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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
White House Stonewalls House Investigations; Second Round of Attacks Was Planned in Sri Lanka; Bodycam Footage Released in Yale Police Shooting; Dem Candidates Split on Prisoner Voting Rights; U.S. Military Sends Message in the Mediterranean. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired April 24, 2019 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[04:30:50] MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN ANCHOR: The president, himself, says he doesn't want White House aides testifying to Congress.
Democrats stonewalled as they pursue oversight.
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: An ISIS suspect gave advance warning of the Easter bombing in Sri Lanka. Questions now about whether the threat is really over.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twenty shots fired at Argyle Street. With a car, with the car!
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: Police body cam shows the frantic moments an officer opens fire on a driver and a passenger near Yale. Why did he shoot? And what the driver's family says.
BRIGGS: And what is winning. Milestone. A sensational run for this "Jeopardy" contestant. Big bucks for a professional gambler.
Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Dave Briggs.
KOSINSKI: And I'm Michelle Kosinski. It is 31 minutes past. Super early.
BRIGGS: Hump day.
KOSINSKI: White House stonewalling a congressional investigation comes straight from the top. President Trump telling the Washington Post he does not want current or former White House aides testifying to committees in the Democrat-led House. He says it's unnecessary since the White House fully cooperated with the Mueller investigation. Quote, there is no reason to go any further, and especially in Congress where it's very partisan, obviously, very partisan.
BRIGGS: Already, Trump and the White House have moved to block cooperation with House committees several times telling a former White House official not to comply with the subpoena to testify about security clearances. The House Oversight Committee may hold that aide, Carl Kline in contempt. The Trump Organization has also filed suit to block a House subpoena for financial records. And the Treasury Department has repeatedly missed deadlines to hand over the president's tax returns. Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin says he'll make a final decision on the returns by May 6th.
KOSINSKI: Now we've learned the White House plans to fight a White House subpoena for Don McGahn. He is the former White House counsel who the Mueller report says refused the president's orders to fire Robert Mueller.
Here is CNN's Kaitlan Collins at the White House.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Michelle and Dave, the White House is ramping up its fight to push back on those congressional subpoenas as they say they are trying to conduct oversight and the White House is saying that it's overreached. CNN has learned that the White House may seek to prevent Don McGahn, the former White House counsel from complying with that subpoena that he recently got from House Democrats to come and testify in their probe into potential obstruction of justice.
Now behind the scenes, there is no final decision yet on what's going to happen. But as these discussions are moving forward, we're told that the White House is weighing whether or not they should assert executive privilege over conversations that McGahn has had with the president or if other measures should be taken. Now, the House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler does not seem very pleased by reports that the White House may seek to prevent McGahn from testifying, saying in a statement tonight, in part, and I'm quoting him now, the moment for the White House to assert some privilege to prevent this testimony from being heard has long since passed.
Now, of course, we know that behind the scenes, Don McGahn's attorney has been in discussion with the House Judiciary Committee but they have not heard a final say, yet, on whether or not he's going to sit down with them.
Dave and Michelle?
BRIGGS: OK, Kaitlan, thank you.
Nancy Pelosi meanwhile slamming the Trump administration as an existential threat to our democracy. The House Speaker attacking the White House for its fight with House Democrats over the release of the unredacted Mueller report. She said the administration has engaged in behavior beneath the dignity of the office. On impeachment though, she is taking a wait and see approach.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): I do believe that impeachment is one of the most divisive forces -- paths that we could go down to in our country. But if the path of fact-finding takes us there, we have no choice. But we're not there, yet. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Pelosi says Attorney General William Barr's offer to show just a few select members of Congress a less redacted version of the Mueller report was a ruse, adding, they want to obstruct subpoenas.
[04:35:00] KOSINSKI: Also, Jared Kushner facing a lot of pushback for his stunning dismissal of Russia's interference in the 2016 election. The president's son-in-law and adviser not only downplaying what Russia did. He's suggesting the Mueller investigation was more harmful to the nation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JARED KUSHNER, SENIOR ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT: The whole thing is a big distraction for the country. And you look at, you know, what Russia did, you know, buying some Facebook ads and try to (INAUDIBLE) and do it and it's a terrible thing. But, I think the investigations and all the speculation that's happened for the last two years had a much harsher impact on our democracy than a couple of Facebook ads.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: Well, there was also the hacking. And for the sake of accuracy, Special Counsel Mueller found there was an extensive effort by Russia to manipulate the election via social media. Mueller called the interference, quote, sweeping and systematic.
