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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
Report: Half of Detainees Held Past 72 Hour Limit; Trump Vows to Continue Census Fight; Critics Question Trump July 4th Event; USWNT Advances to World Cup Final. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired July 03, 2019 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Can your friendly Spider-Man have a struggling -- help a struggling summer season?
[05:00:00] "Spider-Man: Far From Home" estimated to bring in $125 million box office over its six-day holiday opening.
That will be good news for a season down roughly 9 percent compared to last year. Multiple sequels including "Men in Black International" and "Dark Phoenix" underperformed, and "Toy Story 4" couldn't match Disney's high box office expectations.
Even if Spider-Man doesn't save the day, there's still time for box office to recover. The highly anticipated reboot of "The Lion King" opens July 19th. Experts say it could be the biggest movie of the year.
Thanks to our international viewers for joining us. Have a great rest of your day.
For our U.S. viewers, EARLY START continues right now.
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BRIGGS: Extreme overcrowding, prolonged detention, immediate attention required, damning findings by an internal watchdog as the border crisis spirals out of control.
MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN ANCHOR: The president taking direct aim at the Supreme Court over a ruling on the census. He's vowing to keep fighting even though the census is already being printed.
BRIGGS: A legend in the auto industry has died. The business world remembering Lee Iacocca.
KOSINSKI: And one win away. The U.S. women's national team heading to the World Cup final.
Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Michelle Kosinski.
BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. Today., we'll find out who they'll play in the World Cup Final.
It's Wednesday, July 3rd, 5:00 a.m. in the East. We start on our southern border.
A new and dire warning about conditions for migrants detained at the southern U.S. border. Extreme overcrowding, prolonged detention without proper food, hygiene, or laundry facilities, just part of what's laid out in a report by the Department of Homeland Security's internal watchdog. The I.G. says these and other problems require immediate attention and action.
Over the last few months, the going influx of migrant families and children has led to longer times in custody and overcrowding at facilities meant to be temporary.
KOSINSKI: The situation at the border grows more urgent by the day. The Border Patrol now leading the search for a 2-year-old missing in the Rio Grande. On Monday, a woman who just crossed the river into Texas told agents she had lost her daughter on the way. Of course, this comes just a week after that terrible image of a man and his daughter who drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande.
CNN's Nick Valencia has more on conditions at the border from El Paso, Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Dave and Michelle, this new report by the office of the inspector general is based off of five visits to the southern border, principally in McAllen and Weslaco, Texas. And what is clear from the images that is how overcrowded these facilities are.
In some cases, migrants don't have enough room to lay down comfortably on the concrete.
According to inspectors in this report, the conditions in these facilities are so dangerous, they pose a health and safety risks not just to the agents but also to the migrants in custody. Now, here's some other thing that stand out from the report. Half of the 8,000 detainees in custody in McAllen were held longer than the 72 hours which is required under law. A third of the children were also held longer than the law allows.
Now, we've heard from DHS officials who say they're doing the best they can with the resources they have. But to Democratic lawmakers, some who visited the southern border this week, it's simply not enough -- Dave, Michelle.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRIGGS: OK, Nick. Thanks.
Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson claims when Democrats toured a migrant detention center in south Florida Tuesday, they were only permitted to see a single classroom, an empty dorm, along with supplies like soap and toothpaste. That's where the access ended.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. FREDERICA WILSON (D-FL): I asked to see the girls. There are 700 girls in this facility. I saw 30. When I tried to go into the dormitory that houses the girls, they said to me they were anyone take -- they were in intake and it might be dangerous or contagious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: There's also new fallout from that Facebook group of current and former customs and border patrol agents who joked about the plight of migrants. In an exclusive interview with CNN, one agent claimed he heard a supervisor making fun of dead immigrants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANONYMOUS BORDER AGENT: He was making fun of them.
VALENCIA: Saying what?
ANONYMOUS BORDER AGENT: That what difference does it? It's just another life. He made a comment also regarding running over illegals. I'm like, you cannot run over people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: The U.S. Border Patrol chief says the words of those few individuals on that secret Facebook page directly undermines the public's trust.
A new CNN poll does show about three quarters of Americans consider the situation at the border a crisis. That's up from less than half in January.
BRIGGS: President Trump taking a direct shot at the Supreme Court days after it ruled the 2020 census cannot contain a citizenship question.
[05:05:01] The president tweeting it's a very sad time for America when the Supreme Court of the United States won't allow a question of is this person a citizen of the United States. He also vowed to keep fighting to add the question each though hours earlier, the administration announced the citizenship question would not be on the 2020 census.
