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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Minister: Sri Lanka Attacks Were Revenge for New Zealand; Here Come the Democrats; House Dems Subpoena Don McGahn; U.S. Nearing a Measles Record; Hurricanes Force Game 7 in Controversy-Filled Win. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired April 23, 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: Battle lines drawn at CNN's 2020 Democratic town hall. What five top candidates have to say on felon voting, and free college and impeachment?
[05:00:05] MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN ANCHOR: And breaking moments ago, a Sri Lanka minister says the Easter Sunday bombings were in retaliation for the New Zealand mosque attacks last month. We're live in Sri Lanka now.
BRIGGS: Another subpoena from House Democrats, this one for Don McGahn, a former White House counsel who refused to fire Robert Mueller.
KOSINSKI: And the U.S. is closing in on a record it would rather avoid, the largest measles outbreak since the disease was declared eliminated almost 20 years ago.
Good morning, and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Michelle Kosinski.
BRIGGS: Good morning to you, Michelle. Good morning to all of you.
I'm Dave Briggs. Tuesday, April 23rd. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.
We begin with breaking news. Sri Lanka's state defense minister says that initial investigation showed that a local extremist group carried out the attacks on Easter Sunday in retaliation to the Christchurch shooting in New Zealand last month. Speaking in the Sri Lankan parliament on Tuesday, state defense minister said the chain of bombings was carried out by a radical Islam group which he names as a National Tawheed Jamath.
More from Ivan Watson in a few minutes. He's live in Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, that 2020 town hall here on CNN. Five Democrats, one stage, one goal, reclaiming the White House in 2020. They were all in Manchester, New Hampshire, for a CNN town hall last night, the first major candidate event of the campaign.
Senators Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, all asked about one key issue for the party, whether or not to impeach President Trump over the findings in the Mueller report. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The impeachment proceedings are up to the House. They're going to have to make that decision. I am in the Senate, and I believe that we are the jury.
There is a third way to hold this president accountable and that is by defeating him in the 2020 election.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If any other human being in this country had done what's documented in the Mueller report, they would be arrested and put in jail. If there's going to be any accountability, that accountability has to come from the Congress. And the tool that we are given for that accountability is the impeachment process.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If, and this is an if, if for the next year, year and a half going right into the heart of the election, all that the Congress is talking about is impeaching Trump and Trump, Trump, Trump, and Mueller, Mueller, Mueller, and we're not talking about health care, we're not talking about raising the minimum wage to a living wage.
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think we have very good reason to believe that there is an investigation that has been conducted which has produced evidence that tells us that this president and his administration engaged in obstruction of justice. I believe Congress should take the steps toward impeachment.
MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think he has made it pretty clear that he deserves impeachment. My role in the process is try to relegate Trumpism to the dustbin of history, and I think there's no more decisive way to that, especially to get Republicans to abandon this kind of deal with the devil that they made than to have just an absolute thumping at the ballot box.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: Top Democrats, though, putting a damper on the impeachment talk. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi telling colleagues on a call last night, Democrats should focus on, quote, two words, duty and democracy.
The move to put the brakes on coming a day after several top House Democrats signaled a new willingness to consider impeachment. But sources say Pelosi was firm about moving cautiously.
BRIGGS: In a "dear colleague" letter to House Democrats Monday, Pelosi wrote the president can be investigated outside of impeachment hearings. Quote: Whether currently indictable or not, it is clear the president has engaged in highly unethical and unscrupulous behavior which does not bring honor to the office he holds.
KOSINSKI: CNN's town halls included a lot of discussion among hot button policy issues, of course. Candidates had clear disagreements on several issues, including felon voting. Senator Bernie Sanders defended his belief that everyone, including
people in prison, should have the right to vote, even convicted domestic terrorists like Boston marathon bomber. Other candidates, though, mixed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDERS: If somebody commits a serious crime, sexual assault, murder, they're going to be punished. They may be in jail for 10 years, 20 years, 50 years, their whole lives. But I think the right to vote is inherent to our democracy, yes, even for terrible people.
HARRIS: I agree that the right to vote is one of the very important components of citizenship. I think we should have that conversation.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "AC360": Should people convicted of sexual assault, the Boston marathon bomber, should they be able to vote?
[05:05:02] BUTTIGIEG: While incarcerated?
COOPER: Yes.
BUTTIGIEG: No.
Part of the punishment when you're convicted of a crime and you're incarcerated is you lose certain rights, you lose your freedom. And I think during that period, it does not make sense to have an exception for the right to vote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren touted her sweeping tuition fee college education plan last night. The proposal would eliminate student loan debt for tens of millions of Americans, and make public colleges tuition free.
