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GOP Narrowly Holds North Carolina 9th District House Seat; John Bolton Out As National Security Adviser; Appeals Court Rules Suspension Of Parliament Unlawful. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired September 11, 2019 - 05:30   ET

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


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[05:30:36]

DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: Republicans get the wins they had to have. What two races in North Carolina tell us about 2020.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The fallout fast and fierce after the ousting of National Security adviser John Bolton. What it means for allies and adversaries worldwide.

BRIGGS: Another prominent call to stop vaping after a sixth person died from a related lung disease.

ROMANS: And, rape allegations against troubled receiver Antonio Brown. The accuser was his trainer.

Welcome back to EARLY START, everybody. I'm Christine Romans.

BRIGGS: Yes, I'm Dave Briggs. It is 5:30 Eastern time.

We start with politics and a big night for the GOP in North Carolina. The party held on to two seats it badly needed in order to slow Democratic momentum going into 2020.

CNN projects North Carolina state Sen. Dan Bishop will narrowly defeat Democrat Dan McCready in the 9th District, keeping a seat that's been in Republican hands since 1963. The state forced to re-run the election because of ballot fraud allegations against the 2018 GOP campaign.

Voters in North Carolina's 3rd District elected Republican State Rep. Greg Murphy. He replaces Republican Walter Jones who died in February.

ROMANS: Bishop's race in the 9th drew national attention as a possible 2020 bellwether. President Trump and Vice President Pence both made trips to the district Monday.

Bishop had Trump on speakerphone after the win and made clear he is a Trump Republican.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAN BISHOP (R), PROJECTED WINNER, NORTH CAROLINA NINTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: President Trump's vision for America is received warmly by people in the Ninth District, and let's give him his due. He stepped in when some said that perhaps he should let it ride and he -- that's what he does -- he commits. And that's what I do, and I'm just going to fight for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: President Trump savoring the win. "Big night for the Republican Party. Congratulations to all!"

BRIGGS: A win is a win, but Republicans looking to 2020 might worry about competitive seats in similar districts.

The Democratic Party offering this warning. "Those close results in a district Trump won by double digits should send waves of fear through the Republican Party at every level."

ROMANS: All right, let's bring in "CNN POLITICS" digital director Zach Wolf, live this morning in Washington.

And as Tom Perez writes, should the margin of victory here be a worry for the Republicans?

ZACHARY WOLF, DIGITAL DIRECTOR, CNN POLITICS: Well, I mean, first of all, a win is a win. They won two seats, so Republicans need to be happy about that.

On the other hand -- and not to be -- to over-read things -- but you guys had John King on earlier talking about the problems that Republicans are facing in suburbs like Mecklenburg County in the 9th Congressional District and others nationwide, and that this shows that certainly, Democrats have come up in those areas.

That, you know, you can't afford to lose very much from 2016. Trump only won North Carolina -- just to take North Carolina by like three percentage points. And there was a 10-point shift in between where this district was in 2016 and where it is today even though they won. So there are, I think, some serious storm clouds for Republicans here.

But, Democrats can't think that this thing is over because while the suburbs seem to be turning toward Democrats, the rural areas sprang up for Trump.

ROMANS: Yes.

BRIGGS: Yes.

WOLF: So it's kind of the same thing and it's just a matter of who shows up on which day. But nobody, after this, is talking about Republicans gaining seats in the House.

BRIGGS: Sure.

WOLF: They are certainly not on offense and looking to regain many seats. So that -- so that's an important note as well.

BRIGGS: And, CNN polling won't help the president's mood. Sixty percent saying President Trump does not deserve reelection. So that won't help the outlook here.

But let's switch now to the revolving door on -- well, every position, frankly, but we'll focus in on John Bolton's departure as National Security adviser. Not surprising. Probably the least surprising news. These two were bound to clash.

But let's listen to Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State. See, John Bolton was supposed to be part of a press briefing on sanctions related to terrorism. Of course, he was not there. He was fired or resigned.

Listen to Pompeo -- his reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN KAREM, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, PLAYBOY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Bolton was on the guidance to be here, so were you two blindsided by what occurred today that he's no longer with the administration? Was it news to you today because last night we were told that he would be here today?

[05:35:08]

MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: Yes, I'm never surprised --

(LAUGHTER)

KAREM: Well, let me ask you this.

POMPEO: -- and I don't mean that on just this issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Hmm, interesting.

So look, again, these two were bound to clash given Bolton's hawkish stance on Iran and frankly, everywhere else around the world.

What do you make of that reaction, though?

WOLF: Two things. Either that could be Mike Pompeo smiling because of the rivalry that these two men clearly had or it could be Mike Pompeo smiling because it's true.