It was Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross who originally ordered the census bureau to add the question. Yesterday, he said the bureau would print the form without it despite his disagreement with the high court ruling.
KOSINSKI: It's billed as a salute to America. But there are growing questions whether the president is planning a salute to Trump. Yesterday he claimed in a tweet that the pentagon and our great military leaders are thrilled to be participating in a military parade.
Also sources tell us the president's political allies received some of the 500 VIP seats. Those tickets will grant entry to the areas closest to the Lincoln Memorial where the president will speak.
Remember, the event is being held on the National Mall, not a private space like the White House. So that's not sitting well with former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEON PANETTA, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: The president does a great deal of harm by politicizing this event, I think the military, frankly, we have always taken the position, those of us that have been involved with the military, that we don't have to display our power to anybody. We're the strongest military power on the face of the earth. We don't have to roll tanks down the street. We don't have to roll troops down the street because we know that we are strong, and we can take on any enemy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Nine hundred members of the D.C. National Guard have been called up to help with traffic control and security. That's nearly triple the typical guard activation for the event. Overnight, the Pentagon began delivering a pair of tanks to the National Mall for a small stationary display of American military might.
CNN's Barbara Starr has more from the Pentagon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It will be a very different event for the U.S. military which generally has not participated in national July 4th events. Expect to see the chairman of the Joint Chiefs Staff, General Joseph Dunford. He has been invited by the president to attend. Other senior officers are expected to attend, as well.
But the big issue, of course, is the U.S. military wants to stay out of partisan politics. And if President Trump's remarks veer into those partisan politics, expect to see those senior officers stay very quiet and not react. They do not want to be part of a political event.
So when people arrive on the National Mall, July 4th, what will they see in president Trump's salute to America? There will be a flyover, some of the latest military aircraft, Air Force F-22s and F-35s, the plane that is used as Air Force One, the new Marine One helicopter, the B-2 stealth bomber.
There's also going to be a very small number of armored vehicles on the ground -- Dave, Michelle.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRIGGS: OK. Barbara Starr, thank you.
The president's big Fourth of July bash will have a party crasher, though, the infamous 20-foot-tall balloon depicting the president as a baby in diapers. Cleat complete with cell phone. The National Parks Service issued a permit to the group, cold pink for the baby Trump balloon to be displayed on the mall. Regulations will prevent the balloon from taking flight during the event.
The group expressing its frustration says the permit is not in the location it requested which is within the line of sight of the president's podium at the Lincoln Memorial.
KOSINSKI: There's something strange surrounding Mike Pence. No one seems to know why me abruptly canceled an appearance in New Hampshire on Tuesday, moments before Air Force 2 was about to take off.
The vice president was scheduled to speak about the opioid crisis at an addiction recovery center in Manchester, but an advanced staff member told the audience there was a, quote, emergency, and Pence would not be coming. The vice president's office is only saying there was no cause for alarm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE IACOCCA, AUTO INDUSTRY ICON: Quality, hard work, commitment, the stuff America was made of. Without them, there is no future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Lee Iacocca, a legend in the auto industry and bestselling on author, has died. For decades he was one of America's best-known business executives. The former Chrysler CEO was also a master pitchman appearing in a series of commercials telling consumers, quote, if you can find a better car, buy it.
He's also credited with saving the number-three automaker from bankruptcy in the 1980s which got him on the "Time" magazine cover, "Detroit's comeback kid." Before that, at Ford, Iacocca developed the iconic Mustang.
Once asked about the secret to his success, he said, "I hire people brighter than me, and then I get out of the way."
[05:10:01] Iacocca is survived by two daughters and eight grandchildren. He was 94.
KOSINSKI: Not guilty on the top charges. A Navy SEAL acquitted of killing an ISIS prisoner in Iraq could be a free man today.
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KOSINSKI: Decorated Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher found not guilty of premeditated murder and all the major charges against him for the death of an ISIS prisoner in Iraq.
[05:15:01] Fellow SEALs offering conflicting accounts of Gallagher's behavior at his military trial. Two witnesses say they saw him fatally stab the victim. But one altered his story for the first time while on the stand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREA GALLAGHER, EDDIE GALLAGHER'S WIFE: I was feeling like we're finally vindicated after being terrorized by the government that my husband fought for for two decades in the war on terror. He's fought every major enemy of the United States. He is a righteous and noble individual. We need afford the benefit of the doubt to our war heroes who we send over there to fight these evils.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: The jury did find Gallagher guilty of posing for a photo with a dead prisoner. That carries a maximum four-month sentence. He could get time served when he's back in court today.
