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New Day

Colorado Shooting Suspect is Female; Nadler to Hold Contempt Vote; Prince Harry and Meghan Introduce Baby. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired May 08, 2019 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:32:46] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, just -- we're getting breaking news out of Colorado about the deadly school shooting there. Authorities just announced new details moments ago about the two suspects involved.

Our Ryan Young is live with the breaking details.

Ryan, this is interesting.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is very interesting, of course, and it's shocking. I don't think we've ever dealt with one of these school shootings where a female has been sort of identified as one of the shooters. And that's what police are saying right now. In fact, the juvenile in this case has been identified as a young lady. We don't have any more details about her just yet. In fact, the DA was asking for her name not to be put out there once we all discover it, really talking from an impassioned place, just talking about being a part of this community and having to deal with two shootings in a span of a small amount of time. But, in fact, listen to the sheriff for the first time talk about the identities of the suspects.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY SPURLOCK, DOUGLAS COUNTY SHERIFF: We have an adult male that we sent out information on yesterday in custody at the Douglas County Jail. We originally thought that we had a juvenile male in custody, but through our interviews yesterday late afternoon determined that we have a juvenile female that is in custody right now who is the other suspect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Yes, we have this idea of that person being a small, young suspect. And, of course, they've been able to identify that as a female now.

We also know there will be a first court appearance for that other suspect in this case, who they believe they're 18. Now, getting into where the guns come from, that's something they're

trying to dig into right now. They believe that both of them were not old enough to purchase the guns. So they're going to have to -- the ATF is going to be getting into identifying where the guns came from.

But behind us, they still said, this is going to be an active crime scene. It's such a large place. They're going to have to go through it bit by bit. And we've actually seen officers on the other side. So that is a part of this as well.

And then you think about this. There still remains three people in the hospital, five have been released so far and they are also telling us that school was supposed to end on Friday, but, of course, the school will be shut down for the rest of the week.

[08:35:01] But you think about the impact of this. A lot of questions here. We do know from people who were inside the school that apparently they thought the guns came in a guitar case. Once they were opened, you had students who were reacting, trying to stop these shooters. Some of them apparently were so close they were able to have a struggle. One young man was shot in the chest. When you think about these details, I think this is just a shocker, though, that a young female was involved in this case.

So many more questions about this one.

Guys.

BERMAN: Look, Ryan, it is very unusual and I will say how tragic it is that we have a usual. We have a paradigm for school shootings. That's shocking and sad in and of itself. But --

YOUNG: Absolutely.

BERMAN: But talk to me, is there any information about the relationship or the planning from these two suspects or how long this had been in the works, whether it was inspired by Columbine, which is just a few miles away?

YOUNG: Yes, look, we're seven miles away from there and that was part of the course -- the conversation that they split up and went to two different targets. I don't think they got into those sort of details just yet in this news conference.

But, of course, as you break this down, maybe in that first court appearance, because, John, as you know, we go through this, sometimes the detectives start putting out more information as they lay this out to the judge, we start hearing where the detectives have gotten some information.

In fact, they found a car here, so what was in that car? Was there a note left behind? Is there something on social media? Have they been able to go through their phones just yet? All that has not been released. But, of course, as they start digging down into this with both of them still being alive in terms of those suspects, we know they'll probably have bunches of information from their cache on their Internet searches and all that.

But then you have to figure out, where did they get these guns from? Did they come from the family? Did they get them from somewhere else? So many more questions at this hour.

But I am glad they did this news conference early enough so that we could get some of this new information.

BERMAN: All right, Ryan Young, thank you so much for being there and bringing us all these new details. Appreciate it.

YOUNG: Absolutely.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, other big news.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler just told us that he is planning to move forward with that vote to hold the attorney general in contempt today, despite threats last night from the Justice Department not to do that. So we will get the bottom line of all of it next.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[08:42:10] CAMEROTA: OK, so moments ago on NEW DAY, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler told us that he plans to hold that vote about an hour from now to hold Attorney General William Barr this contempt, despite the threat from the Justice Department late last night that President Trump will invoke executive privilege if Nadler moves forward with that vote.

So let's get "The Bottom Line" now with CNN's senior political analyst John Avalon.

What does that mean, John?

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it means that they are going to hold the attorney general in contempt of Congress. That's a serious step. It has happened to Attorney General Eric Holder, but not a lot before.

And it almost sounds like the White House's brush back pitch last night trying to claim, if you do this, we're going to go to total obstruction and executive privilege, may have almost backed him in a corner. He said, we've got no choice, we've got to move forward with it.

So this is a major clash between Congress and the Trump administration.

BERMAN: And, again, over the next two hours, what you will see is it move beyond the threat stage.

AVLON: Yes.

BERMAN: Because this is the official action. This is the beginning. The House committee will vote. The full House will vote at some time in the near future. And it's a serious matter.

