Cathedral. French media reporting investigators are looking at the 850-year-old cathedral's electrical system -- not shocking -- as they look for a cause.

Let's go to CNN's Melissa Bell, live in Paris with the latest.

Melissa.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Chris, you were saying a moment ago, this can never be allowed to happen again. And I'd just like to show you what they're doing here to ensure that as long as there's all that heat in the building, as there has been these last three days, they've got these boats positioned out here so that they can pump water up there over to the fire engines that are parked just next door. Firefighters, of course, continue to do their work in there.

But, you're right, investigators had to work until the -- wait until the building was secured to get inside to start to look for the clues as to how that initial spark was lit. Now, clearly, they're still working on the assumption that this was accidental. They've been interviewing construction workers because the cathedral was under renovation. They've been interviewing as well security staff.

[06:55:18] And there is this reporting in the French press this morning that one of the theories that they're working on is that an electrical fault, a short circuit that may have been caused because some of the elevators that were involved for the reconstruction might have been at the cause of that.

So we're also hearing, Chris, this morning, and this is, I think, crucial, that one of the construction companies involved had installed just hours before the fire began a security lapse camera that was taking pictures every few minutes. That's now been handed to investigators and could well provide some crucial clues.

Meanwhile, the heroes of the night, the firefighters themselves, have been honored this morning at the Elysees Palace. There will be a vigil as well this afternoon held just across the river at the town hall so that ordinary Parisians and tourists alike can come and give thanks for all that was saved despite the devastation caused by that fire, Chris.

Of course, the investigators continue their work and Parisians continue really to take stock at exactly what was lost here.

Chris.

CAMEROTA: I'll take it, Melissa, but it is incredible to look at that new video that you got from inside the cathedral of the aftermath of the fire there. Just incredible the damage. Thank you very much for the reporting.

Now back here in the U.S., police in New York arresting a man that they say tried to enter St. Patrick's Cathedral with two full gasoline cans, lighter fluid and lighters last night. Authorities say the 37- year-old man claimed to be cutting through the cathedral because his car had run out of gas. But when officers checked, his car had gas. The NYPD says the man is known to police. It is unclear what his intentions were.

All right, so it's a big day for the country. It's been two years in the making. For the first time, the public will get to see the Mueller report, or at least large swaths of it. We have it all covered for you, next.

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