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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
White House Stonewalls House Investigations; ISIS Suspect Warned About Sri Lanka Attacks; "Jeopardy!" Champ Tops $1 Million In Winnings. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired April 24, 2019 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:31:03] 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: Breaking news from Sri Lanka. Terrorists were planning a second wave of attacks. An ISIS suspect gave warnings of the Easter bombings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POLICE OFFICER 1: Twenty shots fired on Argyle Street with the car -- with the car.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: Right there, police body cam shows the frantic moments an officer opens fire on a driver and passenger near Yale.
BRIGGS: And what is winning? A new milestone -- a sensational round for this "JEOPARDY!" contestant as the sports gambler continues to rack up the big bucks.
Welcome back to EARLY START on a hump day. I'm Dave Briggs.
KOSINSKI: I'm Michelle Kosinski. It's 31 minutes past the hour.
The White House stonewalling of congressional investigations 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, he says, 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 testifying about security clearances. 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 Sec. Steven Mnuchin says he'll make a final decision on the returns by May sixth.
KOSINSKI: And now we've learned the White House plans to fight a 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 Kaitlin Collins at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAITLIN 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 overreach.
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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRIGGS: All right. Kaitlin Collins there at the White House, thanks.
Let's bring in CNN POLITICS digital director Zach Wolf, live in Washington this morning. Good to see you, sir.
KOSINSKI: Hey, Zach.
ZACHARY WOLF, DIGITAL DIRECTOR, CNN POLITICS: Good morning.
BRIGGS: So, as Stephen Collinson calls this in a cnn.com piece, he says, "Donald Trump's stonewalling White House is mounting a multi- front assault on accountability, testing the notion that a president must answer to citizens for whom he holds a public trust." Clearly, there are the things the president does not want the public nor Congress to see or hear. But will Republicans in the Senate and/or the House ever step up and defend the Constitution and the notion of oversight?
WOLF: That's a great question. I think right now, it's almost beside the point. We have to sort of reach the -- reach the finale, I guess, where they officially don't come to testify, they ignore all these subpoenas on a variety of subjects, and essentially try to lock out an entire leg of the U.S. government.
[05:35:13] And that's what it feels like the president is trying to do -- basically, have the -- have the government operate with only one branch fully functioning essentially -- his own and him doing everything -- and that's just not the way it's going to work.
KOSINSKI: Right.
How is the acceptable not only to Republicans but to Trump's base, especially when the president claims that he fully cooperated with the Mueller report? But we know that the Mueller report says that his responses -- he never appeared in person, of course, to testify -- that his responses were inadequate.
WOLF: I think it -- I'm not sure it's acceptable but I think a lot of Republicans would like to just move on.
BRIGGS: Yes.
WOLF: The president -- you know, President Trump's base, for their part, I think they think he's just been essentially vilified and they take his side on this.
BRIGGS: All right.
So at the heart, of course, of the Mueller report is Russian interference in our election. And on the heels of Rudy Giuliani telling Jake Tapper there's nothing wrong with accepting information from the Russians, a hostile foreign government, Jared Kushner said this at a Time 100 event yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JARED KUSHNER, SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: The whole thing is just a big distraction for the country. And you look at what Russia did -- you know, buying some Facebook ads to try to sow dissent 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 has had a much harsher impact on our democracy than a couple of Facebook ads.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Harsher impact --
KOSINSKI: Yes.
BRIGGS: -- than Russian interference, was the Mueller report. And he says it's just a couple of Facebook ads, something the Mueller report --
KOSINSKI: Right.
BRIGGS: -- called "sweeping and systemic." Something DNI Coats says completely the opposite about.
Are they welcoming Russian help in 2020?
WOLF: I certainly don't think they're going to be meeting with any Russians in Trump Tower in 2020.
But, it's sort -- if the idea is that a few Facebook ads are this huge episode of Russian meddling -- that the entire U.S. intelligence committee is agreed was something meant to sort of try to sway the election, whether or not it worked, that's what they were trying to do. Him sort of downplaying it certainly isn't say oh, you guys don't do that next time. Not at all.
KOSINSKI: Especially since there was hacking of Democratic databases.
BRIGGS: Yes, and they'll be back and DNI Coats has warned they've nearly truly left our system.
KOSINSKI: Right, exactly.
And one more thing, Zach. Biden now in the race. How does this change things?
WOLF: Joe Biden, number 20 -- the 20th individual we'll have in this race. It almost feels like we've been waiting for so long for him to be in.
KOSINSKI: Since 2016.
WOLF: Exactly, since 2016. And, you know, he sort of has been setting the pace of this in some ways because he's got the most name recognition.
KOSINSKI: Right.
WOLF: He sits at the top of most polls. So the field is now complete, I think, even if some more stragglers pop in. Joe Biden sort of completes.
We have the middle lane. We certainly have a very crowded left lane in the field.
The question for me is what is he going to offer to voters?
BRIGGS: Right.
WOLF: Is it going to be something more than just I'm the guy who can kind of try to help win back the Rust Belt, and is that enough? Is that enough for Democratic voters --
BRIGGS: Yes.