BRIGGS: At least two people shot inside a shopping mall in San Bruno, California. Police say they found two wounded victims at the Tanforan Mall when they arrived yesterday afternoon. Both were treated at the scene and taken to a local hospital. Investigators believe there were two shooters. They are still on the loose. Police say the incident was not random.
KOSINSKI: Seven hours after an explosion leveled a home in Charlotte, North Carolina, fire crews found a woman dead in the rubble. Officials say she was located in what had been the downstairs part of the home. They would not identify her or say whether she lived there.
Earlier Tuesday, a man was pulled conscious and alert from the debris. He was medevaced to a hospital where his condition is unknown. The cause of the explosion under investigation.
BRIGGS: All right. We'll talk some soccer ahead. Their bigger star was hurt, but the U.S. national team still made it to the World Cup final. Boy, do they have that goaltender to thanks for it.
Coy Wire has the story in the "Bleacher Report", next.
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[05:21:40] BRIGGS: U.S. women's national team on to the World Cup final after a thrilling win over England.
Coy Wire has more in the "Bleacher Report".
We should salute the Alex Morgan way, my friend. It is 5:20 a.m.
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Did I see the pinky up? Do it properly.
BRIGGS: The pinky is up, my friend. Good morning.
WIRE: Good morning to you. What a huge night for the Americans. You have to remember they're playing for so much more than just another trophy. They're playing for future generations with something to prove.
They need to find a way to win without coach, captain, and star Megan Rapinoe sidelined with the hamstring injury. The big question, could her backup, Kristen Press, step up? Yes, Press with the header, scoring in the 10th minute. England would tie it up.
But birthday girl Alex Morgan gives the U.S. the lead back. The 30- year-old heading straight into the record books with the go ahead store. The first player to score a world cup on her birthday celebrating with a spot of tea.
The 2-1 lead would hold up, but thanks to this woman, Alyssa Naeher. She got it gone. A hero, make that she-ro. Save on the penalty kick late, she tracked it the entire way, cradling the ball, and with it the eventual victory for the U.S. She rose to the occasion.
She and her teammates on to their fifth World Cup final. That's a record.
Morgan gave credit to her teammates, especially Naeher.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX MORGAN, USWNT CAPTAIN: Just incredible with the team tonight and Alyssa Naeher she needs -- she saved our ass -- sorry, excuse that. But she saved our butts today. And honestly, like this was such a great game for us to build on. We made it to the final. It's what we've been waiting on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: The USA awaits the winner of the semifinal match between Sweden and the Netherlands. That's later today. Megan Rapinoe hopes to return for the final which is on Sunday.
At Wimbledon, all the eyes will be on Coco Gauff today as the 15-year- old who upset the great Venus Williams in the first round. There would be no upset, however, of the other Williams sister, Serena, coasting to victory in her opening round match in center court yesterday. She also announced that she's going to be teaming up to play mixed doubles with Andy Murray starting next week. Murray's making his return to Wimbledon following hip surgery.
It was an emotional night in Texas for the L.A. Angels in their game against the Rangers last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Please join the Texas Rangers, the Los Angeles Angels, and all of Major League Baseball as we observe a moment of silence in honor of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: The 27-year-old pitcher Tyler Skaggs was found unresponsive in his hotel room near Dallas on Monday. His teammates wearing black patches with his number 45 on them to honor their fallen teammate.
Manager Brad Ausmus describes how the team is dealing with such a devastating loss.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRAD AUSMUS, LOS ANGELES ANGELS MANAGER: We were able to talk about Tyler and laugh about some of the stories and some of the goofy things he did, listened to some of his music.
[05:25:00] So it was good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: This guy was such an emotional leader for the team. He was the one who organized that photo we saw of them wearing their cowboy hats on their trip down to Texas. He would never let a room be silent. He was always lighting it up.
BRIGGS: Just thoughts for his wife and that entire organization, 27 years old. Still no word on cause of death.
Coy Wire, thank you, my friend.
Michelle, what's coming up?
KOSINSKI: All right. The visuals match the report. The homeland security watchdog warns of extreme overcrowding, prolonged detention, and more at facilities once meant to be temporary. A bad situation getting worse on our southern border.
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KOSINSKI: Extreme overcrowding, prolonged detention, immediate attention required. Damning findings by an internal watchdog as the border crisis spirals out of control.
END
