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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Former Red Sox Star David Ortiz Shot in the Dominican Republic; A Crane in Dallas Collapses, Killing One and Injuring Six; President Trump Claims Victory in Tariff Tiff with Mexico. Aired 5- 5:30a ET

Aired June 10, 2019 - 05:00   ET

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


[05:00:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God, the crane is falling over. Oh, my God, oh, my God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE BRIGGS, CO-HOST, EARLY START: One person is dead after a falling construction crane sliced through a downtown Dallas apartment building.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CO-HOST, EARLY START: In Iowa, Democratic candidates slammed President Trump in the biggest event so far in the 2020 race.

BRIGGS: United Technologies and Raytheon joining forces to create an aerospace and defense power house in one of the biggest corporate mergers this year. Good morning everyone and welcome to EARLY START, I'm Dave Briggs.

ROMANS: Nice to see you this Monday morning.

BRIGGS: Good to see you, my friend --

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans, it is Monday, June 10th, it is 5:00 a.m. in the East. We begin with breaking news, former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz shot in the back at a club in his native Dominican Republic. And now, according to authorities, the recently retired slugger known as the Big Papi is now out of surgery and out of danger. Coy Wire has been monitoring this developing story for us this morning. He's live with the latest, Coy, what can you tell us?

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS REPORTER: Hi Christine, authorities in the Dominican Republic say the shooter was on a motorcycle and ambushed Ortiz outside a dance club in Santo Domingo. According to police, the former Red Sox star was shot in the back, the bullet went through his stomach. The 43-year-old was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery.

A nurse at the hospital told CNN that Ortiz begged the emergency room doctor, quote, "please don't let me die. I'm a good man." That was before going into surgery. Big Papi's father gave reporters an update on his son's condition outside the hospital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEO ORTIZ, DAVID ORTIZ'S FATHER (through translator): The operation is over and he is stable. We're just waiting for the doctors to take him out of the surgery room. He's resting right now. Now, there are no other damages we know of. He is stable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Leo Ortiz told reporters he has no idea why someone would have shot his son. Investigators are trying to determine whether Ortiz was the intended target. A police spokesman says multiple people were taken into custody in connection with the shooting.

According to police, the gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar. Spokesman says police are waiting until the man undergoes treatment before questioning him. As the news of the shooting spread, shocked teammates and colleagues sent prayers and well wishes late Sunday.

Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortez tweeting, "it's crazy to hear what happened to David Ortiz. It goes to show you that anyone can be in danger at any time no matter your status. Get well soon Big Papi. I'm praying for you." And former major league pitcher Dontrelle Willis who has worked with Ortiz as a "Fox Sports" studio analyst posting, "praying for my man, big Papi. Not a better person I've ever met in baseball. Pulling for you."

David Ortiz played 20 seasons in the majors, 14 of them with Boston. He's a ten-time all-star and led the Red Sox to three World Series titles before he retired after the 2016 season.

BRIGGS: He is a wonderful man, Cory, having covered him for the best years of his career in Boston. I can tell you, the Boston media can be brutal, but David Ortiz would walk in a press room or a locker room filled with reporters. No matter what the mood was, win or loss, clutch home run or strike out, and he would just lighten the mood and light up that room.

I can tell you just a stand up guy on and off the field, but the people in Boston, they love the three World Series, they love the 17 post-season home runs, but they'll forever remember these words after the Boston marathon bombing that big Papi ad-libbed at Fenway Park.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID ORTIZ, RETIRED BASEBALL PLAYER: This is our -- city. And no one is --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Boston strong became the thing after the marathon and I think David Ortiz embodied the spirit of that city after the bombing. They will forever love him. He should never pay for another meal or drink in the city of Boston. And just my personal reflections, having covered him through both good and bad times, the last time I saw him during his final season, he saw me from across the field, came running up, gave me this big, giant hug that David Ortiz would greet his friends with, and took a photo with my son, Will, and I will never forget that moment.

And he is arguably the greatest human I've ever covered --

ROMANS: Wow --

BRIGGS: In my sports or politics career. I love that man and our thoughts and prayers go to big Papi and his wife Tiffany. And you know, it's just surprising to hear Coy because he could be elected president in the Dominican in a second. He could run for whatever office he wanted to there. He is a legend and a myth there, but it sounds like he's is going to be OK.

WIRE: Yes, that's the latest thing, he's resting and he is expected to make a full recovery, so good news indeed, Dave.

BRIGGS: Thanks, buddy, I appreciate your coverage --

ROMANS: All right, Coy Wire, thanks Coy.

BRIGGS: All right, at least one person is dead in Dallas, another six injured after a construction crane fell on to a downtown apartment complex.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[05:05:00] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God, the crane is falling over. Oh, my God! Oh, my God, oh, my God, it does.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Wow, one witness said the crane, quote, "sliced through the building like a hot knife through butter." A fire and rescue spokesman called the situation really challenging because cranes more often collapse on to uninhabited construction sites.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON EVANS, FIRE-RESCUE SPOKESMAN, DALLAS: I don't recall ever responding to one where it's actually fallen on to an occupied building, much less an occupied five-storey residential high-rise building.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Cause of the crane collapse is still under investigation, but severe weather may have been a factor. CNN's Cristina Alesci has more.

CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN BUSINESS & POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Dave and Christine, here is what we know. Shortly after the collapse, Dallas fire fighters used rescue dogs to search for more missing or injured people. Now, what makes it so scary is part of the crane fell on a residential building and parking garage where a lot of people could have been killed or hurt.

We don't know what could have caused the collapse, whether human error or both could have been factors here. Look, the National Weather Service did issue warning, Sunday morning about damaging winds with gusts up to 75 miles per hour.

And more than 227,000 people in the area experienced power outages. The wind may have also caused a billboard to crash onto a car in Dallas' uptown neighborhood. Now, the investigation will likely take months. Authorities are still investigating a Seattle collapse in April which killed four people and the results of that inquiry will probably take a few more months.

Experts say human error may have played a role there, but in 2017, three cranes designed to withstand 95-mile-an-hour winds in south Florida collapsed during hurricane Irma. Dave, Christine?

ROMANS: All right, Cristina Alesci, thank you for that. President Trump declaring victory in his trade battle with Mexico, but he may have been the only one fighting. The "New York Times" reports Mexico agreed months ago to take many of the actions that are in Friday's immigration deal with the U.S. And the president simply threatened tariffs first before accepting the agreement. Mr. Trump denies that report and his die-hard supporters are praising his negotiating skills.

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SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): Tariffs are attacks on American consumers and we don't want to see them in place long-term, nor do I believe President Trump does either. He's using tariffs as leverage in trade negotiations, and I think he used them as leverage in this situation brilliantly.

KEVIN MCALEENAN, ACTING HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: The president put a charge in this whole dialogue with Mexico with the tariff threat, brought them to the table. The Foreign Minister from Mexico arrived within hours, he arrived the next day with real proposals on the table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: And Mexico has agreed to deploy its national guard to its border with Guatemala beginning today. Mexico's ambassador to the U.S. though says that's been in the works for weeks and she hopes to see results now in a month to a month and a half.

BRIGGS: The Iowa Hall of Fame dinner was the place to be Sunday night for 2020 hopefuls, most of them anyway. Nineteen of the Democratic candidates getting five minutes each at the microphone to make an impression in the first caucus state. They each had their own message, but there was one common theme.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOOKER: Donald Trump.

SANDERS: Donald Trump.

HARRIS: Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump!

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK STATE: Donald Trump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: The former vice president and front runner Joe Biden was a no show, but he does plan to be campaigning in Iowa tomorrow. Leyla Santiago has more.

LEYLA SANTIAGO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, Dave, voters here told me that this event didn't necessarily make things easier for them, rather more difficult in narrowing down their shortlist for 2020. You had 19 of the 23 candidates all in one room, making a five-minute pitch to voters here in Iowa.

Remember, Iowa; the very first caucus state. That's why there's a lot of focus here. Among the candidates, you heard them talk about issues, they were not so surprising, abortion, voting rights, health care. And every single one of them made sure to sort of flex some muscle in talking about beating President Trump in 2020.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOOKER: I am running for president because we can't take four more years of Donald Trump.

(APPLAUSE)

I'm running for president to beat Donald Trump, and I'm running for president because beating Donald Trump is not enough.

REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA): We need a president who lives like you live. We need a president who has the grit that you have. And we have a president right now that doesn't understand the dreams that you have. I will be that president.

[05:10:00] SANDERS: While we are all united in the need to defeat Trump, there are disagreements amongst us as to the best way to do that. In my view, we will not defeat Donald Trump unless we bring excitement and energy into this campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANTIAGO: Now, what you did not see here for the hall of fame dinner, you did not see the front-runner Vice President Joe Biden. His campaign says he had a long-standing family commitment that had been scheduled a while back, that's why he's not in Iowa. But some voters tell me, they took offense to that. That perhaps, they didn't see themselves as a priority for the front-runner Vice President Joe Biden. Christine, Dave?

BRIGGS: Leyla, thanks. Right now, Joe Biden is the top choice among likely voters in the Iowa Democratic caucus, but the race is starting to tighten. New CNN "Des Moines Register" poll puts the former VP at 24 percent, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg all in double digits and very tightly packed there. CNN spoke to the three who have some catching up to do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See, kind of it's really working, your strategy is working. Any specifics?

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): Yes, people are ready for real change, for structural change. Nobody in this crowd was saying do less.

MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG, SOUTH BEND, INDIANA: Now, we still have got some work to do to get people used to the idea of a millennial mid- western mayor running for president.

(LAUGHTER)

Although, it's not quite as exotic as people thought it was in January if the polls were anything to go by.

HARRIS: Again, it is my full intention to work very hard to earn the support of the people of Iowa, and to spend time here and continue to grow our staff on the ground and have a presence here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Only five Democratic candidates scored above 5 percent in the poll.

ROMANS: All right, two of the biggest suppliers in the aerospace and defense systems are joining forces in one of the biggest mergers of the year. United Technologies and Raytheon announced Sunday they will create a new company called Raytheon Technologies Corporation.