BRIGGS: All right, it was a record-breaking day on Wall Street as stocks climbed past their all-time highs. The S&P 500 reaching 2,933 points breaking its September high. The NASDAQ hit 8,120 beatings the all-time best close it hit in August. The DOW finished the day 145 points higher.
First quarter earnings were the catalyst for the rally with healthcare, technology, and consumer stocks all climbing higher. The S&P 500 up 17 percent this year while the NASDAQ and DOW have climbed 22 and 14 percent respectively.
KOSINSKI: Breaking news now from Sri Lanka where terrorists were planning a second wave of attacks across the country. That's according to intelligence operations since Sunday's attacks.
Also, American investment banker, Matt Linsey lost his two children in the attack. His 15-year-old daughter Amelie and 19-year-old son Daniel. He describes the moment he heard the initial explosion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT LINSEY, SRI LANKA SURVIVOR: And when the bomb went off and, you know, there's -- it's hard to describe. It's like a wave coming through. Another bomb went off and --
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Your instinct was to get out?
LINSEY: Yes, as soon as possible.
WALSH: To move them with you.
LINSEY: Yes. Maybe I should have just stayed and covered them with my body.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: The death toll in the Easter Sunday bombing has climbed to 359. Will Ripley has more from Colombo, Sri Lanka.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Dave and Michelle, the information that we continue to learn on the ground here in Sri Lanka paints a very chilling picture, a picture of what could still be to come if authorities were not able to round up and stop these terror suspects before they strike again. A source telling CNN that the Islamist group, the Jihadi group NTJ is planning a second round of attacks. That the Easter Sunday bombings, the explosions at three churches and three hotels that killed well over 300 and injured at least 500 more, that was just the beginning, and that they have been actively planning a second wave of attacks here.
So the goal now of the Sri Lankan Government is to try to thwart whatever may be in the works. There have been warnings of a van or a truck packed with explosives potentially driving around, ready detonate at an opportune moment. That has not happened yet, but people have been told to be on alert.
The Sri Lankan Government did receive intelligence in the weeks and days leading up to the Easter Sunday bombings. Intelligence from the Indian Government that was interrogating an ISIS fire saying that people from Sri Lanka had traveled and received training by ISIS on how to assemble bombs, how to carry out these attacks that had all the hallmarks of ISIS in terms of its shock value, its brutality, and, of course, the targets. Hotels catering to foreigners and churches primary full of Christians.
So now the challenge on the ground here is to scramble, to arrest as many people as possible, to gather intelligence. But despite the fact that dozens have already been taken into custody, there is little consolation to many people who fear that there are still others out there who may be quietly waiting and plotting their next move.
Dave and Christine?
BRIGGS: All right, Will Ripley there in Sri Lanka, thanks.
Body cam and surveillance footage now released showing the police shooting near Yale University. The shooting that's led to a week of protest there. Police officers from Yale and nearby Hamden, Connecticut stopped a car just after 4 a.m. on April 16th. The police received a call saying the driver, an African-American man was involved in an attempted armed robbery. Hamden Officer Devin Eaton's body cam shows him approaching the Honda from behind. The driver opens the door, starts to get out, Eaton runs to the right side of the car and fires shuttering the window. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police (INAUDIBLE). Twenty shots fired, Argyle Street. With a car, with a car!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: Is that -- that was the passenger side and that passenger, Stephanie Washington was shot and wounded. The driver, Paul Witherspoon was uninjured. His uncle actually commends state police for their investigation, but he wants action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RODNEY WILLIAMS, PAUL WITHERSPOON'S UNCLE: I just feel like based on the amount of information of the puzzle, and they got 100 pieces, 98 pieces out. You know, two pieces that we're looking for. They didn't really do anything to change it. These officers need to be fired.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[04:40:00] KOSINSKI: So there's no audio in the first part of the body cam footage and it is unclear from the video why Eaton started shooting, again, into the passenger side of the vehicle, and there was no gun found at the scene. Both officers are now on administrative leave.
BRIGGS: All right, the long national wait almost over. Joe Biden set to launch his 2020 campaign tomorrow with an online video. The former vice president's team has been laying their groundwork for months. Sources telling CNN Biden plans to hold his first campaign event in Pittsburgh on Monday. He'll then visit the early voting states of Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire. Biden will be the 20th Democrat to enter the 2020 fray. One lingering question though, his ability to fundraise, particularly on the small dollar, the grassroots level has become increasingly important.
