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House Democrats Consider Border Bill Changes After Tense Meeting; Hundreds of Migrant Children Moved Out of Filthy Facility; Democrats Preparing for First Primary Debates; Police Released Video of Jussie Smollett Wearing Rope; Hollywood Stars Perform in Play Based on Mueller Report; Trump Says "Not His Type" on Latest Sexual Assault Accuser. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired June 25, 2019 - 06:00   ET

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


[06:00:00] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: -- at the hands of Donald Trump and so obviously then President Trump had to respond to that.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's interesting, though, it took three days from the publishing of her book for her to get any traction. But we'll talk much more about that in a little bit.

Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY, It's Tuesday, June 25th, 6:00 in New York.

New developments this morning on what one lawmakers calls the most hideous thing we have seen in our country. That people are dying, that children are dying right in our hands in our name.

The reports coming from one Customs and Border Protection facility in Texas. They are nothing short of disgusting. Children falling ill. Having little access to soap to wash their hands or shower. There is word this morning that some of these children are finally being moved from this place. We will take you there in a moment.

Also this morning, Congress has a chance to do something about it if, and it is a big if, if they can get their act together. Overnight, Democrats were huddled in a tense meeting trying to resolve deep divisions over a border funding bill to address the humanitarian crisis. It is unclear this morning whether Speaker Pelosi has the votes to pass it.

CAMEROTA: Also, President Trump using a familiar strategy to deny another allegation of sexual assault. In a new interview, the president says his accuser, author, E. Jean Carroll, is, quote, "not my type." Carroll responded to Mr. Trump on CNN last night and she voiced our frustration to us on NEW DAY yesterday that the president has not faced any consequences after more than a dozen women have accused him of sexual misconduct.

So we have it all covered for you. Let's begin with CNN's Lauren Fox. She is live on Capitol Hill with the border battle -- Lauren.

LAUREN FOX, CNN POLITICS CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Alisyn. There is a crisis on the border, Republicans and Democrats agree on that, but how to solve it remains a big question. Democrats huddling last night with Nancy Pelosi as progressives and the members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are arguing with her that the House version of the Border Supplemental Bill does not do enough to place restrictions on what the Trump administration can do with their money at the border.

But that's just one track. You know, House leaders are still hoping to put their version of the bill on the floor as soon as today. Meanwhile, the Senate, which is controlled by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Republicans, they have their own version of a border supplemental bill, $4.6 billion with $2.8 million going to the Office of Refugee and Resettlement. They're having a disagreement now about whether or not they move forward with that proposal, which Senate Republicans and Democrats passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee, 30-1 on a bipartisan vote, how to move forward with their bill this week given a tight timeline.

And then of course the biggest questions, how do Republicans in the Senate and Democrats in the House come together assuming that House Democrats can put their differences aside and get a bill out of the House of Representatives.

So a lot of moving parts this morning. You know, one Democratic source who was in this meeting with House Democrats last night argued of Nancy Pelosi, this is the hardest she has had to work for a bill in her speakership. I just think the leadership approached this all wrong.

So a lot of moving parts this morning. Big question, whether or not they can get this done by the end of the week when the Office of Refugee Settlement runs of money -- John.

BERMAN: Lauren, I know you're working your sources this morning. Again, we're trying to get an idea of when and how this vote will go. Thank you very much.

This morning the public outrage is leading to at least some action. Nearly 250 migrant children are being moved from this border station in Texas, the station that observers describe as inhumane.

CNN's Nick Valencia is live in El Paso.

And Nick, the reports from this facility were just horrifying.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, John. I had a chance to speak with several of the independent inspectors who went into the facility. One of them who's been doing government accountability checks for more than 20 years says it's the worst conditions that she's ever seen.

Shortly after news of the conditions surfaced, the children were abruptly moved, and here's what Health and Human Services has to say about that. In a statement they said, "Last week the Office of Refugee Settlement identified shelter space in its network for 249 unaccompanied children who were located at the CPB Clint station facility. These children should now all be in HHS care as of Tuesday, June 25th."

I mentioned the legal monitors I spoke to. They described the conditions as unconscionable. An environment where children are left to fend for themselves. Some of them just beyond filthy, hadn't showered in three weeks. One monitor says there is a pervasive health crisis currently happening along the southern border. She worries about the lasting impact on the children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PROF. WARREN BINFORD, INTERVIEWED MIGRANT CHILDREN AT TEXAS DETENTION FACILITY: It wasn't just a few hours where the children were in these really horrific conditions. But they were there for so long that they were becoming ill from the conditions. There was a flu outbreak, there was a lice infestation, and the children most importantly appeared to be traumatized by the experiences that they were having.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: We mentioned that the children were abruptly transferred, according to Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, who represents part of this district, she tells me some of those children were moved here behind me to Border Patrol Station One in El Paso where she says conditions are just as bad, perhaps even worse -- Alisyn.

