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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin
U.S. Troops Pulling Out; House's Impeachment Inquiry; 28 Year- Old Black Woman Atatiana Jefferson Fatally Shot Inside Texas Home; Baseball Walk-Off Thriller; Biden Pledges Squeaky Clean White House; Critics Slam Of Fake Video Of Trump Shooting Media; U.S. And China Reach Phase One Trade Deal; Girl Dies In New Jersey Festival; Caught On Video SUV Plows Into Police Cruiser; America's Choice 2020. Aired 4-4:30a ET
Aired October 14, 2019 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00]
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DAVE BRIGGS, CNN ANCHOR: The remaining U.S. troops in northern Syria, pulling out, as our allies, the Kurds, look to cut a deal with Assad and Russia.
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR: A former White House official expected to testify behind closed doors just hours from now in the Trump impeachment inquiry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What the officer observed and why he did not announce police, will be addressed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Fort Worth, Texas, police speak after an officer shot a woman to death in her own home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Umpire Cory Blaser.
This game is over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHATTERLEY: A walk-off thriller in Houston as the Astros beat the Yankees in game two.
Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world, this is Early Start and I'm Julia Chatterley.
BRIGGS: Good morning, I'm Dave Briggs, Monday, October 14. It is Columbus Day also indigenous people's day in many places. It is 4:00 a.m. in New York, 11:00 a.m. in Turkey and Syria. That's where we begin this morning with the remaining U.S. forces in northern Syria, now preparing to withdraw under new orders from President Trump. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, says the president and his national security team are concerned American troops could get caught in the crossfire.
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MARK ESPER, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Now what we're facing is, U.S. Forces in a trap between a Syrian Russian army moving north, to take on the Turkish army that is moving south. It puts us in a terrible position. And the protection and safety of our service members comes first to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: Esper says with the president ordering U.S. forces to pull out, America's main ally in the fight against ISIS, the Kurds, are now trying to save themselves from Turkish troops. He says, they're trying to cut a deal with the Syrian regime and its Russian backers. Jomana Karadsheh, live for us in Istanbul with the latest. Jomana, good morning. What are you learning?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Dave. We've got this very chaotic situation as we have seen unfolding over the past 24 hours in northeastern Syria. As you heard there, the United States is planning this -- what is being described by the Secretary of Defense and U.S. officials as this deliberate withdrawal, to pull out what remains of U.S. forces from northern Syria, because of this situation that is fast developing as we have seen, very concerning for U.S. officials.
As you mentioned there, when you have got basically on the one hand, you've got the Turkish-backed Syrian forces, Syrian militias that are advancing on one end. And U.S. officials have a lot of concerns about them. They say there are some extremist elements among them. They're not really seen as a friendly force.
And on the other hand, we're hearing now that the Syrian military is also confirming through its state media, saying that their forces are moving north, a claim that we have not been able to independently verify at this point. But what we do know and we heard from the Kurdish authorities in northern Syria yesterday, in a statement, they put out on their Facebook page that should come as no surprise, as we've heard.
Their leaders hinting at this for days now, saying they have been left with no option, but to turn to the Syrian regime. They've announced that they have basically reached an agreement with Damascus for the Syrian military to deploy along the Turkish border. They say that is the duty of the Syrian regime to protect the country's borders and its sovereignty.
So, we have to wait and see what happens in the next few hours. We haven't heard a confirmation from the regime about this agreement. The details of the agreement and what might happen, but this is really being viewed, Dave, as a success and a victory here. Not just for the Syrian regime, but for the Russian backers.
BRIGGS: And quickly, Jomana, what is the latest with all the ISIS prisoners? We had heard many had escaped?
KARADSHEH: Well, this has been -- as something that we heard from Kurdish officials. They're really concerned about the situation. You've got a number of camps where the family members of ISIS detainees are there along with other civilian refugees and currently displaced people. And then you've also got the detention facilities where they got about 12,000 ISIS detainees, 2,000 of them foreign jihadists from ISIS, from 50 different countries.
Now, they've been saying, that while they're fighting this Turkish military operation, this is really leaving these prisons and these camps pretty vulnerable.
[04:05:04]
And yesterday, these reports coming out from Kurdish authorities, saying that one of those camps, (inaudible) camp, they say that several hundred -- more than 700 people linked to ISIS managed to escape as part of this because of the chaos that we have been seeing.
But according to the United Nations, Dave, they say, there's a population about 13,000 people in that one camp. And the majority still remain there, but there are reports that some may have fled. A very chaotic situation.
BRIGGS: Indeed it is. Jomana Karadsheh, live for us in Istanbul, thank you.
CHATTERLEY: All right, United States says the federal holiday but still it's the first day of a very busy week for lawmakers with numerous depositions scheduled and subpoenas coming due in the Trump impeachment inquiry. The fast paced dictated impart by the pressure on House Democrats to vote on impeachment as soon as Thanksgiving, they are hoping to get it over with before the heat of primary season begins next year. Republicans though in the meantime, now trying to find various ways to fight back. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more from the White House.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Good morning, Dave and Julia. A busy week on Capitol Hill, indeed. And it all begins today, as Democrats continue to move forward with their House impeachment inquiry. They will be bringing forward Fiona Hill for a deposition behind closed doors on Capitol Hill. Fiona Hill was the top adviser to the president on Russia and European affairs for much of the president's tenure.