KOSINSKI: And will he be the last one?
BRIGGS: Looks like it.
KOSINSKI: We'll see.
Voting rights for prisoners now suddenly a hot button issue in the 2020 Democratic presidential race. Senator Bernie Sanders started that conversation during CNN's town hall, Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think the right to vote is inherent to our democracy. Yes, even for terrible people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: During her town hall, Senator Kamala Harris said, it's a conversation worth having but she's now clarifying and moving away from Sander's position.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Do I think that people who commit murder and people who are terrorists should be deprived of their rights? Yes, I do. I'm a prosecutor. I believe that in terms of their -- there has to be a serious consequence for the most extreme types of crimes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: For her part, Senator Elizabeth Warren isn't ready to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Talk to the people about that and certainly having a conversation about it but I'm not there yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: It's interesting how this has turned into a point where they're distinguishing themselves.
BRIGGS: Agreed.
KOSINSKI: The South Bend mayor -- Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg was a firm no, saying it's part of the punishment when you're convicted of a crime.
BRIGGS: All right, today, investors will find out how much the 737 Max crisis has hurt Boeing's bottom line. Analyst estimate Boeing's earnings fell 11 percent in the first quarter. The March 10th crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet prompted the ground -- worldwide grounding of all Max jets. Then on March 14th, Boeing stopped delivering the jets to airlines. That will cost Boeing significant revenue because most of the cost of the plane is paid at the time it's delivered.
Boeing is working to fix the software that operates the plane safety system which is the focus of investigations into the crash. Its stock is down 11.4 percent since the Ethiopian air crash. That's about 27 billion loss in market value. Investors will be eager to hear what Boeing says about when the grounding will be lifted as well as the company's outlook for deliveries and orders for the jet.
KOSINSKI: Two officers in Florida facing a harsher punishment after a video of them pepper-spraying and body slamming a teenager.
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[04:47:12] BRIGGS: President Trump met Twitter executive Jack Dorsey hours after erroneously accusing the social media giant of discriminating against conservative users. After the meeting, he tweeted of course, "Lots of subjects discussed regarding their platform and the world of social media." KOSINSKI: The Washington Post reports a significant portion of the meeting focused on the president's concerns that Twitter quietly and deliberately, he feels, has limited or removed some of his followers. What is true is that Twitter has removed ten of thousands of fake bought accounts. Some of which did follow the president.
BRIGGS: Supreme Court conservatives appear on board to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. Critics say when undermined, census accuracy by discouraging both legal and unauthorized immigrants from filling out forms. Justices were deeply divided Tuesday during more than an hour and a half of arguments. The justices repeatedly interacted with each other and the lawyers they were grilling.
The constitution requires every person in the country to be counted each decade. The census provides critical data that is used to set congressional districts and for distributing billions of federal dollars to states and localities. A final ruling expected in June.
KOSINSKI: A shark attack off the coast of Hawaii. Authorities say a 65-year-old female tourist from California was attacked while kayaking several hundred yards offshore near Hawaii's big island. She suffered a bite about 12 inches in diameter from a five-foot blacktip reef shark. The woman was airlifted to a hospital and said to be in stable condition now.
Beaches in the vicinity are closed until further notice. This is the third shark attack in Hawaii this year.
BRIGGS: Yikes.
Florida prosecutors say no charges will be filed against the 15-year- old boy who was seen on video being body slammed by Broward County sheriff's deputies. The teen was arrested on suspicion of assault, resisting arrest, and trespassing. Authorities launched an internal investigation after the video surfaced last week. It appears to show deputies using pepper spray on the teen, throwing him to the ground, banging his forehead several times, and punching him. The officers involved have been suspended. An investigation into their actions is ongoing.
Coming up, Kohl's wants to make it easier to return items you ordered from Amazon. CNN Business has details of how the two are teaming up, next.
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[04:54:02] KOSINSKI: A CNN exclusive now. A new show of U.S. Military might in the Mediterranean. The U.S. ambassador to Russia is on board sending a message to Moscow.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): An exclusive look as the U.S. Military sends a message of deterrence to Russia. Moving two aircraft carriers to the Mediterranean and in a rare move, bringing America's ambassador to Moscow, Jon Huntsman on board, a clear signal to Russia.