Warren's $1.25 trillion dollars proposal getting pushback, though, from Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN: I started in several months ago talking about a wealth tax, an ultra millionaire's tax. It's 2 cents on every dollar of the great fortunes above $50 million. Good for you that you have now gotten this great fortune, but 2 cents, you got to pay something back so everybody else gets a chance.
KLOBUCHAR: I wish I could staple a free college diploma under every one of your chairs, I do. Don't look, it's not there. I wish I could do that, but I have to be straight with you, and tell you the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: According to University of New Hampshire poll, Sanders from neighboring Vermont leads the field by a double digit margin followed by former Vice President Joe Biden and a surging Buttigieg.
KOSINSKI: Former White House counsel Don McGahn subpoenaed by the House Judiciary Committee. Democrats want his testimony as part of an investigation of President Trump for alleged obstruction of justice. The Mueller report says McGahn refused the president's order to fire Mueller. But that's not how the president remembers it quite.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Are you worried that your staff is ignoring your orders as the Mueller report portrays?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Nobody disobeys my orders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: For the record, the Mueller report does point to at least a dozen examples of Trump staffers essentially saving the president from himself by ignoring or outright disobeying orders. Georgia Congressman Doug Collins is the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, he accuses Chairman Nadler of issuing the subpoena to McGahn prematurely.
BRIGGS: As we told you a moment ago, this is breaking news. Sri Lankan security officials are now saying their initial investigation shows a radical Islamist group carried out the Easter Sunday bombings in retaliation for the Christchurch shootings in New Zealand last month.
Overnight, families of the victims killed in the attack held a memorial service.
Ivan Watson live at St. Sebastian Church in Negombo, Sri Lanka, with the latest.
Ivan, good morning.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Dave.
This is a startling assertion coming from Sri Lanka state defense minister alleging that a local extremist group that they have identified as National Tawheed Jamath carried out the atrocities on Easter Sunday that killed at least 321 people and wounded more than 500 and that they justified their attacks as some kind of sick and twisted retaliation for the equally sick and twisted mass shootings in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, last month, that killed some 50 people.
It's a little hard to even accept this kind of logic right now. All you have to do is look into St. Sebastian Church right now, which is a forensics investigation scene after a suicide bomber killed more than 100 innocent Catholics who were here for Easter Sunday mass just two days ago. The walls still spattered with blood. There has not been a formal claim of responsibility from this alleged
group, National Tawheed Jamath, but if we're starting to head into a world where extremists who profess to believe in the same god carry out retaliatory massacres in different countries, it's a frightening world we're headed into indeed -- Dave and Michelle.
BRIGGS: Certainly is. Ivan Watson live for us this morning. Thank you.
At least four American citizens are among the dead in Sri Lanka. One of them is Kieran Shafritz de Zoysa, a fifth grader from Washington, D.C. Here is his heartbroken father.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX ARROW, VICTIM'S FATHER: A brilliant mind who was going to be a neuroscientist and now he won't make it to his 12th birthday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Devastating.
Also killed, Dieter Kowalski of Colorado. He was sent to Sri Lanka on business.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARVIN KOWALSKI, VICTIM'S FATHER: He was only 40 years old, and you never expect that you would outlive your son.
[05:10:02] I always hoped I would go first, but it didn't happen that way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Before he left, Dieter posted his excitement on Facebook, telling friends: And the fun begins, love these work trips. See you soon, Sri Lanka.
KOSINSKI: More than 300 families going through that.
Former White House official in charge of the security clearance process has been ordered by the Trump administration not to comply with a House subpoena. Carl Kline now works for the Defense Department and Democrats want to depose him today. House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings he could be held in contempt if he fails to appear.
A White House whistleblower says during a time Kline was in charge, at least 25 security charges were green-lighted despite serious concerns raised during the vetting process.
BRIGGS: Health officials say we are near a record for the largest measles outbreak since the disease was declared to be eliminated. According to the CDC, there have been 626 cases so far this year, 71 in the last week. So, now, 22 states have been affected. The current record is 667 cases in 2014 and remember, we are only in April.
KOSINSKI: A source tells CNN 72 percent of these cases involve people who have not been vaccinated. Authorities say anti-vaccine rhetoric contributes to the measles spread. New York has seen the most cases. Last month, New York City declared a public health emergency requiring proof of immunity or vaccination in the most heavily affected zip codes.
Why is the U.S. threatening to veto a U.N. security resolution to combat rape on the battlefields? Coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:15:51] KOSINSKI: The U.S. is threatening to veto a U.N. resolution designed to combat rape as a weapon of war because of phrases that reinforce a woman's right to reproductive health services. A U.N. source tells CNN the U.S. seems to have a red line when it comes to mentioning sexual and reproductive health. Changes to the simple language in the document are being proposed to try to satisfy the U.S. on this so that it doesn't veto it. The Trump administration has put up similar road blocks into the past into these resolutions.