WOLF: -- who seem a lot more interested right now in these big ideas --
KOSINSKI: Right.
WOLF: -- that people like Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders or Kamala Harris or Cory Booker -- you know, all these people are putting out there? Ways to basically change the fabric of the country.
BRIGGS: Right. Does he lead with moderation? That will be interesting in that online video.
I want to ask you about some of the president's tweets yesterday, and he was angry about the fact that the economy is soaring and his approval rating is just stuck in the mud. A couple of tweets on this subject yesterday.
And he has a point when you look at the numbers that we're seeing in the markets -- all-time highs. Look at the Dow, S&P, and Nasdaq just rocketing this year. And yet, the president's approval rating, Zach, locked in that low to mid-40 range -- immovable, up or down, really. Why?
WOLF: I think the Mueller report probably has something to do with it. I think his stonewalling probably has something to do with it.
We end up talking a lot more about his fights -- the fights that he picks with Congress, with whoever, than about the economy, and he has a lot to do with that.
BRIGGS: And he's had opportunities to turn and to pivot and to focus on the economy and stop the fighting, but it looks like this is where he's comfortable and where he thinks he can win again.
KOSINSKI: Yes, but you could also make the argument that after all that has happened --
BRIGGS: Yes.
KOSINSKI: -- in the last several weeks, the fact that that rating has not dropped, why --
BRIGGS: And he's in striking range.
KOSINSKI: You would think he'd be claiming that as a victory.
BRIGGS: Yes.
KOSINSKI: That's usually his style.
BRIGGS: He doesn't like to claim victories right now.
Zach Wolf, good to see you, sir. Thank you. KOSINSKI: Good to see you.
WOLF: Thank you.
BRIGGS: All right, some breaking news from Sri Lanka. Terrorists were planning a second wave of attacks across the country. That's according to intelligence operations since the Sunday attacks.
[05:40:01] CNN learning India relayed three specific warnings about possible terror attacks, one of them an hour before the bombs went off. The death toll in the Easter Sunday bombings has climbed to 359.
Senior international correspondent Ivan Watson live from Sri Lanka with the latest. Ivan, good morning.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there -- hi there, Dave.
The funerals are underway for these hundreds of innocent victims of these suicide bomb attacks.
The security forces say there was nine suicide bombers and one of them was the wife of one of the suicide bombers. So you had a husband and wife couple who carried these awful acts.
And we're showing you some of the security here at St. Sebastian Church where this was targeted. This was targeted on Easter Sunday. More than 100 people killed here.
The funerals are taking place but the security forces are having to search the hearses and search the mourning parties coming in and then when they go to the cemetery, and that's because the threat level is high according to the government right now.
There are more -- it looks like more soldiers and police in this walled compound and at the cemetery where we've been for the funerals than mourners and clerics because this government thinks that the bombers were planning a second wave of attacks. They think there are still threats out there and that's part of why you have this incredible security presence while people are simply trying to mourn.
We've learned more about the perpetrators of this violence that -- the government says one of them had studied in the United Kingdom and had done post-graduate studies in Australia. The Australians have confirmed that one of them had an Australian visa.
And the government's saying that these were well-educated, upper- middle-class, financially independent people who became part of some kind of a disgusting death cult and that is very worrying -- Dave and Michelle.
BRIGGS: Boy, it sure is.
Ivan Watson live there in Sri Lanka just past 3:00 p.m. Thanks, Ivan.
Back here, body cam and surveillance footage showing the police shooting near Yale University -- a shooting that's led to a week of protests.
Police officers from Yale and nearby Hamden, Connecticut stopped a car just after 4:00 a.m. on April 16th. 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 car from behind. The driver opens the door and starts to get out. Eaton runs to the side of the car and fires, shattering the window.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POLICE OFFICER 2: Twenty shots fired.
POLICE OFFICER 1: Twenty shots fired on Argyle Street with the car -- with the car.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: The passengers, Stephanie Washington, was shot and wounded. The driver, Paul Witherspoon, uninjured.
His uncle 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, they've got 100 pieces and 98 pieces are out, you know -- two pieces that we was looking for. They didn't really do nothing to change it and these officers need to be fired.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: What is not at all clear from that video, why Eaton started shooting. There was no gun found at the scene. Both officers now on administrative leave.
BRIGGS: All right, 5:43 Eastern and a check on "CNN Business."
Investors will find out today how much the 737 MAX crisis has hurt Boeing's bottom line. Analysts estimate Boeing's earnings fell 11 percent in the first quarter.
The March 10th crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet prompted the 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 a plane is paid at the time it's delivered.
Boeing is working to fix the software that operates the plane's safety system, which is the focus of investigations into the crash.
Its stocks down 11.4 percent since the Ethiopian Air crash. That's about $27 billion lost 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: Well, two officers in Florida facing a harsher punishment after video of them pepper-spraying and body slamming a teenager.