Nobody really goes to the White House knowing if they're going to be working at the White House at the end of the day and that's something we've seen, I think, playing out throughout the truly historic churn that you have amongst staffers at the Trump White House. They leave at an amazing clip.

ROMANS: The reality show quality of all of this is kind of like -- it's kind of unbelievable, right? I mean, you've got these two -- these two men in front of the cameras sort of jocular and sort of happy. Another man who has just been fired is calling into a -- or tweeting into a -- text messaging a --

BRIGGS: Laughing off the chaos.

ROMANS: -- T.V. -- a cable T.V. show.

But what we know in the background here is that Mike -- that Bolton did not like the way that the president caved to dictators -- the way he behaved to dictators, and that was a source of tension.

And we know that the White House -- the president, in particular -- thought that he was a leaker and his staff was a big leaker. There was conflict here.

WOLF: That's true.

And, John Bolton -- I remember talking to people when he got the job at the White House, wondering how long this was going to last because he is a hawkish, very strident foreign policy guy.

And, Donald Trump, despite his America First-ness -- despite that being his slogan -- isn't really an interventionist. He wants the U.S. to not necessarily be a part of international groups and treaties and stuff like that. But he doesn't want the U.S. being the policemen out there -- of their projecting U.S. military might in the way that John Bolton does.

So they clearly were not on the same page policy-wise --

BRIGGS: Yes.

ROMANS: Sure.

WOLF: -- from the get-go.

BRIGGS: And it's not just a national security adviser. A piece you have on cnn.com this morning gives you a glimpse at the revolving door and the empty seats all around this administration -- State Department, Justice, and Defense. It is staggering. Advise and consent, no longer.

Check out Zach Wolf's piece. We'll tweet that out here in just a bit.

Good to see you, sir. Thank you.

WOLF: Good to be here. Thanks.

ROMANS: Thirty-seven minutes past the hour.

President Trump would be happy if the U.S. simply stopped using spies. Multiple senior officials tell CNN the president has repeatedly expressed opposition to gathering foreign intel from covert sources. That includes the overseas spies who provide the U.S. with crucial information on hostile countries.

The president says spies can damage his personal relationships with foreign leaders. He also has doubts about their credibility.

BRIGGS: This follows CNN's exclusive report the U.S. extracted one of its highest-level covert sources inside the Russian government in 2017, a decision driven in part by worries that the president was mishandling classified intelligence. A Kremlin spokesman called the reporting "pulp fiction."

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also disputing reports of the extraction. He called it factually wrong without saying exactly what was factually wrong.

ROMANS: The hours are counting down to the next Democratic debate in Houston tomorrow night. The 10 candidates who will be on stage making their way to Texas.

Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg found themselves sitting just one row apart on their flight. Buttigieg tweeted, "Very funny, United."

Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren will square off on the same debate stage for the first time. A Biden adviser says he's going to aim squarely at Warren's "I've got a plan for that strategy," arguing Democrats need a nominee who offers more than plans.

BRIGGS: Warren, after speaking to another big crowd in Austin, offered no apologies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think that we start with a plan and then we get out there and fight for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: Now remember, there's been some high-profile use of profanity on the campaign trail. I'm talking to you, Beto. So, the DNC and debate host, ABC News, sent a remarkable e-mail to the candidates asking them not to curse during the nationally-broadcast debate.

ROMANS: All right.

The number of uninsured Americans increased in 2018 for the first time since Obamacare was fully implemented. According to brand-new census data, 27 1/2 million people went without insurance last year, an increase of 1.9 million. The trend driven by a decline in coverage under public programs like Medicaid.

Health care has become a central issue in the 2020 presidential campaign. Democrats are debating ways to extend coverage, while the president tries to gut the Affordable Care Act.

BRIGGS: Another major warning against vaping. The American Lung Association saying straight-out, do not use e-cigarettes. The health charity says in a new statement, "E-cigarettes are not safe and cause irreversible lung damage."

[05:40:09] The warning came the same day authorities in Kansas announced a sixth American has died from lung disease related to vaping.

This week, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg's foundation committed $160 million to help stop the vaping epidemic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE BLOOMBERG, CEO, BLOOMBERG L.P.: Kids are dying, people are dying now and getting addicted. A time line is yesterday, not tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIGGS: The CDC says at least 450 possible cases of severe lung disease nationwide may have been caused by vaping. Overnight, we learned Hawaii is now investigating its first possible case.

ROMANS: All right, 40 minutes past the hour.

On this morning 18 years ago, America endured its darkest day. Planes crashing into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 people killed.

There will be a ceremony taking place from 8:40 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza at the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan.

Former President George W. Bush and Defense Sec. Mark Esper will lay a wreath at the 9/11 Pentagon memorial.