The "Wall Street Journal" reports the combined company will be the second largest aerospace and defense company by sales behind Boeing. United Technologies is an industrial conglomerate, makes everything from jet engines to elevators. It owns the Pratt & Whitney engine maker and it owns Collins Aerospace. Raytheon is rooted in defense and produces missile defense systems and cyber security solutions.

Now, the companies supply Airbus and Boeing. The merger comes after United Technologies announced last year it was spinning off its elevator and HVAC divisions to focus on aviation.

BRIGGS: OK, coming up, more than a million people clashing with police and protesting on the streets of Hong Kong. The government plan that started this uproar, next.

[05:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIGGS: Five-sixteen Eastern Time and China censoring information on social media about the huge demonstrations in Hong Kong Sunday, where more than a million people took to the streets clashing with police, protesting a controversial government plan that would allow extraditions to mainland China. Let's welcome in Matt Rivers live in Hong Kong with the latest. Matt, good morning, is this over? Will it continue later this week?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we are expecting it to continue later this week, Dave. The fight here in Hong Kong against this particular bill from moving forward is not over. Wednesday morning here, local time, that will be Tuesday evening late U.S. time, that's when the Hong Kong parliament will next debate this extradition bill.

And we've already been told by protest organizers from yesterday that they'll also be organizing protests again Wednesday morning here. You can expect this to continue every time the Hong Kong parliament goes forward and takes another step towards making this bill a law.

Now, what critics are saying is that by allowing Hong Kong to be able to extradite certain suspects, certain people to mainland China, it opens up Hong Kong, not only citizens of Hong Kong, but also foreigners here to China's very opaque legal system. Critics say that China could request the extradition of people, simply for political purposes which they have -- you know, given the legal system in China, it's something the critics say could very well happen.

Now, the Hong Kong government says that's not true, it would just close existing legal loopholes, but this battle is going to continue and people on the streets yesterday, largely peaceful all day long, but very upset. One in seven people, roughly, here in Hong Kong according to protest organizers were a part of that rally yesterday. We can expect probably slightly less numbers on Wednesday. But it's

interesting Dave, Beijing right now, state media and China and the mainland basically saying that the U.S. government perhaps had a role of some kind in these protests, perhaps due to the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China.

A consulate spokesperson here for the U.S. responded saying that was manifestly absurd, but Chinese state media clearly trying to say that western powers are somehow --

BRIGGS: Wow --

RIVERS: Involved in getting these protests going here in Hong Kong.

BRIGGS: All right, keep us up-to-date. Great reporting there live from Hong Kong. Matt Rivers at 5:18 p.m. there, thank you.

ROMANS: All right, back to the U.S., several wildfires raging across parts of California, the so-called sky fire in Southern California forcing the evacuation and closure of Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park Sunday along with a neighboring water park in Valencia.

The fast-spreading sand fire prompting mandatory evacuations in Yolo County in Northern California. Authorities say the blaze which began Saturday has burned 2,200 acres and is just 20 percent contained. Pacific Gas and Electric is restoring power to some 20,000 customers after the utility temporarily cut off electricity in areas of extreme fire risk.

BRIGGS: Heavy rain and flooding being blamed for three deaths in North Carolina. Authorities say three men were killed when their vehicle slid off the road, hit a tree, overturned into rising creek waters near Lincolnton. Several locations in the western part of the state have seen more than a foot of rain in the past three days. The high water also damaged the Duke University Student Union, flooding rooms and forcing a partial evacuation of the building.

[05:20:00] ROMANS: All right, Broadway honoring its best at the annual Tony Awards.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the Tony Award goes to --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: The big winners and losers next.

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BRIGGS: Lord Stanley's Cup was in the building Sunday night in St. Louis, but it was not to be for the St. Louis Blues, the Bruins coming up big, winning game six, five, one to force a seventh and deciding games in the cup final series.

[05:25:00] So game seven, Wednesday night back in Boston, the first time since 2011, the Stanley Cup final has gone to a seventh game, the champion that year, the Boston Bruins.

ROMANS: All right, the celebration of Broadway's best at the 73rd Tony Awards.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the Tony Award goes to -- I thought, I just worry about this, "Hadestown"!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: "Hadestown" was a big winner, taking home eight awards including the biggest prize for best new musical, other musicals did not go home empty-handed. Santino Fontana won for a best actor in the musical for his role in "Tootsie", Stephanie J. Block won best actress in a musical for "The Cher Show", "The Ferryman" won the Tony for best new play and Bryan Cranston won his second Tony Award --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRYAN CRANSTON, ACTOR: I'm straight-old white man, gets a break!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: For his performance in the stage adaptation of the film "Network". Cranston dedicating his win to journalists everywhere.

BRIGGS: Finally, a straight-old white man gets a break is what he said. But later on, we'll show you a shot he took at the president --

ROMANS: Yes --

BRIGGS: When it comes to that line about the media being the enemy of the people. Cranston had a lot to say. Ahead, former slugger and legend David Ortiz shot in the back in the Dominican Republic. The latest on big Papi's condition and the investigation, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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