[06:05:08] CAMEROTA: Nick, thank you. We'll stay on this throughout the program obviously.

Meanwhile, President Trump using one of his familiar phrases to deny another sexual assault allegation. Author E. Jean Carroll described the alleged attack with us yesterday. She says Donald Trump assaulted her at a New York City department store in a dressing room in the mid- 1990s. The president responded to the description of the alleged rape in a new interview with "The Hill" saying, quote, "I'll say it with great respect, number one, she's not my type, and number two, it never happened, it never happened, OK."

Here's how E. Jean Carroll reacted to it with Anderson Cooper last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

E. JEAN CARROLL, TRUMP ACCUSER: I love that I'm not his type. Don't you love that you're not his type? He also called Miss Universe fat. Miss Piggy, I think he called her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: And this is not the first time that President Trump has attacked the appearance of a woman to deny an alleged attack. At a rally during the 2016 campaign, he said another accuser, quote, "would not be his first choice," end quote.

During our conversation with E. Jean yesterday morning, she told us how she sees the pattern surrounding these allegations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: With all the 15 who -- or 16 women who've come forward, it's the same. He denies it, he turns it around, he attacks and he threatens. That is -- and then everybody forgets it, and then the next woman comes along and I am sick of it. I am -- Alisyn, I am sick of it. Think how many women have come forward. Nothing happens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: I have to say, one of the really interesting things that happened yesterday in addition to your interview, really following your interview, which was the impetus, "The New York Times" admitted it handled this the wrong way. It only did a piece about this in the book review. It didn't cover this as a news story and yesterday "The Times" said they wished they had done it differently, and now all the papers are covering this accusation from -- you know, from E. Jean.

CAMEROTA: I mean, it's just what you said yesterday, have we gotten numbed? That's the question that everybody has to ask themselves over the weekend, where how can a rape allegation against the president of the United States feel like, well, here we go again, here's just another thing that reached this sort of that we've become immune to something shocking?

BERMAN: I also have to say this, something very curious about the president's defense suggesting that she is not his type. Is he saying, had she been her type, then the claim would not have been as outrageous? Think about that for a second.

In the meantime, we have brand new CNN reporting releasing right now on what is the biggest week yet for Democrats running for president. The first debates begin tomorrow, and CNN takes you inside the competing strategies for the 20 candidates who will be on that stage.

Rebecca Buck live from Washington with great new details on who is looking over what shoulder really at whom -- Rebecca.

REBECCA BUCK, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: That's right, John. Well, it's game on for these candidates and they are all hunkering down today making their final preparations for these two very important debate nights. And a couple things that these candidates are looking at and focusing on in these final hours before the debate. First of all, this question of whether they want to draw a contrast and take a more aggressive approach, or whether they just want to introduce themselves, take an easier sort of positive message to the voters for this first debate.

Now a couple of candidates are eager to take a more aggressive approach. Senator Bernie Sanders telling CNN he's eager to draw contrast with some of the other candidates on stage and notably he'll be on the stage on the second night with Joe Biden, among others. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has been doing mock debates with her aides. Also trying to take a more aggressive approach, looking for a breakthrough moment. She's been of course in the single digits in the polls. This could be a very important night for her indeed. And the second question, the second challenge for the candidates is

how are they going to deal with the time constraints. You're going to have two nights of the debate with 10 candidates on each stage, a very crowded debate stage, only a minute for the candidates to answer the questions posed to them by the moderators.

For Elizabeth Warren, her campaign has been based around these very detailed policy proposals and so she's been trying to boil them down to a more bite-sized version for the debate, and last -- earlier this month, rather, Joe Biden talked about the debate format. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A little bit of an exaggeration to call it a debate, I mean, because there's not really much time. So it's like a lightning round. It's a good thing to do. But it's an exaggeration to suggest that there's going to be any real depth about what we're going to be able to get into in a minute.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCK: Now of course Joe Biden is the clear front runner in the race going into these debates. And so there's no question, Alisyn, that he will have a target on his back. He's preparing for that as well -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Rebecca, it will be fascinating to see who emerges from the 20-person pack if any one.

BUCK: Absolutely.

BERMAN: It's like "Thunderdome," 20 will enter.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

BERMAN: Like 10 will leave?

CAMEROTA: Who knows.

BERMAN: I don't know either.

CAMEROTA: Yes. All right. Up next, a new 10-act play featuring some of Hollywood's biggest stars. But it's not what you would normally see on the stage.

[06:10:04] How they are bringing the Mueller report to life.