And then the White House and the administration will be forced to not just talk about executive privilege, but officially exert it. AVLON: That's right. And they've got a real problem because if they

follow through on this particular threat about treating all additional information in the Mueller report -- redacted information as executive privilege, they're going to run into basic definitional problems. As our Jeff Toobin was talking earlier, the things that were redacted regarding the campaign, you can't exert executive privilege on.

BERMAN: There's no executive privilege over a campaign?

AVLON: Correct.

BERMAN: Period?

AVLON: Right. And, you know --

CAMEROTA: That's redactalous (ph).

AVLON: That's redactless (ph).

BERMAN: Yes.

AVLON: Yes. Thank you. I like coining words on -- we'll be coining lots of new words in this unprecedented situation.

But this is a very serious matter and it's a sign of things to come. The total stone wall strategy is going to be in effect. And a lot of folks say, case law is really clear, this is going to legally go off the cliff, but it will increase the bad blood, it will increase the deep partisanship in Washington and it will take time for the courts to resolve these key questions.

CAMEROTA: I mean you would think the courts could fast track this.

AVLON: You'd think.

CAMEROTA: If we're headed towards a constitutional -- no, sorry, if we are in a constitutional crisis, as Jerry Nadler just said, surely the courts could fast track this one.

AVLON: Yes. And I think that will be incumbent upon the judiciary to realize that part of the game is delay. But it was very significant for him to use the phrase -- no, we're in a constitutional crisis. That phrase has been overused in the past, but this really applies.

BERMAN: Yes, his problem was that it's a lot worse, he thinks, than other times we've used that phrase.

Another major bit of news, and part of it was what was unsaid or in the silences there, Jerry Nadler told you -- told Alisyn -- that he's less certain now, less confident now that Robert Mueller will testify before his committee, which was scheduled for next week. The reason he says is because of the actions and statements of the president and the White House over the last week saying that he shouldn't. That was interesting.

[08:45:01] AVLON: That's not only interesting, it's potentially huge news because Bill Barr told Congress he had no problem with Robert Mueller testifying. Then the president came down and said he shouldn't. So all of a sudden -- and you heard Jerry Nadler say this -- it looks like Barr may be moving away from his own instincts and opinions to showing feelty (ph) to the president. And what Nadler said in that interview was, he's gone from being -- acting just like the president's lawyer, which the attorney general is not supposed to be, to having the entire Justice Department act as an adjunct to the White House. That's a serious accusation. But if Mueller's being pulled back, with Barr's acquiescence, that's a sign that the president is calling the shots on these key questions.

BERMAN: Right.

CAMEROTA: But I still find this one confusing, because if Robert Mueller is a private citizen, he can do what he wants, yes?

BERMAN: He's not yet.

AVLON: He's not y et.

CAMEROTA: Right, he's not yet. I understand. But he's also not actively working for the Department of Justice anymore.

BERMAN: He's finishing up.

AVLON: Yes.

BERMAN: We don't need -- there are a lot of these investigations. There's a lot of t's to the crossed and i's to be dotted. It's just the off ramp right now. We don't know how long that will take.

Jerry Nadler told you a few weeks. He wanted Mueller next week. If Barr all of a sudden changes, does an about face, and that's key, he would have to do an about face --

AVLON: Absolutely.

BERMAN: It means that Mueller can't even begin to discuss testifying until he leaves the Justice Department.

AVLON: And that puts Barr in a really difficult position because he's basically admitting for all to see that those of you who thought I was acting like the president's patsy, I am, because I'm changing my position.

But, yes, that May 15th deadline that had been floated would seem to be not operative. But once Mueller's a private citizen in full, presumably the testimony can --

BERMAN: Although I wouldn't put it past the White House Justice Department to file some lawsuits to try to stop that. They're trying to stop Don McGahn --

AVLON: Absolutely.

BERMAN: Who's now a private citizen from testifying. AVLON: Exactly right.

CAMEROTA: John Avlon, thank you very, very much.

AVLON: Fascinating stuff.

CAMEROTA: OK, now to some good news. The best story of the day. We just got our first glimpse of the new royal baby. That is a very attractive baby right there. Will we get a name today?

BERMAN: We have an answer to that question.

CAMEROTA: That's next.

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[08:50:38] CAMEROTA: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle introducing the royal baby to the world for the first time this morning. Here is the video. The proud parents announcing that they are thrilled with their new bundle of joy. The couple has met with the queen or is meeting with the queen and getting her blessing on a name, we're told.

So what's next? Joining us now is CNN's Max Foster, live from Windsor Castle, and Victoria Arbiter, CNN royal contributor.

So, Max, do we know if the queen has given her blessing on a name?

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: We don't. We know that the couple have been down in the cottage, which is sort of that end of town with Doria, who is Meghan's mother. They've been there for the a last couple of days. They then went up to the castle and the state rooms there for this impromptu sort of moment today, very casual, relaxed.