JON HUNTSMAN, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA: When you have 200,000 tons of diplomacy that is cruising in the Mediterranean, this is what I call diplomacy, this is forward deployed diplomacy. Nothing else needs to be said. You have all the confidence you need when you sit down and you try to find solutions to the problems that have divided us now for many, many years.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): CNN was on board at the USS Abraham Lincoln and the John C. Stennis, are going to conduct operations on a scale unseen here since 2016.
[04:55:00] RDML. JOHN WADE, U.S. NAVY: Our senior leadership has mandated that our navy become more lethal, more tactically proficient. It's very important in the era of competition that we're in.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): All this in an area where Russia is trying to expand its influence, deploying more warships and submarines with cruise missiles.
(on camera) The U.S. Military is extremely concerned about Russia's increasingly strong military posture in this region. And with this deployment, America is making clear to Moscow that it (INAUDIBLE).
(voice-over) Even as President Trump's associates claim there was nothing wrong with his campaign seeking information stolen by Russian military intelligence in the run-up to the 2016 election, the U.S. Navy is also assuring America's allies that it won't waiver on commitments to protect against Russian aggression.
A Spanish ship even sailing as part of the carrier strike group.
ADM. JAMES FOGGO, U.S. NAVY: We're not going to be deterred by any potential adversary. And we are going to support our interest as Americans and also those of our allies as we steamed throughout the world.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): With Russia increasingly assertive in the entire northern Atlantic and Arctic region, the U.S. Navy is putting on its own show of force for the Kremlin to see.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Mediterranean Sea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRIGGS: All right, Fred, thanks.
Espionage charges against an American engineer and a Chinese businessman. A federal indictment says they conspired to steal sophisticated General Electric turbine designs to benefit the Chinese Government and themselves. A 14 count indictment accusing GE employee Xiaoqing Zheng of New York and alleged accomplice in China of teaming up to steal millions of dollars worth of aviation trade secrets. Zheng has pleaded not guilty. The Chinese embassy in Washington is not responding to requests for comment.
KOSINSKI: You need to protect your sophisticated turbine designs.
BRIGGS: There are none.
KOSINSKI: Fisher-Price and its parent company Mattel facing a pair of class-action lawsuits less than two weeks after it recalled its popular Rock 'n Play sleepers. The company recalled 4.7 million of the sleepers after consumer reports connected the product to more than 30 infant deaths in the past 10 years. One of the suits' claims the marketing of the Rock 'n Play was dangerously false and misleading. The families in both cases seeking unspecified damages.
BRIGGS: All right, let's check on CNN Business at 4:57 Eastern Time. Global markets aren't lower as investors monitor earnings, Asian markets closed lower and European markets have opened lower as well. On Wall Street, futures are lower after a record-breaking day yesterday. The S&P 500 and NASDAQ both broke through all-time highs as they said last year, the DOW finished the 145 points higher.
All eyes will be on Boeing which will report its first-quarter earnings before the opening bell. Facebook and Tesla also report their first-quarter earnings today. On the trade front, the White House announced late Tuesday that the U.S. and China will resume talks next week to end their damaging trade war. The latest round of negotiations have not been confirmed by the Chinese side, yet.
Snapchat making a comeback. Snapchat's parent company, Snap said the messaging app had 190 million daily active users during the first quarter, up four million from the last quarter of 2018. Its revenue surged 39 percent for the quarter hitting $320 million. Snap is slowly making progress to turn around its business. It finally stopped losing Snapchat users in February and launched a new gaming platform called Snap games earlier this month. Snap ended the day up four percent.
Kohl is going all in on its partnership with Amazon. The department store announced Tuesday it will start accepting returns for items purchased on Amazon, free at all of its stores beginning in July, and you don't even need a box. Shoppers can drop off their returns at customer service desks and Kohl's will package and ship items back to Amazon. Last month, Kohl's began selling a small selection of Amazon merchandise at more than 200 stores. Kohl's CEO hopes the move will help attract younger shoppers to its stores.
KOSINSKI: That is clever. Who hasn't imagined killing it on "Jeopardy"? And now champ James Holzhauer just keeps rolling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX TREBEK, "JEOPARDY" HOST: You're going to add 50,000. That takes you up to 118,816. And now, a 14-day total of 1,061,554.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: He is a professional sports gambler dominating the competition here again. Holzhauer becoming just the second contestant in the show's history to win more than a million dollars. The other all-time "Jeopardy" champ Ken Jennings, it took him 30 games to top the million dollar mark. Holzhauer here took just 14 games.
BRIGGS: That was a tricky name to get out. We need him and Jennings head-to-head, pay-per-view "Jeopardy" style.
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