BERMAN: Are there special effects?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Big strange new developments this morning in the Jussie Smollett case out of Chicago. Police have released almost 70 hours of video that we have not seen before including a video of the "Empire" star with a rope around his neck. Smollett maintains he was attacked but police say it was all an elaborate hoax.

[06:15:02] CNN's Ryan Young joins us live this morning.

Ryan, you pored over this video, what's in there?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. John, let's not forget here that at one point they wanted this video suppressed. That was the Jussie Smollett team. Now all these videos out there. We're actually in the same area where the attack supposedly happened. But let's take a look at the video from that night. You're talking about one of the coldest nights in Chicago. You see him wearing this heavy sweater and also maybe that noose around his neck.

And according to the folks who were inside there, you can see Jussie Smollett just sort of detailing what he thought happened before someone asked for the cameras to be turned off. In fact, take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's not forget it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you want to take it off or anything?

JUSSIE SMOLLETT, ACTOR: Yes, I do. I just wanted you all to see. They poured some bleach on me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're filming this right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. This is all being audible and visually recorded.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And in this house?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're filming it. Like audio. Yes. I guess, we're not --

(CROSSTALK)

SMOLLETT: I don't want to be filmed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, so can you turn it off?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: John and Alisyn, we talked about this story for weeks. More than 20 detectives worked on it as they went and gathered all this information, all this video. You see the evidence that they were able to gather. Here's a few things where the story started to fall apart. One, they

looked at that rope, they thought it looked brand new. Two, they started talking to the (INAUDIBLE) brothers who we have video of who arrived to the scene here. Once they were able to track those two men down, this case started to fall apart. Those two men say that Jussie Smollett actually paid them to pull off an elaborate hoax because apparently he was unhappy with his pay on the set of "Empire."

What has happened since then? What we do know is Jussie Smollett is still being paid by the "Empire" folks but he's no longer on the show because of the fallout from this entire incident. At one point, he had 16-count indictment. That all went away.

Alisyn, this still is not over just yet. There could be a special prosecutor coming soon that's going to look at how this case unfolded, and why Jussie Smollett got away with a slap on the wrist.

CAMEROTA: Ryan, I think it's really fascinating to hear one of the police officers say about the rope, do you want to take that off or anything, which suggests that the police officer thought that something strange was happening even in the moment. But thank you very much for bringing us that very strange video.

YOUNG: You got it.

CAMEROTA: All right. Meanwhile, a star-studded cast performing a new play based on the Mueller report. The special counsel's 446-page script has been condensed into 10 acts in a one-night only performance.

CNN's Alexandra Fields joins us with more. They said they wanted to bring it to light, and here it is.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And they did. Look, John, Alisyn, I personally prefer to have my Mueller report read to me by the two of you, but this was an equally star-studded cast giving it a try on the stage in New York City. Yes, they examined the possibility of obstruction across 10 acts. How could you look away?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN LITHGOW, ACTOR: Oh, my god, this is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I'm (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

FIELD (voice-over): Hollywood stars and Washington's biggest drama.

LITHGOW: How can you let this happen, Jeff?

FIELD: The Mueller report coming to life on stage for one night.

LITHGOW: I need loyalty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You will always get honesty from me.

LITHGOW: That's what I want, honest loyalty.

FIELD: The play featuring a star-studded cast, including John Lithgow as President Trump.

LITHGOW: You were supposed to protect me. Everyone tells me that if you get one of these independent counsels, it ruins your presidency. It takes years and years, and I won't be able to do anything. This is the worst thing that ever happened to me.

The president then told Sessions that he should resign as attorney general.

JOEL GREY, ACTOR: Sessions agreed to submit his resignation and left the Oval Office.

FIELD: Annette Bening, Mark Hamill, Julia Louis-Dreyfus all taking part in the live reading. Ben McKenzie in the role of Donald Trump Jr.

BEN MCKENZIE, ACTOR: And if it's what you say, I love it, especially later in the summer.

FIELD: And Kyra Sedgwick as outgoing White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

KYRA SEDGWICK, ACTRESS: He weighed in, offered suggestions like any father would do.

FIELD: The show's creators describe it as a historic live play in 10 acts ripped from the pages of the Mueller report, and even portraying the weeks after capping off the night with lines from Robert Mueller's long awaited statement at the Justice Department last month.

KEVIN KLINE, ACTOR: As set forth in our report, after that investigation, if we had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD: And if you still can't get enough or if you haven't finished your own copy of the Mueller, well, you can head to Washington in the next few weeks for an 11-hour long reading of volume two. Also there are plans for a graphic novel.

[06:20:01] John and Alisyn, I will bring it to you as soon as we have it.

BERMAN: I think they have to work on the musical numbers.

CAMEROTA: Mueller the musical?

BERMAN: I think so.

CAMEROTA: I think Mueller musical would be actually very entertaining.