We know the queen is in because the flag is up and we know that they are meeting the queen today. So I'm putting all that together to suggest that they are currently meeting the queen, sort of telling her the name that they would like to give this baby. And once they've done that, then we should hear the news. So we'll bring it to you as soon as we have it. But they've got to tell the queen first, really.

CAMEROTA: So, Max -- so but you think we will know the name today?

FOSTER: Yes, we'll definitely know the name today. This afternoon. So that means that they've decided on a name, which is progress as well because Harry said they hadn't quite got there a couple of days ago.

CAMEROTA: OK, so let's watch this, Victoria, let's just watch the moment where they first come out with the beautiful baby and they talk a little bit to the reporter that was there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: What's it like becoming a new mum and tell us a little bit about baby Sussex as we're calling him.

MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: It's magic. It's pretty amazing. And, I mean, I have the two best guys in the world. So I'm really happy.

QUESTION: Tell us a little bit about your son. What's he like? Is he -- is he sleeping well, a good baby?

MARKLE: Yes, he has the sweetest temperament. He's really calm and --

QUESTION: I wonder who he gets that from.

MARKLE: Yes. And he's been -- he's just been the dream. So it's been a special couple days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Victoria, we were laughing about, tell us a little bit about the baby. What's he like. Well, he likes long walks on the beach at sunset. I mean he's been on earth for, you know, a little more than 24 hours or two days. So what did you see, though, in that video because some royal watchers say it was interesting that she wasn't holding the baby, as Kate did, as Diana did, and that Harry was holding the baby.

VICTORIA ARBITER, CNN ROYAL CONTRIBUTOR: I think it was lovely to see Harry holding the baby. Anyone who has seen him with children knows what a hoot he is with children. And clearly this is a very proud father. Anyone who saw his interview on Monday could see that he's just on cloud nine. Clearly euphoric.

But I think what we saw was a very tender moment actually with this family because we were removed from the hullabaloo outside the hospital where there's banks of cameras and we're shouting questions to William and Kate. This was very intimate. It was very personal. And you could see that Harry and Meghan, I think, there's something about welcoming a child to the world, it strips away any other business, any other noise that you might have going on personally. And we just saw a couple that are clearly so euphoric over the birth of their baby and happy to share him with the world.

CAMEROTA: We got that still picture, Max. The baby is adorable. I mean that is a really cute, very precious-looking baby. But tell us the dynamic that you saw in their coming out in this way to introduce him to the world.

FOSTER: Well, it's really interesting because what they're trying to do, is they're trying to do things in their own way. They've talked about that and the office often says that to me. But they also accept their place in society and within the monarchy. So what you've got is a couple being quite casual and chatty. They didn't really prepare their remarks. But they are in St. George's Hall, which is a hugely historic and grand room where they have state banquets and actually where they had their wedding reception as well. So it's interesting to see how they're trying to tread the line here.

And as they meet the queen and discuss the name of the baby, they're probably going to be considering titles as well. Some people suggesting that they wouldn't want a title for their baby because they're a modern couple, but I think when you look at these nods to tradition, they actually would quite like a title, earl of Dumbarton (ph) is one that the baby could already automatically get. But maybe they'll -- the queen will decide that the baby should be known as a prince as well. They'll be discussing that and we'll get the details of that later on this afternoon. Well, in a couple of hours probably.

[08:55:01] CAMEROTA: And we know you will bring that to us as soon as you have it.

So, Victoria, you know, it's just -- Meghan is a compelling person. I mean I -- you know, not to intrude on their privacy, but they are global figures, of course, and she is so compelling to watch and to see what she's wearing and everything. And so we can conclude, I think, that she's doing well after the birth. She probably didn't have a c section because she is walking around and upright and looks good, but we don't know much about the birth beyond what Max has reported, that she wanted it to be very holistic, very private, very quiet, no the a lot of hoopla.

ARBITER: It's been quite interesting, actually, because we've got two camps that we're sort of seeing social media in these situations lights up. And there's a lot of people saying it's irrelevant, it doesn't matter where this baby was born, it's fine for them to keep it private. Yes, of course, we all want to allow them the privacy of a personal moment, but anything that happens within the royal family is of historical significance, particularly for this baby. He's the first child of Harry, who is the son of the future king. Also, this happens to be the first mixed race heritage baby born into this family. So this really is a turning point in the history of the British monarchy.

Now, those details will come out because it will be on the birth certificate, which we'll have within a few weeks or so. So we will know where this baby was born. But it's interesting the details that Harry and Meghan are choosing to keep private at this moment.

CAMEROTA: Victoria Arbiter, Max Foster, please bring us any developments as you get them, Max. Thank you very much.

All right, we have also breaking details for you on the deadly Colorado school shooting, including the identity of one of the shooters. It was a female.

"NEWSROOM" picks up our coverage next.

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