And a new tradition begins today in public schools across New York State. A brief moment of silence will be observed before the start of classes on every September 11th moving forward.

BRIGGS: Never forget. That includes the kids who never really knew what happened there.

Ahead, the president denying temporary protected status for people seeking refuge from the destroyed Bahamas. That puts him at odds with his top border chief.

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[05:45:40]

ROMANS: All right, breaking news this morning. A Scottish appeals court ruling British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament is unlawful.

Joining us live this morning from London, CNN's Max Foster. Max, this is all unprecedented. Should we expect Parliament now back anytime soon?

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR, "CNN NEWSROOM WITH MAX FOSTER": Well, we don't know. Again, uncharted territory, as usual, with the story right now. But this was a case brought by a Scottish court, so Scotland has its own jurisdiction, effectively.

A group of cross-party politicians basically challenging the prime minister's decision to suspend Parliament early.

So it went to court and this panel of three judges -- all of them coming up with this ruling today, saying the prime minister's advice to the Queen that Parliament should be prorogued or suspended was unlawful because it had the purpose of stymying Parliament. Very much speaking to the critics of Boris Johnson, saying he's been undemocratic throughout this process.

Now, one of the barristers -- one of the lawyers on the winning side here today saying we believe that the effect of the decision is that Parliament is no longer prorogued. Therefore, it should be open when we know it was shut just a couple of days ago. So it's slightly unclear where we're going with this.

We have just heard from the government, saying they will appeal to the only court left, which is the U.K. Supreme Court. So expect that hearing next week. They will rule definitively on this.

But until then we can expect a lot of concern and perhaps politicians turning up at Parliament expecting it to be open.

ROMANS: Concerning -- confusion. I mean, unbelievable. All right, thanks. Keep us up to speed on any changes there.

FOSTER: Will do.

ROMANS: Max Foster in London.

BRIGGS: The Trump administration will not grant temporary protected status to Bahamians affected by Hurricane Dorian. That's according to an administration official and puts Trump at odds with one of his senior officials. On Monday, acting Customs and Border Protection Chief Mark Morgan said it would be appropriate to extend temporary protected status to Bahamians.

In the past, people from countries ravaged by hurricanes, like Honduras and Nicaragua after Hurricane Mitch in the 1990s, were granted the protection.

Top officials in the Bahamas call it a "joyless and dark time." More than 70,000 people remain homeless.

ROMANS: For those who remain, needs are dire. Aid groups are still trying to assess the fate of people on smaller islands.

The aid organization, Samaritan's Purse, has set up a field clinic in Freeport. It will be open for three months while Grand Bahama Island's main hospital undergoes repairs.

And a heartwarming reunion in Florida. A boy welcomed back to school after he and his mother went to visit family in the Bahamas for Labor Day and got stuck riding out the storm. NBA Hall of Famer and Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan has pledged to donate $1 million to assist with relief efforts in the Bahamas.

BRIGGS: A top FEMA official is facing criminal charges for allegedly taking brides in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

FEMA's deputy regional administrator, Asha Nateef Tribble, was sent to the island to lead the power recovery efforts. She is accused of taking gifts from the head of a contracting firm and pushing for that same firm to be rewarded billions in contracts from FEMA and local power officials.

Tribble is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and disaster fraud.

ROMANS: All right, just about 49 minutes past the hour.

Let's get a check on "CNN Business" this morning.

Looking at global markets, you can see a mixed performance in Asia. European markets have opened slightly higher on.

On Wall Street, futures just a little bit higher. I'd say mixed -- indecisive this morning. Stocks finished mixed Tuesday.

The Dow managed to close higher for a fifth day in a row. The Nasdaq and the S&P basically flat.

Oil prices fell after President Trump fired Iran hawk John Bolton as National Security adviser. Crude settled down just about one percent.

Bolton was a strong proponent of the Trump administration's maximum pressure campaign against Iran. That campaign was built on tough sanctions that caused Iran's oil exports to fall.

McDonald's plans to speed up the drive-thru with new technology, announcing Tuesday it acquired Apprente, a Silicon Valley-based startup. It specializes in conversational voice-paced ordering technology.

[05:50:00]

McDonald's said the technology understands different accents and McDonald's expects it to allow for more accurate ordering at the drive-thru. McDonald's and Apprente have already run some demos at McDonald's test restaurants.

The newest iPhone is going to cost you a pretty penny. Apple unveiled the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max Tuesday with a $1,000 price tag.

Both models feature three cameras on the back of the phone and a better battery life. Another feature of the new iPhone, slowfies -- yes, slow-motion selfies. The world could not survive without them.

BRIGGS: How can you say that in slow-motion? ROMANS: I know.

Apple also unveiled a new iPad and Apple Watch -- a gaming subscription called Apple Arcade.