BERMAN: Because Kevin Kline can sing. He was great in "Pirates of Penzance." I think that he should take some of that to the Mueller report because I think Bob Mueller, when he made that public statement, really wanted music.

(LAUGHTER)

CAMEROTA: Well, I'm sure that they are working on that right now.

BERMAN: Yes. I'm sure it's next after that.

All right. Team USA is on to the quarter finals of the World Cup after beating Spain. It was not easy.

Andy Scholes has more in the "Bleacher Report" -- Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, John. This game much closer than most thought it was going to be. Team USA really ended up getting bailed out by a questionable penalty in the second half. Score tied 1-1, a Spanish player narrowly kicking Rose Lavelle in the box. The official calling a penalty on that play. And Megan Rapinoe would then knock down her second penalty of the game as the USA squeaks by 2-1 setting up a huge quarter final matchup against France on Friday.

Now it's only a quarter final but most consider this the final of the World Cup. U.S. and France are favorites to win it all. Tickets for Friday's matchup fares skyrocketed, the cheapest ticket nearly $700. You can get into the Norway-England quarter final meanwhile for just 33 bucks.

All right. The Dodgers announcing they will join the White Sox and Nationals in extending their protective netting down the foul line. The team's president says that plans will be announced in the next couple of weeks. Now this comes after a young fan was hit in the head by a foul ball on Sunday. That fan, Kaitlyn Salazar, she explained what that felt like.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAITLYN SALAZAR, HIT BY FOUL BALL: You know in those, like, movies where like when a bomb goes off and you hear an eerie sound and then like the scene starts to get fady, and then everyone sounds like mumbled, yes, like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, luckily Kaitlyn OK after getting hit by a foul ball, and the Dodgers reacting to another fan getting hit, John. It will be interesting to see if more teams are now proactive and start putting that protective netting down the lines to protect the fans.

BERMAN: I bet they will be. Andy Scholes, thank you very much.

SCHOLES: All right.

BERMAN: So a woman accuses the president of sexual assault. The president defends himself saying she is not his type. So is this a suggestion he would be willing to assault a woman who is his type? New reaction pouring into his comments, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:26:57] CAMEROTA: In a new interview with "The Hill," President Trump denies the sexual assault allegation made by author E. Jean Carroll saying, quote, "I'll say it with great respect, number one, she's not my type, number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?"

Joining us now to talk about this and more we have Abby Phillip. She is a CNN White House correspondent. As well as CNN political analyst, Sarah Isgur.

Sarah, you help politicians craft their messages. I think I would have led with I don't rape people. But he led with she's not my type which, as John points out, begs the question, to rape, not your type for what? So what did you think of this back and forth yesterday?

SARAH ISGUR, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, sure. But we've seen this play out many, many times where the president doesn't perhaps pick what PR executives would have chosen for him. That being said, you take the political angle on this, I don't think we're moving a lot of votes. But what you might see, the "Wall Street Journal," for instance, just this week published an editorial about replacing Mike Pence with Nikki Haley on the ticket to help shore up the president's support among women, which has been flagging really since he started running.

And while you may not switch your vote based on this, if you're a woman living in suburban Philadelphia you -- who's happy with the economy, who's happy with the way a lot of things have been going, you may just not show up because of something like this. So this really does depress turnout, I think, more than anything else.

BERMAN: And Sarah, you worked for Carly Fiorina when the president made comments about her face. Right? And then we heard the president about accusations on sexual assault used language much like this before. Let's play the memory lane for a moment here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Rosie O'Donnell is disgusting, I mean, both inside and out. You take a look at her, she's a slob. But you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever. And when she walked in front of me, believe me I wasn't impressed. Believe me, she would not be my first choice, that I can tell you. Such a nasty woman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So, Sarah, again, having been on the inside of some of the receiving end of this, at least working on a campaign that was, you don't think it necessarily has any effect?

ISGUR: Well, we've seen over and over again that the president does much better with men than he does with women. What I mean is that at this point, if you're a woman who voted for Donald Trump in 2016, I doubt you're changing your vote based on yesterday's accusation. But I think you might not turn out to vote the same way that you did before.

CAMEROTA: Where did David Gregory come from? He just parachuted --

BERMAN: Yes.

CAMEROTA: He wanted in on this conversation. We see you, David, now. I mean, look, again, this speaks to the numbness, I think, of people and why the E. Jean Carroll allegations -- it goes further than any of the other 15 or so allegations. This one, her allegation, what she describes in her book is legally a rape. OK. I mean, if it were ever to be proven true in court, and yet because we have heard him say these things before, perhaps we're inert to the shock value, David?

DAVID GREGORY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, unfortunately I think that's the case. I mean, we keep coming back to the same place which is.

END