And see what happens when victims of violent crimes and offenders meet face-to-face on CNN's new original series "THE REDEMPTION PROJECT WITH VAN JONES." The series premieres Sunday night at 9:00.
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[05:49:05] BRIGGS: All right, let's get a check on "CNN Business" and your leading indicator this morning. It was a record-breaking day on Wall Street as stocks climbed past their all-time highs.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq both hit record highs. The S&P 500 reaching 2,933, breaking its September high. The Nasdaq hit 8,120, beating the all-time best close it hit in August. The Dow finished the day 145 points higher.
Futures are lower as investors wait for first-quarter earnings from Boeing, Facebook, and Tesla.
Kohl's is going all in on its partnership with Amazon. The department store announced Tuesday it will start accepting returns for items purchased on Amazon for 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 attract younger shoppers at its stores.
[05:50:07] KOSINSKI: A Coast Guard officer accused of planning a terror attack also searched the Internet for addresses of Supreme Court justices and the best gun to use to kill black people.
Christopher Hasson pleaded not guilty last month to weapon and drug charges. He allegedly planned to murder Democrats and media figures.
BRIGGS: According to newly-released court documents he conducted an Internet search asking, "Are Supreme Court justices protected?" about two weeks before searching for the home addresses of two unnamed justices.
In 2017, Hasson allegedly searched "white homeland," "when are the whites going to wake up," and "please, God, let there be a race war."
KOSINSKI: Supreme Court conservatives appear to be on board to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. Critics say it would undermine accuracy by discouraging both legal and undocumented immigrants from filling out the forms at all. Justices were deeply divided Tuesday. During more than an hour and a half arguments, the justices repeatedly interrupted each another.
The Constitution requires every person in the country to be counted each decade. The census provides critical data used to distribute billions in federal dollars to states and localities.
We will be right back.
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[05:55:58] KOSINSKI: Florida prosecutors say no charges will be filed, at least against a 15-year-old boy who is 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 that video surfaced last week. It shows deputies first using pepper spray on the teen, then throwing him to the ground and banging his forehead several times, and punching him -- all of this on tape.
The officers involved have now been suspended.
BRIGGS: Authorities in Crystal Lake, Illinois still searching for 5- year-old A.J. Freund who disappeared nearly a week ago. Sources telling CNN affiliate ABC7 the boy's parents are no longer cooperating with investigators.
Yesterday, police released a 911 call of the father reporting his son missing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: OK, tell me exactly what happened.
ANDREW FREUND, FATHER OF MISSING 5-YEAR-OLD: We have a missing child. Woke up this morning and he wasn't -- he wasn't --
911 OPERATOR: How old is the child?
FREUND: Yeah, a missing child.
911 OPERATOR: Yeah, how old is he?
FREUND: He's five.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Police also revealing they made several calls to A.J.'s home in recent years, including one in December where an officer described unlivable conditions.
KOSINSKI: The brothers once accused of attacking "EMPIRE" actor Jussie Smollett are now suing the actor's lawyers. The Osundairo brothers were cleared when prosecutors said Smollett orchestrated a hoax attack to further his career.
Their federal lawsuit alleges Smollett's attorney, Tina Glandian, defamed them by saying, among other things, that the brothers attacked Smollett and dealt steroids. And by implying that one of them had sex with the actor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLORIA SCHMIDT, ATTORNEY FOR OSUNDAIRO BROTHERS: We have sat back and watched lie after lie being fabricated about us in the media only so one big lie can continue to have life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: The lawsuit also names Mark Geragos, who heads the firm that employs Glandian. In a joint statement, Geragos and Glandian say the suit lacks any legal footing.
BRIGGS: 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.
One of the suits claims the marketing of Rock 'n Play was dangerously false and misleading.
KOSINSKI: "JEOPARDY!" champ James Holzhauer just keeps rolling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX TREBEK, HOST, "JEOPARDY!": 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: The professional sports gambler dominating the competition yet again. Holzhauer becoming just the second contestant in the show's history to win more a million dollars.
The other is all-time "JEOPARDY!" champ Ken Jennings. It took him 30 games to top the million-dollar mark; Holzhauer, just 14 games.
BRIGGS: "The guy is amazing," said Alex Trebek. I hope he keeps on winning.
KOSINSKI: I know, an inspiration.
Thanks for joining us. I'm Michelle Kosinski.
BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs and the question on my mind is will the Berman goatee live to see another day? The answer right now on "NEW DAY."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The president is in a fighting mood to push back on Capitol Hill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're not allowing White House officials to testify. This is unprecedented. It will go to court.
RICK SANTORUM, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: This is harassment. They just want to play politics.
BRIGGS: Joe Biden set to launch his 2020 campaign tomorrow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has been the frontrunner in the polls from the beginning and continues to be the frontrunner.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I haven't heard anything that suggests he understands where the progressive movement is going.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Goatee, we hardly knew you.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, you know, it was brief engagement. A limited engagement.
CAMEROTA: Dave Briggs is going to be very disappointed --
BERMAN: I know.
CAMEROTA: -- as will legions of fans.
END