But she did leave the administration just a few days before the president's call with the Ukrainian President Zelensky back in July. But Fiona Hill would just be the beginning of Democrats move this week. Later in the week on Thursday, they will be bringing forward Gordon Sondland. The U.S. ambassador to the European Union. Of course, last week, he was barred by the White House and by the
State Department from testifying on Capitol Hill. But now, under subpoena pressure he will be testifying. And according to the Washington Post, Sondland, despite denying that there was any quid pro quo in those text messages with key U.S. diplomats involved in Ukraine policy.
According to the Washington Post, he will say that the president told him that there was no quid pro quo, but that he doesn't necessarily know if that statement was indeed truthful. Now, while Democrats have spent much of this weekend preparing for that busy week on the Hill, the president, meanwhile, is spending time defending his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He was a fantastic prosecutor. I know nothing about him being under investigation. Somebody said, I heard a report today. I can't imagine it. He is a man who looks for corruption. And whatever he does, I really believe he is a totally -- I mean, I know, he's an honorable man.
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DIAMOND: A source familiar with the matter confirming that the president did indeed had lunch with his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani at his golf course on Saturday. And the president's defense and his decision to have lunch with his personal attorney, all this coming after the New York Times reported that Giuliani is under federal investigation, law enforcement officials are probing whether he violated foreign lobbying laws. Dave, Julia?
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BRIGGS: Jeremy, thanks.
Meantime, former Vice President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, announcing he will resign from the board of a Chinese company at the end of the month. And he says, he will not work for any foreign-owned firms if his father is elected. Again this weekend, President Trump lashed out at the Bidens in the face of Democrats impeachment inquiry. And at a campaign event in Iowa, Sunday, Joe Biden said his would be a White House free of conflicts.
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JOE BIDEN, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 2020 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can tell you now, if I'm your president, next president, I'm going to build on the squeaky clean transparent environment that we had in the Obama/Biden White House. And no one in my family or associated to me will be involve in any foreign operation whatsoever. Period. End of story.
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BRIGGS: Biden adding that no family member would have an office in the West Wing or sit in on meetings, as if they were a cabinet member, a clear shot at the Trump White House.
CHATTERLEY: A disturbing meme video of a fake President Trump, shooting, assaulting and stabbing members of the media and his critics were shown at a pro-Trump conference last week. The New York Times reported on the video shown at the three day conference of the group American priority, held at Mr. Trump's Miami resort.
CNN cannot independently verify the video and has chosen not to show it, so as not to further amplify it. One part of the ultraviolent video, shows a fake Trump's head edited on to the body of a man opening fire on what is labeled the church of fake news.
CNN has release a statement saying, sadly, this is not the first time that supporters of the president have promoted violence against the media in a video they apparently find entertaining, but it is by far in a way, the worst. The images depicted are vile and horrific. The president and his family, the White House and the Trump campaign need to denounce it immediately in the strongest possible terms.
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Anything less equates to a tacit endorsement of violence and should not be tolerated by anyone. The spokesman for the Trump campaign told the Times the campaign did not produce the video and does not condone violence, quote. The American priorities says the content came from third parties and that the conference did not endorsed it.
BRIGGS: The family of a black Texas woman who was fatally shot inside her Fort Worth, Texas, home by a white police officer calling for an outside agency to investigate. An attorney for the family of 28 year- old Atatiana Jefferson says, she was playing video games with her 8- year-old nephew early Saturday morning when an officer shot her through a window.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The officer observed a person through a rear window in the residence and fired a shot at that person. The officer did not announce that he was a police officer prior to shooting. What the officer observed and why he did not announce police, will be addressed as the investigation continues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRIGGS: The officer who fired the fatal shot is scheduled to be interviewed later today by the major case unit of the Fort Worth police department. Polo Sandoval, has more.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We went from a welfare check to a woman being killed by the cops.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Outrage is building over the action of a Fort Worth, Texas police officer. Saturday morning, just before 2:30 a.m., police were called to the home of 28-year-old, Atatiana Jefferson after neighbors noticed her front door was open. Heavily edited body camera video released by Fort Worth police picks up what happens next. After police peer through the front door, they walk the perimeter of the property, when suddenly, police say, an officer spots someone standing near a window.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put your hands up. Show me your hands.
SANDOVAL: The medical examiner identified the woman who the officer shot is Jefferson. She died at the scene. James Smith says, he's the concerned caller who first alerted police.
JAMSE SMITH, CALLED POLICE: I feel guilty, because had I not called the Fort police department, my neighbor would still be alive today.
SANDOVAL: In a statement, Fort Worth police said their officer drew his weapon and fired a single shot after, quote, perceiving a threat. In addition to the body camera footage, investigators released this still photo, showing a firearm inside the house. CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney, Joey Jackson cautions not to jump to any conclusions.
JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: You're going to release the fact that she has a gun in the home, as perhaps what? To suggest she had a gun and that we were, perhaps, fearful for our life. There's no indication where that gun was. There's no indication she had that gun. There's no indication that she should not have had the gun.
SANDOVAL: CNN has requested the unedited body camera footage. The police spokesperson said, nothing addition that will be released at this time and the department quote, shares the deep concerns of the public and is committed to completing an extremely thorough investigation. Police have not named the officer who joined the department in April of last year. Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
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CHATTERLEY: The U.S. and China have reached phase one of a trade agreement, easing tensions but falling short of a more comprehensive deal. President Trump said finalizing the deal would take three to five weeks and appeared to confirm a meeting with China's President Xi Jinping at the APEC Summit next month.
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TRUMP: We are going to be in Chile together at the big summit. We've come to a deal on intellectual property, financial services, a tremendous deal for the farmers. A purchase from $40 to $50 billion worth of agriculture products.
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CHATTERLEY: During an interview in ABC, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin appeared optimistic too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) STEVEN MNUCHIN, U.S. SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY: We have a lot of work
to do, but I am confident that both sides are going to work very hard and anticipate we will be closing this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHATTERLEY: President Trump tweeted that China has already started buying agriculture products from the U.S. Although we should point out, there's been no official confirmation from the Chinese side. But there is another bit of good news here too, the U.S. will not increase tariffs on Chinese goods. Tariffs on $250 billion worth of goods were set to increase to 30 percent from 25 percent tomorrow. And that one now will not happen.
BRIGGS: To baseball, the American league championship series all tied one game apiece, after the Houston Astros' dramatic 3-2 win in 11 innings over the New York Yankees.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Talking to the home plate umpire Cory Blaser. The fly ball to right. Back at the wall. This game is over.
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BRIGGS: The score was tied to two until, Carlos Correa hit the first pitch in the 11 innings into the right field, seeds off Jay A up to the wall-off game winner. Best of seven series now shifts through New York for game three, Tuesday night. What a thriller that one was ended this morning actually.
CHATTERLEY: Did you watch it?
BRIGGS: Technically speaking. Of course I did. Who needs sleep?
[04:15:01]
CHATTERLEY: All right. We have to take a quick break here. But coming up, watch this. Moments of panic caught on camera as a speeding SUV closes in.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa, he's coming. He's coming. He's coming.
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CHATTERLEY: Wow. See what happens next after this. We are back in too, stay with us.
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CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to Early Start. State police are investigating the death of a 10-year-old girl who was thrown from a ride at the Harvest festival in Deerfield Township in New Jersey. The identity of the girl is not being released. She was ejected from a ride called extreme, Saturday evening and was air-lifted to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. The cause of the accident is still not known. The operator of the ride (inaudible) Amusements says it is fully cooperating with the investigation.
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BRIGGS: Dramatic video shows a speeding SUV slamming into a police cruiser on a freeway in southern California.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa. He is coming. He is coming. He is coming. He is coming.
Whoa.
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BRIGGS: Police on the scene were responding to an earlier multi- vehicle crash caused by a wrong way driver hitting a truck head-on. The SUV driver nearly hit several people, including officers, as he came careening down an emergency lane after traffic had been stopped. The driver told police he blocked out during the crash. He was arrested on suspicion of DUI.
CHATTERLEY: Wow. All right, 12 candidates getting ready for tomorrow's CNN debate in Ohio. A preview after this.
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CHATTERLEY: Tomorrow, 12 Democratic presidential candidates face off in the next primary debate. The Trump/Ukraine scandal has put former Vice President Joe Biden at the center of the news cycle over the past month. Can he turn that to his advantage tomorrow night or will someone else break out. Well, CNN's Jeff Zeleny has a preview.
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JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Dave and Julia. Democratic candidates heading here to Ohio for their fourth presidential debate. It is going to be on the campus of Otterbein University in the suburb of Westerville, Ohio. Of course, all eyes will be on Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren as well as on Bernie Sanders, who is recovering from that heart attack, but other candidates as well.
Now several candidates were speaking Sunday night at an Ohio Democratic Party dinner, rallying the Party faithful, but there's also questions that Joe Biden is bringing into this debate about his son, Hunter Biden. On Sunday, his son Hunter Biden said if his father was elected, he would not serve on any foreign boards or work with any foreign governments, clearly trying to move beyond the controversy that President Trump has been stirring up largely without evidence. Clearly this is a defining moment for these Democratic candidates who will be sharing the stage, 12 of them in total on Tuesday night, here in the pivotal battleground state of Ohio. Dave and Julia.
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BRIGGS: Jeff, thanks.
You can see the CNN/New York Times Democratic presidential debate live from the battlegrounds state of Ohio, tomorrow night, 8:00 Eastern Time, right here on CNN.
CHATTERLEY: All right. Coming up on the show, the Kurds may have found some fresh allies with the remaining U.S. troops in northern Syria, pulling out. A live report after this.
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