Last year, a state department appointee challenged un documents that condemned racism as a threat to democracy because he used words like nationalism and xenophobia.
BRIGGS: The Supreme Court agreed to take up LGBT workplace discrimination cases in this next term. The justices will consider whether the 1964 Federal Civil Rights Act, which forbids employment discrimination based on sex applies to sexual orientation or transgender status. Lower courts have split on the issue. The three cases will become a major test for the court's newly solidified conservative majority with all eyes on Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
KOSINSKI: The U.S. Navy is investigating the discovery of a hidden camera in the women's bathroom on the USS Arlington. The Navy and the Marine Corps say they are committed to investigating this and will take all incidents seriously.
This is not the first incident involving recording devices aboard U.S. Navy vessels. In 2015, a navy sailor pleaded guilty to secretly recording female submarine trainees while they undressed before showering.
BRIGGS: Skipping breakfast may increase your risk of cardiovascular related death. That's according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Researcher tracked over 6,500 adults from 1988 to 1994, and those who never ate breakfast had a higher risk of death from heart disease and stroke, independent of socioeconomic status and cardiovascular risk factors.
The data did not include the types of foods or drinks that were consumed, and we have to say, if we're showing video of bacon and eggs. Don't necessarily load up on the bacon and egg sandwich to lower --
KOSINSKI: I don't know. We'll see what the next data shows. And I'm suddenly starving though.
BRIGGS: I'm always hungry.
Ahead, Bryce Harper going ballistic. What set off the Phillies superstar?
Andy Scholes has the answer in the "Bleacher Report", next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:22:51] BRIGGS: All right. Finally, time to talk some playoff hockey, game six between the defending Stanley Cup Champions Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes ending in some controversy.
Andy Scholes has that for us in the "Bleacher Report".
Good morning, my friend.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Dave.
You know, the Capitals, they were trying to close out the Hurricanes last night and it appears their star Alex Ovechkin can come through with a game tying goal in the third but it was waived off. And here's the goal, Ovechkin sneaks it by goalie, Petr Mrazek.
Capitals celebrating, they think they have tied it but the officials waived it off because they say Ovechkin interfered with the goalie. The Caps challenged the call but it was upheld. Now, the NHL rule states that if an attacking player initiates contact with a goal keeper incidental or otherwise while the goal keeper is in his goal crease, and the goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.
The Hurricanes would go on to win the game, 5-2, forcing a game seven Wednesday night.
All right. Dallas Stars meanwhile winning a playoff series at home for the first time since 2008 last night. John Klingberg scoring the winning goal in overtime to beat the Predators 2-1.
Back in December, the Stars' president called out the teams stars Jamie Been and Tyler Seguin saying they weren't getting it done and it's embarrassing. They certainly responded to those comments. Stars going to play St. Louis in the second round.
In the NBA, the Milwaukee Bucks punching their tickets to the second round for the first time since 2001. Giannis Antetokounmpo pouring in 41 points as the Bucks complete the sweep of the Pistons. Up next Milwaukee, a date with the Boston Celtics for the conference semifinals.
All right. Phillies and Mets last night, Bryce Harper got called out on strikes and then he was voicing his frustration towards home plate umpire from the dugout. Well, the ump tossed Harper from the game for some of those comments. But Harper didn't go quietly, you see him come running out of the dugout to give the ump a piece of his mind. This was Harper's 12th career ejection, first as a Philly.
All right. Finally, if you're quarterback, what's the best way to show your appreciation for your offensive line?
[05:25:00] How about Amazon stock? Seahawks quarterback, Russell Wilson, who recently became the highest paid player in the NFL, boy, he went shopping on Nasdaq for his linemen. According to reports, Wilson buying each one of his offensive linemen $12,000 in Amazon stock, and with the gift came a note from Wilson that said in part, you have invested in my life. This is my investment in to yours.
And you know what, Dave, it's actually my birthday. So, if you want to throw me some Amazon stock, I'll settle for some Apple. You know, that would be great.
BRIGGS: OK. Everyone, Apple stock or Amazon stock for Andy Scholes. Happy birthday, my friend. Sorry we missed that one.
Amazon stock up 1 percent, so they did well those guys. Thank you, Andy.
SCHOLES: All right.
BRIGGS: Michelle, what's coming up.
KOSINSKI: Well, breaking this hour, the Easter Sunday bombings were in retaliation for the New Zealand mosque attacks last month.
Also, felon voting, free college, impeachment -- front runners for the 2020 Democratic nomination are weighing in on those topics and more at five CNN presidential town halls.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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