The new iPhones will be available for preorder on Friday and go on sale in stores on September 20th.

We'll be right back.

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[05:55:12]

ROMANS: Breaking moments ago, a plane crashes at Toledo Express Airport. The plane went down just east of the runway, according to the Lucas County sheriff. It's believed one person was on board.

Local reports say the plane was carrying auto parts. Casualties unclear right now.

We're going to continue to follow this breaking news more throughout the day on CNN.

BRIGGS: The Antonio Brown saga taking a potentially criminal turn. The star receiver accused of raping and sexually assaulting a former trainer.

A civil suit alleges Brown, in three separate incidents in 2017 and 2018, attacked Britney Taylor. Brown, through his attorney, denies the allegations, saying the two had a consensual personal relationship.

The lawsuit was filed a day after Brown signed with the New England Patriots. The Patriots, in a statement, say they will make -- take the allegations very seriously but they won't comment while the NFL investigates.

He starts practice today.

ROMANS: Boeing experiencing a problem with yet another plane. The 777X plane, which is still in development, failed a safety test.

Boeing says the test bent the wings far beyond anything expected in commercial service. Officials say the fuselage depressurized and one of the doors came off.

Boeing is already struggling to get the grounded 737 MAX fleet back in the air after two fatal crashes that killed more than 300 people.

There are signs of a disconnect between the FAA and overseas regulators, meaning the plane may be recertified in some countries but delayed in others.

BRIGGS: Kent State wanted fireworks and they got them. The university is now apologizing for its decision to halt a women's field hockey match to prepare for a pregame fireworks show for its football team.

Kent State was hosting a field hockey match between Temple University and the University of Maine. It was in overtime when it was abruptly called and everyone was asked to leave the field. The teams were told the match would resume in seven hours. Temple could not stay, due to travel arrangements.

Kent State's athletic director says in hindsight, a different decision should have been made.

ROMANS: An Ohio school district is changing its policy after a 9- year-old boy had his lunch -- his school lunch taken away from him because of an unpaid $9.00 balance on this account.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFERSON SHARPNACK, DENIED SCHOOL LUNCH: The lunch lady didn't say anything. Took away my cheesy breadsticks and sauce, put them over there, and took out bread -- cheese on bread out of the frig and put it on my lunch tray.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: To make matters even worse, all this happened to Jefferson Sharpnack on his birthday.

Jefferson and his siblings recently moved in with their grandmother. She was waiting for paperwork to be processed so she could enroll the kids in the district's free and reduced-price lunch program.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIANE BAILEY, JEFFERSON SHARPNACK'S GRANDMOTHER: You would take the food off of a tray. You can't re-serve it. You're going to throw it away and not feed the child? That doesn't make sense to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: It didn't make sense to the superintendent of schools, either. After all, three out of four school districts in the U.S. report having unpaid student meal debt. The superintendent sent a notice to parents that all children will now receive a standard lunch regardless of their account balance.

BRIGGS: Could napping actually help you live longer? We hope so. A new study found grabbing a daytime nap once or twice a week between five minutes to an hour cut in half a person's risk of heart attack, heart disease, and stroke.

The Swiss study tracked nearly 3,500 people between the ages of 35 and 75 for just over five years. Interestingly, the researchers say more frequent napping beyond once or twice a week provided no additional health benefit.

Five minutes, friends. That's not a nap.

ROMANS: Good night.

BRIGGS: That's a commercial break. Nighty-night -- go ahead.

ROMANS: Thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Romans.

BRIGGS: I'm Dave Briggs. A nap is on the way. "NEW DAY" starts right now. We'll see you tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BISHOP: We had a great victory tonight -- a nice margin.

JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR, "INSIDE POLITICS": North Carolina Nine will stay in Republican hands. A very close race in a district President Trump carried by 12 points.

DAN MCCREADY (D), CANDIDATE, NORTH CAROLINA'S NINTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Democrats should not be playing in this district.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not a swing district. It should not be a competitive district at all.

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): Nobody lasts long in the chaos of the Trump administration.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: John Bolton and his policy interests and his policy positions deviated quite dramatically from President Trump's.

POMPEO: The president's entitled to the staff that he wants. He should have people that he trusts and values.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Wednesday, September 11th. It's always strange to say that date.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It is, and it's always important to remember everything now associated with that date. And throughout the show, we'll be breaking in to bring you some of the coverage from the memorials.

CAMEROTA: It's 6:00 here in New York.

And breaking overnight, Republican Dan Bishop narrowly defeated Democrat Dan McCready in North Carolina's special election. President Trump made an eleventh hour trip there to campaign for Bishop and that may have helped the Republican win.

But, this election also holds some warning signs for President Trump and.

END